The County of Temesch

[Esterlen 4499]

 

THE COUNTY OF TEMESCH

Est. 17 of Owyn’s Flame, 1719

 

 

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Lo and behold, for you have stumbled upon the realm of the Count of Temesch, who rules the lands east of the great forest from his seat in Temeschburg!

 

The city of Temeschburg is a predominantly human settlement built atop the plateau upon which stood the ruins of old Alderyn. With the indigenous elven people, the Alderfolk and the Irrinites, expelled from this territory, the Count of Temesch has established his own independent realm.

 

Paying homage or obedience to no greater powers at the time of its establishment, the town is a neutral, metropolitan refuge - a land of opportunity for settlers seeking a better life.

 

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The personal sigil of the House of Arany-Bocsa c. 1719

Or a pale gules, a viper displayed vert entwined with a Hetman’s Baton Or.

 

The county of Temesch is a nominally independent realm ruled as a domain under the vassalage of the Count of Temesch, who rules from his seat of Temeschburg. The realm adheres to the tenets of the Church of the Canon, recognizing the primacy of the High Pontiff in matters of ecclesiastical relevance, although it is also home clandestinely to various religious nonconformists within the monotheistic human traditions. Like in all human cities, a nonhuman minority can be found there.

 

The first Count of Temesch, Francis Stephen de Arany-Bocsa, hails through a distant derivation from bastard stock of the House of Kovachev, and intends to maintain the Carnatian heritage of his ancestry through propagating settlers of that eminent descent. The progenitor of the House of Arany-Bocsa, Ferdinand of Bocsa (d. 1656), was the illegitimate son of Mihail Kovachev, himself the youngest son of a 17th century Duke of Carnatia, by a woman of the northern gentry nigh upon a century ago.

 

Legend has it that Ferdinand of Bocsa cut his teeth as a mercenary general in the Horosid legions of Aeldin, where his reputation preceded him as a taciturn and silent military commander, implacable in his unquestioning obedience to whatever master he served at the time. When he died in a forgotten siege camp after an outbreak of cholera, his troops, consisting mostly of Haeseni expatriates, buried him with his fortune in an undisclosed location.

 

This uncommon display of good faith and generosity from an encampment of mercenaries, who some say feared his morose wrath even from beyond the grave, would result in the appellation of ‘arany’ (The old Haeseni-language word for ‘gold’) to his baseborn surname, and so originated the House of Arany-Bocsa carried on by his heirs. To this day, the apocryphal legend of Bocsa’s gold and the curse that would originate from disturbing his rest carries weight as a recognisable ‘tall-tale’ in Aeldinic society.

 

The Count of Temesch’s authority over his lands is represented by the golden hetman’s baton (Haeseni: bulava) that once belonged to Ferdinand of Bocsa. While this is a ceremonial instrument, it nonetheless embodies his rule and administration.

 

The Count’s formal style is as follows:

 

His Lordship, the Right Honorable Count of Temesch.

 

He is addressed as ‘my lord’, or ‘sir’.

 

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THE TEMESCHINE COURT

 

The government of the county of Temesch administrates this independent realm in trust to the Count, who ultimately maintains supreme control over his own personal domain. It is intentionally minimalistic in nature, designed to simplify matters of politics in eschewing the arcane and bureaucratic systems of the other various human realms and empires. It consists of:

 

The Castellan of Temesch

 

The castellan serves as the chief-most governmental authority over the territory, acting as the Count’s right-hand. He holds his position by appointment, and is expected to carry out his duties in variant matters of diplomacy (Both internal and external), stewardship, finance and administration. He also maintains the privilege to manage the Count’s personal household as his majordomo, and may also appoint under-castellans on a limited basis to assist him with the management of the city, taxation and customs. Accordingly, this position has a wide scope of authority and responsibility.

 

The Bailiff of Temesch

 

Though the Count is embodied in his own person as the commander-in-chief of any forces mustered by the county, it is an expectation that he delegate a portion of this authority for the command of the city’s guardforce and law-men. Though the Temeschine levy is not a particularly organized one, eschewing the pomp and ceremony of formal knightly orders and standing armies, a small force does exist in order to protect the city and ward away threats. The bailiff of Temesch maintains defense of both the county and the Count’s person, in addition to enforcing the domain’s laws, serving as a legal officer in this regard. He may also appoint deputies.

 

The Justiciar of Temesch

 

The justiciar of Temesch operates as the foremost judicial authority in the county, other than the Count himself. He is expected to interpret and apply the laws of the county, hearing cases (Brought to him by the bailiff or his deputies) both criminal and civil in the Count’s absence, or by his delegation. He is also in charge of the formulation of these laws, and is charged to conduct himself in a manner both fair and independent of fear or favour in his judgements. This role in writing laws also means that he is entrusted with the facilitation of all written documentation and record-keeping.

 

The Bishop of Temesch

 

The Bishop of Temesch manages ecclesiastical affairs within the county from the Basilica of Saint Otto. He is appointed by the High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, and is expected to cater to the citizens of Temeschburg’s spiritual needs by both proselytizing the Canon and rooting out any unsavoury heresies before they take root. He is also expected to conduct masses and manage the poor of the city through the giving of alms to the destitute. Despite this, in terms of actual political authority, the bishop’s role is largely ceremonial.

 

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Together, these officers reside in the court at Temeschburg, ensuring the day-to-day operation of the polity. They are not formalized into any one authoritative ‘council’ body, but rather serve by virtue of individual mandate while simultaneously collaborating with one another. Besides these roles, the Count also may maintain several informal advisers on policy.