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Hi guys, I've been toying with the idea of a mostly completely intrigue game (with little if no combat). For this, I'd have to find an appropriate setting to place my game and I really like the idea of a political game in Taldor, since it could take a lot of different angles depending on the PCs' choices.
Unfortunately, for this, I'd need a pretty detailed view of Taldor's politics. Most of Paizo material don't really touch about politics (actually a comprehensive approach, since it is a rather specific aspect of the game that is most likely ignored), and Taldor having no new books makes everything a bit worse. I've looked around other threads, there are a lot of great ideas but nothing concrete, so I've decided to, like we say here in Brazil, "to give names to the bulls".
Firstly, I think it is necessary to quickly explain my view of Taldor's real word comparisons. IMHO, Taldor current situation is kind of a transition from the Feudal system to a Byzantine one, even if there is no clue if it will finish its transition, remain as it is, or turn back. My reasoning to this is the fact the it is mentioned repeatedly that it has a Byzantine Bureaucracy and Byzantine titles for its nobility (a classic feudal term). Furthermore, it also mentions serfs and the complete lack of preoccupation to the desires of the common folk.
Another important consideration is that any design to be made about Taldor's politics, is that it MUST NOT be practical. It has to have many opportunities for those in the game of politics to maneuver their desires. Being as engineer, this is quite hard for me, since my brain is settled to a "make things functional" mode, but I'll try.
Slaves: The lowest of the unbearded, the slaves have absolutely no rights in Taldor. Differently from other kingdoms where slavery is allowed, in Taldor it is not as significant simply because there are easier and cheaper options for those interested in such things, like the serfs, day laborers, dock workers, etc. Slaves are mostly used by lanistas (for the gladiatorial games), as houses slaves by some of the Senatorial class who are not themselves part of the nobility, or by the Zimar Corsairs to work in their rows.
With the unbearded comprising around 99% of Taldor population, it is not really surprising that slavery is not largely used, since most of the population would not be able to buy slaves (they can't properly buy food) and most of the bearded are already part of the nobility, thus having serfs to work for them.
Serfs: Different from slaves (if only in name), serfs are tied to the land instead of owned by someone, even if the distinction is almost insignificant. Mostly seen in the countryside, the serfs are the responsible for working the lands of their lords and raise their animals, as well as working for them in exchange for their protection. Aside from their responsibilities of production, serfs must also fight for their lords if requested, making the bulk of their lords' particular armies.
Free men (independent farmers, craftsmen, merchants, vagabonds, soldiers, etc): Found mostly around the cities, the free men pride themselves of not being 'bounded' by anyone, even if they are mostly wrong, since they depend on the good-will of those above themselves if they wish to survive and, hopefully, thrive. All of them must work to pay the heavy taxes imposed to them with the risk of being thrown in some forgotten jail or be sold as slaves (or sent to the Zimar Corsairs). Craftsmen depend on their guilds, merchants are subjected to additional trade taxes and the good-will of fiscals... it is not surprising that many of the unbearded join the army, one of the single jobs one can take and have the chance to improve in life.
Knights: The lowest rank of nobility, knights are mounted warriors vassals to a lord, raising in prestige according to the power pertaining to such lord. A knight bound to a Baron would have much less prestige and a simpler life than one bound to a Count or a Duke. The term knight can also be used in a more chivalrous tone when employed by high born nobles who wish to take up arms.
Barons: Still part of the low nobility, barons are minor nobles just above the knights. Most of the nobles in Taldor are Barons, bound by the peerage system to higher nobles. The distinction between a Knight and a Baron is dim, since the first is a honorific and not hereditary title, while the second is hereditary. Both of them generally have s single small property and a minor amount of serfs if any to work for them.
Viscount: A non-hereditary title, a viscount is a noble with the responsibility to aid its Count in the administration if the County. Among the low nobility, it is a highly important title, even if looked down by the high nobility. With the rise of the Senatorial class, the name 'County' was changed to comuni, but the titles Viscount and Count remained.
