Narnian Government: Stewards and Curiates
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:37 pmAs many of you who play Narnian characters know, several things about the way that Narnia is governed have changed since King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy disappeared from Narnia a few years ago. Other things haven’t changed. Several people have asked questions about this transition recently, so I wanted to give anyone who is interested some information about the current state of affairs, as well as a quick recap to give some context, and an announcement about some upcoming RP opportunities for all Narnian characters (details below)! This information comes from my own IC knowledge as well as from various conversations with staff (so, staff, if I’ve gotten anything wrong here, please correct me).
How things used to work:
The four kings and queens ruled Narnia collaboratively, with Peter having the highest level of authority and the other three having equal degrees of authority to each other. They divided up their duties mostly according to their own personal strengths and preferences (we know from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that, for instance, Peter was the strongest warrior and Lucy was particularly good at keeping the Narnian people’s spirits up). They had counselors, generals, etc. at Cair Paravel to advise them, and they also appointed regional governors known as curiates to handle issues of local government. The kings’ and queens’ appointed curiates have typically been Narnians who have some sort of socially prominent position and authority/trust within their local communities. For instance, Mr. Tumnus is Curiate of Lantern Waste.
This means that historically, if any Narnian has had a problem or concern and needed help, they would go first to their pack/herd leader (if they had one), and then, if they still needed help, to their regional curiate. The curiates have had quite a bit of authority to solve problems and resolve disputes within their own regions, but if a more serious and/or cross-regional issue ever arose (think: an invasion of Giants along the northern border), they would bring the issue to the Kings and Queens for resolution. The kings and queens also used to meet periodically with the Curiates’ Council to discuss national issues.
After the Pevensies disappeared:
Immediately after realizing that the kings and queens were missing, the rest of the hunting party were met by Aslan, who told them that their rulers were not coming back, and that it was their new task to choose a new ruler or rulers. A combination of regional curiates and the kings’ and queens’ closest advisors assembled to form the Narnian Council, which governed Narnia in the absence of a ruler while simultaneously attempting to choose a new ruler. This turned out to be a lengthy process, complete with a prophecy pointing to an as-yet-unknown rightful ruler, and so the Narnian Council appointed four stewards to govern (but not rule) Narnia until such time as the prophecy identifying the future king or queen of Narnia was fulfilled. The four stewards chosen were Avery, Oren, Wintermoor, and myself.
As affairs currently stand:
We (the new stewards) were appointed in July of this year and decided as a group to model our style of government after the method of rule used by the recently departed kings and queens. We are attempting to govern collaboratively, with each steward focusing on responsibilities that fit our talents. We have continued to make important decisions as a group, with input from our council of advisors. We have also decided to maintain the system of regional curiates, and have retained the same curiates who were appointed by the kings and queens while they were still on the throne.
Because the Narnian Council is no longer needed to govern Narnia, many of the curiates are now able to spend a lot more time in their home regions instead of in Cair Paravel, and are therefore much more available to your Narnian characters, should they be needed. Just as before, those who play Narnians and need assistance will continue to work first with their pack/herd leaders and then with their curiates, as appropriate. The current list of regional curiates is as follows (staff told me to say that if you need your character’s regional curiate and they are idle, send a page #mail to staff):
Depending on your characters’ roles and interests, as well as how much interaction they have with their pack/herd leaders, curiates, etc., here is some additional information they might know about the responsibilities the individual stewards are in charge of:
As part of our attempt to build relationships between the Narnian people and the new stewards, we are undertaking two tours of the country. The first will take place between October 15th and October 23rd, 2018. During that time, Lady Avery, Lord Wintermoor, and myself will be visiting Beruna (10/15-17), the Narnian Plains (10/18), and Lantern Waste (10/19-23). If you have characters who live in or near these regions, please log on and ISO for us during these dates so that we can RP with as many of you as possible. You can assume that if you live in any of these regions or in a neighboring region, your curiates have announced to you that we will be visiting. We would love to see you RP within your packs, herds, and local communities prior to our arrival so that during our visits, you are able to update us on local concerns and needs that we should be aware of.
The second tour will take place on dates to be announced later, when Duke Oren and Lord Wintermoor will visit the Great Woods and Bergdale. More details will be announced later, but you can start RPing in preparation for this tour now as well!
