The Reich

Provincial Boundaries, and Political Organisation and Elections

The Fatherland is split into ten Provinces, each with a Military Governor (Reichsprotektor, appointed from Berlin) in charge of military matters, and a Civilian Governor (Gauleiter, appointed) in charge of everything else, including chairing the elected Provincial Council. The Sudetenland is split into three Provinces, but these only have Military Governors, as it is a defensive region under Martial Law. Berlin exists as a separate District, not under the political control of any specific Provincial Council, although it is located wholly within the Province of Wilhelmsburg.

Each Province has a Provincial Council of between 200 and 250 people, depending on the size of the region, which deals with the day-to-day administration of their own Provinces. They also send Representatives and Senators to the Reichstag, the Fatherland’s central government, in Berlin. There are also local governments and town councils, but with the exception of Berlin, which has a powerful and influential City Council, these have limited powers. The three Sudetenland Provinces also have Provincial Councils, of around 150 people, but these are chaired by the Military Governors (Reichsprotektors) and have less flexibility for deciding policy.

Every two years, the electorate in a Fatherland Province gets to vote for one-third of the seats on the Provincial Council: thus to be elected involves a six-year term of office. This elected body then chooses the Deputies who will go to Berlin as the Provincial Representatives in the Reichstag Lower House from within its ranks: between 30 and 40 Deputies are appointed, depending on the size of the Province, with an additional 20 from Berlin.

For the Sudentenland Provinces, complete elections are held every five years, and each Province sends 25 Representatives to the Reichstag Lower House.

Of the ten Senators from each Province (both within the Fatherland and in the Sudentenland) and from Berlin, five are directly elected by the populous and five are appointed by the Provincial Council (but cannot include sitting members of the Council). Senators are appointed for a ten-year period, with two Senators changing every two years. The Senators from the Wehrmacht are appointed by the Reich High Command and usually only serve five-year terms, because they are then expected to return to more usual military duties.

The vast majority of elected and local officials are members of the Nationalsozialistische Reichsarbeiterpartei (NSRAP) - the Party - although there is a smattering of independents. The Party is sufficiently powerful, however, that it is the main body running the bureaucracy of the Reich, and there are Party offices in every town and city around the Fatherland and the Sudetenland. Indeed, its position is so enshrined in the political and bureaucratic life of the Fatherland that it is a very rare, and extremely difficult, for someone to truly get on in life if they are not a member which adds to the difficulties facing non-Citizens, as only Citizens are allowed to join. Since its inception, there have been five Chairmen of the Party: Leonhard Kaltenbrunner, Sigmund Hartwin (became Chairman, SY043), Emil Urs (SY066), Erwin von Geert (SY094) and Conrad Berthelmes (SY127 to current).

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The Reichstag

The House of Representatives

The Lower House is made up of 450 Representatives from across the Fatherland (including Berlin) and the Sudentenland, based on constituencies derived from population, rather than geographic area. It will introduce potential legislation and initially debate it. Legislation is usually then sent to a committee stage, where it is further debated, amended and finessed, before it returns to the Lower House to be voted upon as to whether it should be sent on to Senate.

The Senate

The Upper House, or Senate, is made up of 185 members: ten representatives from each of the Provinces (Fatherland and Sudentenland), ten from Berlin, ten from within the Wehrmacht (excluding the SS, although SS members can be elected to the Reichstag in the usual way, and the RSHA is represented within the ReichsKabinett), and the thirty-five titleholders of the Higher Nobility. It will consider legislation presented by the Lower House, but can either pass or reject it. If the former, it then goes to the Imperial Council for final approval; if the latter, it is sent back to the House of Representatives for further discussion and amendment before being returned to the Senate. The Senate can reject a piece of legislation up to three times, before it must be abandoned by the House. There is no mechanism for the House to overrule the Senate’s wishes.

The most important member of the Upper House is the Reichskanzler, who is the leader of the largest party in the Upper House - which pretty much by default means the leader of the Senate NSRAP bloc. He stands as the Kaiser’s Prime Minister and head of the Reichstag.

The ReichsKabinett

Day to day running of the various ministries and important bodies within the government is conducted by the ReichsKabinett, whose ministers largely selected from within the Upper and Lower Houses, but with some appointed members, either from noble families with a long tradition of government service, or at the behest of the Kaiser (or, in the case of the representative of the RSHA, the Reichsführer-SS).