Count/Marquess: A hereditary title of middle power, a count is considered the highest among the low-nobility but the lowest among the high nobility. With a couple barons and knights under their command, a Count has a considerable power under his will, even if they are still bound to higher nobles. A count has the responsibility for the administration of its county (nowadays called comuni), having a handful of serfs and taxes coming towards them. The differentiation between a Count and a Marquess is simply the location of their lands. The comunis located on the borders of Taldor are more exposed to foreign attacks, so they are controlled by Marquess, who have a distinct title and slightly higher influence.
Duke, Grand Duke, and Archduke: A hereditary title of high power, a duke has the responsibility to administrate a Duchy, thus receiving the taxes from its Countys and paying to the Grand Prince. With the advent of the Senatorial class, the Duchy was renamed to prefecture, even if the title of Duke remained. The title Grand Duke was created to give more importance to a couple Dukes who have a greater territory or a more strategic one, while the title of Archduke was used to represent the duke who is closest to replace the Grand Prince is case he has no heirs.
Viceroy: A hereditary title bestowed to a powerful noble with the responsibility of ruling a distant territory from the main Empire of Taldor. Nowadays, since the shrinking of the empire, there is no acting viceroy, even if a couple families claim the title with the hope that, once the territories are reclaimed, they'll be able to regain their power.
Grand Prince: The supreme power and the sovereign of Taldor and all its distant territories (currently none). His heirs are called Princes and Princess.
Clarissimis: The lowest among the senatorial class, the clarissimi are mostly secretaries of those Senators in charge of a single city. Its prestige would depend on the size of the city, and it is the first step from a common men into the senatorial class. A clarissimi is appointed by the Praetor of the city.
Magistrates: Above the clarissimi, a group of magistrates are responsible to council and help the Praetor to run a city. From tax collectors, to bank representatives, important guild representatives, etc, these men are effectively a city council. Some of these Magistrates respond directly to Quaestors and Magisters, with the responsibility of assuring that the Praetor is working according to the plans of those above them. The number of Magistrates varies according to the size of the city, ranging from around 10 to more than 50. Magistrates are appointed by Praetors and are hereditary.
Praetors: Praetors are responsible to the administrative function of a city, be it small or large. With the help of Magistrates and Clarissimis, the Praetors should assure that all the taxes are being paid, that the city and its roads are well-kept, the population are under control, etc. Praetors are hereditary and are appointed by the Prefecture Governors.
Spectabiles: Similarly to the Clarissimis, the Spectabiles are basically secretaries of those Senators in charge of a Prefecture. Even if possessing less prestige and power that a Praetor, being a Spectable is generally a necessary step if one intends to become a Governor in the few opportunities that allow it. Spectabiles are appointed by both Governors and Quaestors, depending on the function they will have. Spectabiles are hereditary titles.
Governors: In charge of a whole Prefecture, the governor is the second highest administrative rank among the senatorial class. With countless Spectabiles, Praetors, and Magistrates under their command, the governors are pretty powerful. Governors are hereditary titles.
Quaestors: Not tied to a specific territory, but to a specific function, quaestors are under the direct order of Magisters with the function of making sure all the orders issued by the magisters to be applied to each Prefecture, Comuni, and City. Their job is generally to fiscalize and not to implement the changes proffered by the Magisters. Quaestors are hereditary titles.
Illustres: Similarly to Clarissimis and Spectabiles, the Illustres are basically secretaries to those Senators in charge of the administration of the whole Taldoran Empire. Once more, even if not as prestigious as others titles, being a Illustre is generally a necessary step for those wishing to become Tribunes and Magisters. Illustres are hereditary titles.
Tribunes: One of the most prestigious titles, a Tribune has the responsibility of debate the new and current laws of the whole Empire. Every new law must be passed through the tribunes, giving them an immense amount of power and influence and are generally a "retirement post" for Quaestors and Governors, being appointed by the Praetorian Prefect. Tribunes are hereditary titles.