How things used to work:
The four kings and queens ruled Narnia collaboratively, with Peter having the highest level of authority and the other three having equal degrees of authority to each other. They divided up their duties mostly according to their own personal strengths and preferences (we know from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that, for instance, Peter was the strongest warrior and Lucy was particularly good at keeping the Narnian people’s spirits up). They had counselors, generals, etc. at Cair Paravel to advise them, and they also appointed regional governors known as curiates to handle issues of local government. The kings’ and queens’ appointed curiates have typically been Narnians who have some sort of socially prominent position and authority/trust within their local communities. For instance, Mr. Tumnus is Curiate of Lantern Waste.
This means that historically, if any Narnian has had a problem or concern and needed help, they would go first to their pack/herd leader (if they had one), and then, if they still needed help, to their regional curiate. The curiates have had quite a bit of authority to solve problems and resolve disputes within their own regions, but if a more serious and/or cross-regional issue ever arose (think: an invasion of Giants along the northern border), they would bring the issue to the Kings and Queens for resolution. The kings and queens also used to meet periodically with the Curiates’ Council to discuss national issues.
After the Pevensies disappeared:
Immediately after realizing that the kings and queens were missing, the rest of the hunting party were met by Aslan, who told them that their rulers were not coming back, and that it was their new task to choose a new ruler or rulers. A combination of regional curiates and the kings’ and queens’ closest advisors assembled to form the Narnian Council, which governed Narnia in the absence of a ruler while simultaneously attempting to choose a new ruler. This turned out to be a lengthy process, complete with a prophecy pointing to an as-yet-unknown rightful ruler, and so the Narnian Council appointed four stewards to govern (but not rule) Narnia until such time as the prophecy identifying the future king or queen of Narnia was fulfilled. The four stewards chosen were Avery, Oren, Wintermoor, and myself.
As affairs currently stand:
We (the new stewards) were appointed in July of this year and decided as a group to model our style of government after the method of rule used by the recently departed kings and queens. We are attempting to govern collaboratively, with each steward focusing on responsibilities that fit our talents. We have continued to make important decisions as a group, with input from our council of advisors. We have also decided to maintain the system of regional curiates, and have retained the same curiates who were appointed by the kings and queens while they were still on the throne.
Because the Narnian Council is no longer needed to govern Narnia, many of the curiates are now able to spend a lot more time in their home regions instead of in Cair Paravel, and are therefore much more available to your Narnian characters, should they be needed. Just as before, those who play Narnians and need assistance will continue to work first with their pack/herd leaders and then with their curiates, as appropriate. The current list of regional curiates is as follows (staff told me to say that if you need your character’s regional curiate and they are idle, send a page #mail to staff):
- Bergdale: Windsailer, the herd dominant of Meardhell and Pinefald
- Great Woods: Chervy, the stag dominant of Roscoe Glade
- Lantern Waste: Tumnus the Faun, with assistance from Sardonyx, the herd dominant of Un’aireken
- Narnian Lowlands: Tarval, elder of the Centaurs’ Council
- Narnian Marshes: Gulleygruff the Marsh-Wiggle
- Narnian Plains: Marjan, the pride king
- Western March: Mortsleam the Dwarf
Depending on your characters’ roles and interests, as well as how much interaction they have with their pack/herd leaders, curiates, etc., here is some additional information they might know about the responsibilities the individual stewards are in charge of:
- Lady Avery is in charge of foreign diplomacy and is working in an advocacy role to build relationships between the Narnian people and the stewards.
- Duke Oren is in charge of managing our trade interests and is in command of the Narnian Navy.
- Lord Peridan is in charge of Narnia’s security and defense, with oversight of the Northern Guard and command of the Narnian Army.
- Lord Wintermoor is the primary liaison with the Curiates’ Council, including overseeing any administration of justice which cannot be handled at the local level.
As part of our attempt to build relationships between the Narnian people and the new stewards, we are undertaking two tours of the country. The first will take place between October 15th and October 23rd, 2018. During that time, Lady Avery, Lord Wintermoor, and myself will be visiting Beruna (10/15-17), the Narnian Plains (10/18), and Lantern Waste (10/19-23). If you have characters who live in or near these regions, please log on and ISO for us during these dates so that we can RP with as many of you as possible. You can assume that if you live in any of these regions or in a neighboring region, your curiates have announced to you that we will be visiting. We would love to see you RP within your packs, herds, and local communities prior to our arrival so that during our visits, you are able to update us on local concerns and needs that we should be aware of.
The second tour will take place on dates to be announced later, when Duke Oren and Lord Wintermoor will visit the Great Woods and Bergdale. More details will be announced later, but you can start RPing in preparation for this tour now as well!