The current makeup of the ReichsKabinett is as follows:

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The Imperial Council

The Imperial Council comprises twenty-three persons: the Kaiser, the Crown Prince, the Reichsführer-SS, the Oberstgruppenführer-SD, the Wehrmacht Staff Council (six excluding Delatz), the Reichskanzler, the Imperial Chief Justice, the Archmage of the RBTA, the Party Chairman and nine others selected from among the twenty-three Military and Civilian Governors of the thirteen Provinces. Within the political and social machinery of the Fatherland, it serves two purposes: first, as the highest body which can pass or reject a piece of legislation; and second as record keepers and administrators of the deeds, ranks and membership of both degrees of the Reich nobility.

In the former capacity, it has the right to pass or veto any piece of legislation offered to it by the Reichstag, and also wields Emergency Powers for matters regarding the Security of the State. In addition, the Kaiser reserves the right to put aside even Imperial Council decisions if he sees fit. There are also statutes on the books which will allow Kaiser Wilhelm to suspend the Reichstag in extraordinary circumstances, and rule directly, advised only by the Imperial Council. He has only used these powers twice during his reign, most recently a little over thirty years ago, when the war against Sable reached a key crisis which was resolved relatively quickly. Both times, he has restored the government when the crises were resolved.

In the latter capacity, it employs twelve Imperial Registrars, who are responsible for acknowledging births and deaths within the nobility, and ruling on the suitability or otherwise of noble marriages, especially within the High Nobility. It also confers - or on rare occasions removes - titles, as well as designing and awarding coats of arms to the noble households and individuals. In addition to the twelve regular registrars are three Investigating Registrars - forensic mages who have responsibility for investigating crimes which may involve members of the nobility, or unexpected deaths thereof. The current Chief Registrar, Herr Doktor Klemens von Brandt, was also formerly one of the Investigating Registrars.

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The Reich Judiciary

The Reich Judiciary has four tiers: GemeindeGerichten (local courts), ProvinzGerichten (provincial courts), ProvinzHauptstadtGerichten (provincial capital courts) and the ReichsGericht (Imperial Court). The only exception to this is the District of Berlin, where there are just two general courts: the UntereGericht and the HöherGericht. In all criminal cases, the accused is guilty until proven innocent. Appeals against a sentence or verdict are possible to the court above the one where the case was originally heard (local to provincial, provincial to provincial capital, provincial capital to the Imperial Court), but no further, and no appeal can be made against an Imperial Court judgement except to the Kaiser himself, an action not to be undertaken lightly.

Sentences can sometimes be varied up or down on appeal. Upheld guilty verdicts, however, result in an automatic doubling of the original sentence passed by the judge or justices of the lower court trial, be it financial, incarceration or a combination thereof. Treason cases (including sabotage of government property and facilities, terrorism and breaking an Oath of Fealty to the Kaiser) are always heard in Imperial Court.

GemeindeGerichten

Local courts are situated within all cities and major towns, and include the Berlin UntereGericht. All civil cases brought within the Fatherland are heard in either the local court of one or other of the parties involved, or the court where the basis of the complaint is located. Each local court has a panel of arbitrators, the size of which depends on the population of the city or town concerned, who will deal with the initial matter of whether the case should even be heard, or whether it can be settled out of court. If the arbitrators cannot broker an arrangement between the parties involved, then the civil case will be heard before three local justices, who will decide the result based on the arguments presented by both sides. There is no form of appeal in civil cases.

Criminal cases brought by the Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) will usually also be tried in local courts, although occasionally they are referred straight to the provincial courts. Criminal cases are also heard before a panel of three justices, and sentences are usually fines or short-term imprisonment. The accused has the right to ask for trial by jury, either before proceedings begin (for example, if they feel their case will be prejudiced within the local courts), or once the local justices have made their judgement and passed sentence, in which case the matter is referred to the provincial courts.

ProvinzGerichten

Provincial courts are located in the major cities of the Fatherland. Appeals against sentences imposed by the local courts are heard by three provincial judges (selected from a pool of between thirty and fifty judges, depending on the size of the province), who can decide whether to vary the original sentence based on the case notes of the local justices and testimony from the offender.

Referred Orpo criminal cases, the vast majority of cases brought by the Kriminalpolizei (Kripo) and appeals against a local court verdict, are heard before a judge and a jury of thirteen Citizens. In trial by jury, all jurors must declare the accused guilty or innocent (no abstentions) and the verdict is reached on a simple majority. Sentences include fines and longer terms of imprisonment than can be imposed by local courts. The death penalty is available for murder and other exceptionally serious crimes, although cases which are likely to result in the death penalty are always heard at the ProvinzHauptstadtGericht.

