Monarchy in Maraśa

The government of Maraśa is de jure a theocracy, where the leader is a divine being (Śácamþaśá: mAnItu Tunema), who is infallible, all powerful, immortal and without question, capable of communicating with the gods directly. Given that the Tunema Wetáŋa is considered immortal, no form of succession exists, nor is there any fallback in case of temporary unavailability or retirement.

De facto, Maraśa is an absolute monarchy, with every decision in the state being taken by the Tunema. There are no civilian institutions to speak of, no aristocracy and no constitution.

Śácamþaśá monarchy terminology

In Śácamþań society, monarchy is considered a repulsive, barbarian institution, opposed by a long history of merchant councils and oligarchies. The only reason it is tolerated in Maraśa is due to it being the natural order of things for gods to rule over mortals; a very literal interpretation of divine right to rule. For this role, the word mAnItu Tunema exists, and assigning it to any mortal is considered sacrilege. When a mortal is sole ruler over other mortals, they are instead an tpii Ipit or ‘tyrant’, a form of government unacceptable to the Śácamþań.

Nonetheless, some foreign countries appear to tolerate this practice, for unclear reasons. Since calling one‘s ally a tyrant is not conducive to a healthy diplomatic process, the word mgijwi Wiiŋim or ‘Quing’ is used for this purpose, derived from the Kyawcenni word for monarchy, Hwey. Other languages may translate Tunema as either ‘Quing’ (using the genderlessness of the Śácamþaśá term, or ‘Queen’ (referring to the fact Wetáŋa is a woman).

Stability

Due to the inherent rejection of monarchy among the Śácamþań, the government of Maraśa is only stable so long as it can continue to convince the population that Wetáŋa is a god. Should she ever appear unqualified or mortal, the government would collapse, and, until an entirely new series of institutions is made, the country with it. This has resulted in extreme repression of freedom of the press and draconic punishments for anyone found spreading misinformation critical of the Tunema.