"Forms of Government" from The Phrontistery

Duarchy government by two people
Hagiarchy government by saints/holy persons
Plutocracy government by the wealthy

DUARCHY

In 1438, members of the ruling oligarchy in Voledads were assassinated in a popular attempt to get a king or queen back on the throne. The Voledadian people got more than they bargained for—the two grandchildren of the last king assumed power and ruled on a dual throne. The Grand Duke Dananan and his sister, the Grand Duchess Georgietta, appeared together at all social events. Instead of saying “I and my royal sister/brother” when talking to people, the duarchy introduced “we” as the formal term to encompass two people. “We” took hold, however, and spread to documents and speech internationally.

HAGIARCHY

In 1482, not long after the reign of the Grand Duke Dananan and the Grand Duchess Georgietta, a hagiarchy came to rule Voledads. Duke Dananan and his sister had always been deeply devout throughout their lives, and so it was no surprise that Archbishops were always named Regents in their absence. As it happened, Georgietta died unexpectedly after a fall on the stairs, and Dananan, so overcome with grief, retreated to his country estate and left the country to the Archbishop of Elvern. After Dananan’s death by smallpox, the Archbishop took control, more firmly tying church and state together than ever before. The Archbishop, known as “The Pursuer,” persecuted atheists, agnostics, and non-Trinansitic (the main religion at the time) people in Voledads.

PLUTOCRACY

The start of Voledads’ industrial revolution began in 1899 at the turn of the century. Around this time large monopolies were the norm in Voledads, and the oligarchy was soon infiltrated by big business owners of all kinds. While ruling under the banner of “freedom and free enterprise,” the plutocracy also introduced many self-beneficial laws, including the controversial “Yarn-threader’s Law,” which decreed that those involved in threading in factories could not hold employers responsible for factory-retained injuries. On the plus side, however, the plutocracy introduced a higher standard of education; because of the near inexistence of private schools in Voledads, business owners wanted their children to get the best education possible in public schools. The plutocracy also beautified Voledads’ public buildings with marble floors, potted plants, etc., with money from their own business investments.