Magisters: Representing the most power office of specific matters, the Magisters act as a council for the Praetorian Prefect, being appointed directly by them. Their offices range from the control of religion, arcane arts, foreign policy, treasury, etc. Unlike other high ranking Senators, a Magistrate is not a hereditary title and each Preatorian Prefect can choose or dismiss a magistrate as he wishes. Instead, if the Magister was already part of the Senatorial class, he passes the title of Tribune hereditarily.
Protasekretis: Working directly for the Praetorian Prefect, the Protasekretis are responsible for the most high house, with the most important job of keeping all the imperial records. To avoid the risk of leaking some imperial secret, a Protasekretis is a hereditary title, even if working for a Preatorian Prefect which is not. The Protasekretis is appointed directly by the Grand Prince.
Praetorian Prefect: One of the most powerful individuals in the whole empire, the Praetorian Prefect has the responsibility to administrate the empire for the Grand Prince. Its power depends on how the Grand Prince wishes to meddle with the day to day administration of its empire. This title is appointed by the Grand Prince and is not hereditary. Much like a Magister, if the Preatorian Prefect was a member oft the Senatorial class, he passes the title of Tribune hereditarily.
More than once there is conflict between the Senatorial and Nobility for the right to rule anything. With the advent of the senatorial class, it was clear that Counts/Marquess and Praetors would be responsible for the same territory. The same applies to Dukes/Grand Dukes and Governors. To mitigate this, many counts, marquesses, and dukes made sure to be also be part of the Senatorial class, effectively only changing their title when addressing those under his control.
Obviously this wasn't always the case, since such titles are appointed by those above in the Senatorial class. In such cases, a couple prefectures ended up with Dukes with effective no nominal power but still many nobles under his control, and Governors with the right to rule but without the strength to do so.
Among the Chamber of the Tribunes, another problem rose as the nobility would not accept to have their words to have the same weight of those not with a noble blood. To mitigate this, those that are both Nobles and members of the Senate, have a vote with a stronger weight (1.5) than those that are solely Senators. Even if in disadvantage, the fact that non-noble senators outnumber those of noble blood, give them a generally advantage in the Senate.
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This is still a sketch, but I intend to further describe and develop each of these titles. Any criticism and idea would be most welcome.
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Once more, Taldoran armies are divided in a feudal and byzantine way. On the feudal side of the coin, each noble has its own soldiers and knights based on their title and the depth of their coins: while Barons have few if any soldiers, Counts and Dukes can call a small army to their banner and causes simply by requesting its peers to honor their vows. In fact, most of the internal conflicts between nobles are clashes between their personal armies, since using the empire legions would require much more maneuver and guile.
On the Byzantine side, there are the Empire Legions, divided in three recognized branches, plus the Lion Blades, who work as spies under the control of the Grand Prince. The three branches of the Imperial Army are: Taldan Horse, Taldan Phalanx, and the Taldan Imperial Navy. The later also has two additional branches, the Taldan River Guard and the Zimar Corsairs, a quasi-legal branch of corsairs with the mission of sinking Qadiran ships. Since joining the military is the easiest way for some one who is neither part of the nobility nor the senatorial class to raise in prestige, the Imperial army is quite impressive and loyal to its commanders who, in theory, are loyal to the Grand Prince alone.
A third and far less impressive group of armed men are those employed by the cities to protect their citizens, being under the control of the Praetors, making them the only ones in the Senatorial classes outside of the military who posses legitimate control over armed men (obviously, other members of the class can hire mercenaries with their own extensive resources). Nevertheless, such armed men pale in comparison to the armies possessed by high nobles and the Imperial Legions.
The whole Imperial Army is under the command of the High Strategos who answers directly to the Grand Prince. Even if the High Strategos takes in consideration requests by the other high ranking Senators like the Praetorian Prefect and the Magisters, his ultimate loyalty is with the Grand Prince. Much like other high responsibility ranks, the High Strategos is appointed by the Grand Prince and is not hereditary.
No rank in any of the armies are hereditary and should be considered a meritocracy, even if, in truth, those of senatorial and noble descend find it much more easier to rise in the ranks of the army.
Not so much as a criticism, but I'd imagine that longstanding religious institutions in Taldor would have a major influence on the complex social order your trying to make.
