The Militocracy

The Militocracy of New Antioch
Faith, Duty, and the Will to Endure

The Militocracy is one of the two dominant powers of Masada, founded in the wake of the Fall and built on the belief that survival must be earned through service. Centered in its fortified capital, New Antioch, the nation operates under a strict but functional system of civic duty, divine law, and sacred hierarchy. It is orderly, efficient, and unyielding.

The Militocracy does not rule by birthright or coin. To shape its future through voting, land ownership, or council membership one must first prove commitment to the greater good. This is done through structured paths of service: military enlistment, civic labor, or spiritual devotion.

Key Institutions

The High Synod
The ruling body of the Militocracy. Composed of senior clerics, generals, census-keepers, and vetted representatives of the Proven, the Synod writes national law, interprets scripture, and directs long-term policy. Sessions are held in the Bastion of Flame, and decisions require both spiritual and secular majority to pass. Citizens may petition the Synod directly, but few are ever heard without sponsorship.

The Church Militant
More than a religious order, the Church Militant serves as the spiritual engine and moral compass of the state. Its members include priests, inquisitors, battlefield chaplains, and archivists. They guide the faithful, bless oaths of service, maintain the Roll of the Proven, and oversee the nation's temples, orphanages, and crematoria. The Church does not simply preach it records, remembers, and enforces divine order.

The Census Primaris
A bureaucratic and ceremonial office responsible for tracking all citizens, especially those seeking or completing public service. They maintain birth, death, and service records, administer the trials of merit, and oversee citizenship confirmations. Most who seek to become Proven interact with the Census first.

The Roll of the Proven
A living record housed in every fortress-parish and updated weekly by decree. It contains the names of all citizens who have completed formal service and been granted full rights. To be listed in the Roll is both an honor and a binding responsibility failure to uphold its virtues risks expulsion and public censure.

Parish-Fortresses
Part temple, part courthouse, part military outpost. Every district and major village maintains a parish-fortress led by an ordained Warden-Priest. These buildings serve as local hubs for judgment, defense, spiritual guidance, and census review. They are well-defended and often double as rally points in times of crisis.

Order of the Seal
A specialized body within the Church Militant tasked with safeguarding relics, suppressing heresy, and sealing away dangerous texts and magic. Members of the Order are selected through intense scrutiny and undergo oaths that strip them of personal ambition. They speak rarely, but their authority is absolute in matters of corruption and blasphemy.

Civic Life

The Militocracy grants freedom of movement, access to education, and protection under law to all within its borders but only the Proven may vote, serve in high office, or own land beyond a single homestead. Military training is common, and most children receive some form of martial instruction by age ten. Public works crews are honored as highly as soldiers. The faith is not optional but it is not blind. Dissent is permitted, but dereliction is not.

Foreigners are allowed entry, trade, and limited residence, but remain under heightened scrutiny and may not take positions of influence unless granted honorary status by a Proven council. In wartime, all residents may be conscripted for defense.

The Militocracy sees itself not as conquerors, but as custodians preserving order in a world that forgot its shape. It is a hard life, but one with purpose. And for many, that is enough.