The Governance of the Family of Ranaam

The Ranaam Family: According to the Ranaam family legends, they existed even when Eternity Station was under construction- they are certainly a very ancient entity (if one that has existed in many forms). Originating as a group of minor cults which intermarried over time, they would later emerge into a fanatical group believing themselves the Chosen of God. Patience was their watchword, and their genuine family relations combined with cultic propaganda ensured a fanatical loyalty.

The Ranaam internal strategy was to allow a member to leave (in extreme circumstances) under threat of death if they should betray the secrets of the Ranaam(some people just can't be brainwashed, which they understood on some level), but use the promise of "heaven" and the threat of "hell" (the doctrines had been distorted since Christianity) to keep their own in line, plus limiting reproduction to ensure only about 30 people maximum were members (obviously external marriages were permitted, but only after highly careful scrutiny and to those who were either pliant or willing to join the fanatical Ranaam).

The Ranaam external strategy was to keep their membership highly secret and have different branches join all the major factions of the day. Some would reap the rewards of victory whilst others faced destruction and defeat- however the Family would survive, reproduce rapidly to replentish itself, and rebuild its power anew. Eventually, the Family got lucky and got it's own chance at power.

The problem was that the Family's formula worked well when they could achieve cultic secrecy- it did not work well when actually in power. After a few generations power-brokers began to marry into the Ranaam for political reasons, distorting it. When the next threat came along, the Ranaam leadership were unwilling to cede power as their scriptures told them they should, and paid the ultimate price.

Thesis: The Ranaam thesis can be divided into two areas, which are compatible although not mutually dependent- Scripture and Stability.

On the one hand, most of their moral principles derive from their Scriptures, which they follow unquestioningly (more objective historians claim they come from distorted Christianity)- principles such as Do Not Use Evil to Do Good(although with clear exceptions in practice such as war and assasinations), Do Not Lie (although as long as it's not technically a lie it's allowed), and Preserve the Ranaam (which unsuprisingly has no loopholes).

Their other great principle is Stability. Although it has enough basis in Ranaam Scripture to justify it there, they also have extra-scriptural arguments for it. History has showed them that, particularly in Eternity Station, a crisis seems to come every few hundred years. They believe that in times of peace a government should build up to endure any possible crisis and prevent them, but furthurmore to make sure that nothing is lost- that way a foundation is built upon which gradual, solid gains can be made.

In terms of implementation, the Ranaam believe in the power of The Family. They are genuinely one extended genetic family, as well as having the religious fanaticism of a cult- because of this, they can be trusted not to be corrupt as they would face the wrath of their fellows and breach the traditions they had learned since childhood. This did fall apart in the end, but only because they violated their Scriptures- if they had not, the Ranaam would have survived to rule again.

Representatives The Ranaam had no individual leaders that later historians would consider great men whatsoever, partially because their standard of "great" was different- circa the era of Ranaam dominance, the ideal leader combined piety, perfect knowledge of the scriptures, and stability of the government and nation- other things were nifty bonuses, but fundementally unimportant by comparison.

Two leaders in particular, however, came the closest of all to meeting the Ranaam standard of greatness, to the point where historians of the time (under state orders) and Ranaam idealogues after it considered them great. (OOC: Victor, am I putting too much in here? If so, sorry- you can retcon it if necessary)

Kamanos was notable for his knowledge of the scriptures, and his extaordinary (by Ranaam standards- historians considered it notable but not greatly) ability to keep the station both stable and stagnant. Despite threats of invasion and cultural innovation, he controlled both- despite the fact that his predecessor had almost created a split in the Ranaam (which Kamanos also supressed).

Redagos didn't actually do anything that most historians of later generations would consider noteworthy, but was highly pious. It was said that in his life he never broke a single teaching of Scripture, and he was famous for taking more then half the day in prayer. Despite this, the government ran reasonably by Ranaam standards.

Stats Command 5(Tactics 3/Loyalty 7)- The Family didn't seize power because it had the superior army, but because after it's predecessor collapsed it was the only faction in a position to take it. On the other hand, whilst it didn't have that much to offer the common person (whom they were believed were doomed to a miserable afterlife anyway), the Ranaam themselves were fanatically loyal and power-brokers could be offered a Ranaam marriage to share in the inner circle.

Development 4(Advanced Technology 2/Cultural Influence 6)- Ranaam scriptures spoke of stability as the ultimate good, and thus technology was not considered much of a boon. On the other hand, great art was appreciated if it was dedicated to the One True God. Curiously enough, the wars against the Christian Heresy were one of the most-covered topics.

Resources 5(Standard of Living 4/State Market Power 6)- Ranaam believed that their God had created them to govern the country well- that was why they had earned a better afterlife then their fellows, but that was their task. This meant heavy interventionism which often went too far, but they did mean well and often did a decent job.

Awareness 9(Diplomatic Clout 8/Espionage 10)- The Ranaam cult had no concept of privacy, much to the annoyance of many of it's citizens. Centuries of tradition at the art of monitoring the situation were not lost in an instant, and the cult managed to adapt that part of it's methods to governance very well. This translated into a detailed knowledge of which factions were strong and which were weak, which they used to keep control of them by appeasing to buy time for a counter-stroke if necessary.

Heroism 7- The Family never had any truely great leaders, but a high standard of diplomatic training combined with the fanaticism of it's members kept it's leadership effective.

Complications - 10 points worth.