In a case which is serious enough to initially be referred to the provincial courts (i.e. not an appeal against a local court judgement), the offender also has the right to ask for trial by combat. Of course, this can be a risky course of action, as serious injury or death may well be the outcome. If it is requested, however, the case is immediately sent to the relevant ProvinzHauptstadtGericht, which will maintain a small group of provincial ‘champions’, usually highly experienced Kripo or military personnel. If the accused wins the combat, the criminal case against them is dropped; if they lose, they are sentenced to prison without further trial, usually for a longer term than would have otherwise been the case had they accepted trial.

ProvinzHauptstadtGerichten

Chief among the ProvinzGerichten in each Province is the court in the provincial capital (the ProvinzHauptstadtGericht). The Berlin HöherGericht counts as a provincial capital court for the purposes of standard criminal proceedings, but does hear appeals from the UntereGericht.

All serious cases within the province, as well as any potentially capital cases, are tried in front of a judge and jury in the provincial capital courts, unless they choose to refer them to the ReichsGericht. Trial by combat is again an option for cases initially brought in the ProvinzHauptstadtGerichten, but not for appeals from the provincial courts.

An offender who is initially found guilty in a provincial court has the right to appeal either his sentence or the verdict to the provincial capital. Appeals on sentence are heard by a panel of three provincial capital judges (from a pool of between fifteen and twenty capital judges), and their decision is final. If a guilty verdict from a provincial court is appealed, the evidence is re-examined at a new trial at the ProvinzHauptstadtGericht, and if it is upheld, the original sentence is doubled. Appeals against initial verdicts or sentences delivered by the provincial capital courts are heard by the ReichsGericht.

The ReichsGericht

The ReichsGericht, or Imperial Court, is the highest court in the Fatherland, and convenes in the courtrooms of the Great Hall of the Reich in Berlin. There are thirteen ReichsRichteren, or Imperial Judges, who are appointed until they retire at 150 (or die in office), the most senior of whom is the Imperial Chief Justice. Appeals against ProvinzHauptstadtGerichten judgements will be heard by a panel of three of these judges, but if a guilty verdict is upheld, the only sentences which can be passed are extended imprisonment (between fifty years and life), or death by firing squad.

Aside from appeals, the Imperial Court exists to try all persons charged with treason, sabotage or terrorism, or other exceptionally serious cases (for example, serial murder, patricide), the latter usually at the request of the provincial capital courts. A full Imperial Court trial is held in front of one presiding Imperial Judge, assisted by two others - with the Imperial Chief Justice always presiding in cases of treason - and a jury of thirteen Citizens chosen from the Wehrmacht, the RSHA and the upper echelons Party.

In these cases, the Imperial Court will only deliver one of two sentences: death by firing squad (automatic for treason, optional for other crimes), or life imprisonment, depending on the charges. There is no right of appeal against an Imperial Court sentence, and the only appeal against a guilty verdict is to the Kaiser himself. However if, after hearing the accused’s plea personally and consulting with the Imperial Judges, the Kaiser chooses not to overturn a guilty verdict, the unsuccessful plaintiff will be taken from his presence and executed.

For non-treasonous cases heard by the Imperial Court, trial by combat can be requested, but it is always to the death. Given how many exceptionally good soldiers can be called upon by the Imperial Judges to stand on their behalf, it is very rarely invoked, as remarkably few offenders have lived to tell the tale afterwards. A person accused of treason can also ask for trial by combat, in which case he or she will meet the Imperial Champion.

Imperial Chief Justice Frederic Kramer Frederic Kramer, head of the Reich Judiciary, has been Imperial Chief Justice for about five years, having previously served as one of the ReichsRichteren. He studied at Berlin Mage College, and then did his State Service as a clerk with the Berlin UntereGericht, where he first became interested in the study of law. He went back to university and read law, taking the necessary exams to become qualified to practice criminal law. He also continued his magical studies on release, once he was working in court, and gained a doctorate specialising in healing magic, with particular reference to mental magic, on the theory that the combination of the law, trusting his instincts, and being able to fall back on truth reading when all else failed, would make him more efficient as a prosecutor. Once he had spent some years with the Berlin local court, he returned to his home province of Weimar, working first in the provincial court in Odessa, and then in the ProvinzHauptstadtGerichten in his home city. He returned to Berlin about twenty years ago, when he was appointed as an Imperial Judge, and was promoted to his current position fifteen years later. As well as being Imperial Chief Justice, Kramer is the uncle of the Herzog von Weimar, making him a member of the hoher Adel. His most important piece of unfinished business is to discover who had his elder brother, Eugen, assassinated ten years ago.

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