Unreviewed The Exarchate

[Darth Virelia]

THE EXARCHATE

"Seven Flames, One Throne."

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To codify the Exarchate, the upper administrative and political order of the Dark Court under Darth Virelia. This submission establishes its purpose, internal structure, and role within the greater feudal hierarchy of the Dark Court, serving as the nexus between the Throne and the nobility.
• Image Credit: [X]
• Canon: N/A.
• Permissions: N/A.
• Links: The Dark Court [X], Darth Virelia , Feast of Ascension [X]

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

• Organization Name: The Exarchate of the Dark Court
• Classification: Secretive Administrative Order / Feudal Council
• Affiliation: The Dark Court
• Organization Symbol: See above.
• Description: The Exarchate is the supreme governing body beneath the Dark Queen, composed of her appointed Exarchs — chosen lieutenants who rule over vast domains of the empire and personify one of its foundational tenants. Each Exarch acts as an extension of the Throne, overseeing not only territory but philosophy, culture, and function within their domain.
  
  The Exarchate transforms the Queen's vision into policy, binding together military, political, industrial, and spiritual command under a single will. It is both government and priesthood — the intersection of ambition, obedience, and faith. The Exarchs are not elected nor born; they are forged through victory, intellect, or the Queen's personal favor.
  
  Though they operate with autonomy, all Exarchs remain subordinate to the Throne. Their power is absolute only until it is no longer useful.

GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Headquarters:
The Spire of Malachor.

Domain:
The Exarchate governs the entirety of the Dark Court's holdings, divided into seven great domains, each corresponding to one of the unique values Virelia emphasise. Each domain is a miniature empire unto itself — with planetary holdings, fleets, and subordinate nobles. Together, they form the skeleton of the Queen's dominion.

Notable Assets:

• The Spire of Malachor: Seat of the Throne and ceremonial meeting place of the Exarchate.

SOCIAL INFORMATION

Hierarchy:
The Exarchate operates on a feudal chain of delegation, mirroring the wider structure of the Dark Court:

1. The Dark Queen (Darth Virelia) — Absolute sovereign; all authority flows from her.
2. The Exarchs — Supreme administrators and governors, each ruling a sphere of dominion.
3. Dukes and Counts — Nobility who govern individual worlds, fleets, or regions beneath the Exarchs.
4. Knights — Force-wielding agents and commanders serving directly under Exarchs or nobles.
5. Peasantry and Servitors — The foundation of the system; workers, soldiers, and administrators.

Each Exarch wields near-total power within their sphere but remains personally accountable to the Queen. They do not command one another; rivalry is an intended function of the system, ensuring constant refinement and vigilance.

Membership:
The Exarchate consists of seven standing Exarchs and their subordinate administrations. Entry is not requested or negotiated — it is bestowed. To become an Exarch, one must achieve extraordinary success in service to the Throne and embody one of the Domains so completely that the Queen deems them an extension of herself.

Promotion often follows political maneuvering, conquest, or deliberate trials orchestrated by the Queen. Demotion or death are the only exits.

Climate:
Cold, calculating, and ceremonial. The Exarchate operates like a blend of bureaucracy and aristocratic cult. Every meeting is layered with ritual and subtle threat; every decision is both administrative act and theological statement. Exarchs exist in constant tension — balancing loyalty with ambition, service with self-preservation.

Reputation:
Among outsiders, the Exarchate is seen as the ultimate expression of the Dark Court's brand of order — an empire of reason gilded with madness. Within the Dark Court, it is both revered and feared: to speak with an Exarch is to speak with the Queen's shadow.

Curios:
Each Exarch carries a Signet of Dominion, a bio-alchemic seal unique to their office. The signet marks their alignment with a particular Domain and allows limited command access to the Spire's inner systems. Upon death or removal, the signet dissolves, leaving only ash.

Rules:
All Exarchs are bound by the Doctrine of Fealty, an oath that transcends written law.

• The Throne is Absolute.
• Power is Service.
• Ambition is permitted, but disobedience is annihilation.
• The Exarchate exists to perfect the will of the Queen.