The Church of Abadar would almost certainly try to insulate themselves in anyway they could within the Senate, particularly by gaining titles like Magister. They could even be unofficially in charge of whatever royal treasury/banking system you come up with, giving them an enviable amount of power and prestige in the kingdom. You could even turn that into a source of political conflict with other main Taldan faiths like Cayden Cailean, Sarenrae, Norborger, etc, who want to unseat the Abadarans dominance in the Senate for their own political aims. Having Calistrians try and outfox the worshipers of Abadar in getting a Senate seat would be great role-playing opportunity for intrigue, guile and perhaps, if your group's mature enough for it, sexual manipulation.
Also, consider the fact that while Taldor is quite nationalistic it also manages to be a surprisingly pluralistic place as well. The Grand Prince's guards are Ulfen and have their own distinct function and organizational culture that can serve as an interesting wildcard, especially in regard to their loyalty to the Crown of Taldor and not necessarily the Grand Prince himself. There's also the fact that Taldor is allied with druids in the Verduran Forest who pretty much rule that place as their private prefecture. How do ancient druids with all the power that comes with that interact with the nobles of Taldor? What real political power do have in the Senate? Do they have their own unique title in the Senate, like Marshals of the Verduran? Those are all questions that would be interesting to explore.
What about dragons? Taldor is the only place in Golarion where dragons (I think only bronze ones) get to set up their own banks without having to pay taxes and have do so for millennia. While dragons might be a bit to much for a more grounded intrigue campaign, having rich dragons with incredible financial power and influence (think House Targaryen from Game of Thrones) sounds like a pretty cool element to me. Maybe give them an official title in the Senate as well, something like Dragonlord or Draconem, that denotes their political power and holdings. Bronze dragons can shapeshift so them being a colossal eyesore won't be a problem.
Lastly, think about how Taldor's male-preference primogeniture fits in with how women can get power in the Senate or nobility. I can imagine there being a bunch of loopholes and bylaws that women exploit to gain positions of power or maybe Taldan women slap on a beard in senatorial meetings and symbolically become men to gain entrance. The Egyptians did something mildly similar so why not Taldor. Especially consider primogeniture in regard to the growing conflict between Grand Prince Stavian and his daughter Eutropia if you choose you them in your campaign. A succession crisis would be a great way to kick a civil war between various factions in the Senate and Taldor as a whole.
So, yeah, hope this helps with your campaign. Everything you've done with the titles seems pretty comprehensive and above and beyond to me and I can only think of adding niche positions, like Draconem or Marshals to expand upon them, so great job.
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A lot of good stuff...
Religion: I completely agree with you and it was already my intention to include them in the politics and intrigue, specially worshipers of Abadar. The thing is that, for now, I have only fleshed the ranks, and I thought it would make no sense to create a rank in the politics specially for the clergy. Taking in consideration their love for complicated titles, I can see the clergy including more titles like "Most Holy Tribune" with the intention to gain more prestige.
Druids: I believe they would be practically uninterested in the politics, since they don't really care for what is going on in the rest of the empire. I could see a representative, though, just making sure nothing goes wrong with their long agreement. Even if this seems passive, I think they are the ones holding the cards... if the Grand Prince could extract all the wood without the druids, he'd for sure do so, so it leads me to think that the druids are perhaps too powerful to poke.
Dragons: When I wrote the above posts, I was actually unaware of the deal between the crown and the bronze dragons. Nevertheless, I think they occupy the same niche as the clergy, trying to insinuate themselves inside the Senatorial class and creating additional titles to them. On the other hand, bronze dragons are LG, a fact that would make them a bit more concerned with the people than about prestige and power.
Male vs. Woman: My original intention would be to make the whole Senate as a Male-predominant one, since both original concepts (feudal and byzantine cultures) are mostly male-predominant. This of course doesn't mean that there are no female Senators... they are just incredibly scarce, making the whole idea about supporting the princess even more tempting.
Thanks for all the input! This is a slow brewing idea yet... it will take a while before it is turned into a campaign since I prefer to have most of it written before running it (specially important for a Intrigue-based game).