The system encourages calculated rivalry and punishes complacency. Each Exarch may test another, but direct rebellion is impossible — the Queen's binding oaths enforce loyalty through metaphysical compulsion.

Goals:
The Exarchate's primary purpose is to consolidate the Dark Court's dominion over its conquered worlds and prepare for interstellar expansion. Its goals include:

• Formalizing feudal governance across Malachor, Nathema, and all other planets that come under the Dark Court's banner.
• Integrating the new Knightly Orders and Ducal houses under a single command hierarchy.
• Advancing alchemical, industrial, and military research through coordinated administration.
• Preparing the galaxy for the revelation of the Dark Court as a unified sovereign power.

MEMBERS

• Darth Virelia (The Dark Queen) — Supreme Sovereign of the Exarchate.
• Exarch of Wrath — Wrath is the hammer of the Dark Court — the supreme commander of its legions, fleets, and inquisitors. This Exarch directs campaigns, leads assaults, and disciplines the disloyal through annihilation. They embody the Queen's justice made manifest: swift, merciless, and absolute. Wrath's presence defines the strength of the realm; their silence signals war.
• Exarch of Greed — Greed commands the empire's economy, taxation, and industrial production. They control the the credit flows of the Court, the treasury and the mercantile guilds that feed its armies. Their fleets extract tribute from vassals, and their accountants measure loyalty in shipments and tonnage. Greed's influence seeps into every transaction — their success ensures the empire never runs dry of metal, energy, or debt.
• Exarch of Gluttony — Gluttony presides over alchemy, science, and the pursuit of knowledge. They oversee research on Nathema, the creation of new droid forms, and the refinement of the Queen's biological and technological designs. Their laboratories produce miracles and monstrosities alike. Gluttony feeds the empire's hunger for innovation — and their own.
• Exarch of Lust — Lust governs diplomacy, persuasion, and the machinery of influence. They weave alliances with external powers, manipulate rival factions, and maintain the Queen's network of apprentices and ambassadors. Lust turns pleasure into policy — using beauty, desire, and charisma as tools of empire. They maintain the social stability of the Court through indulgence, distraction, and manipulation.
• Exarch of Pride — Pride governs law, nobility, and protocol. This Exarch maintains the empire's internal order — codifying ranks, titles, and ceremonies of fealty. They ensure loyalty flows cleanly up the chain of command and that every noble understands their place. Pride oversees the Dukes and Counts, arbitrates disputes between vassals, and administers the Lex Obsidiana, the body of legal doctrine binding the Dark Court together.
• Exarch of Envy — Envy oversees intelligence, counterintelligence, and subversion. Their spies operate within every layer of the Court, including the other Exarchs. Through the Black Choir, they maintain dossiers on every noble, Knight, and servant. Envy's duty is to keep the Queen informed of all hidden movements — ensuring that betrayal never arrives unseen.
• Exarch of Sloth — Sloth maintains the Archives, the administrative core, and the metaphysical continuity of the empire. They ensure the bureaucracy never sleeps, the records never fade, and the past is never forgotten. Their patience sustains the system through chaos; their memory anchors it to eternity. Where the others act, Sloth endures — ensuring that when the galaxy burns, the Dark Court remains.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Exarchate was founded following the Feast of Ascension, marking the transformation of the Dark Court from a conquering coalition into a lasting empire. Darth Virelia recognized that her new dominion required structure — a design that could channel ambition rather than suppress it.

Thus, the tenants became the foundation of rule. Each tenant symbolized both virtue and vice: the driving force of survival. Those who best embodied these aspects were elevated, their souls bound to the Throne in ritual ascension. The first Exarchs were warlords, scholars, and seducers — each representing a principle essential to empire.

In the times since, the Exarchate has maintained stability through design rather than peace. Rivalries are encouraged; treason is impossible. Their debates shape law, their ambitions fuel progress, and their obedience ensures that the Queen's dominion expands ever outward.