Panarch is the title of the female ruler of Tarabon, whereas the male ruler is referred to as the King. The title is not inherited (as is the King's title), but the Panarch is elected by the Assembly of Lords. She wears the Crown of the Tree made of gold trefoil leaves and a stole embroidered with trees.
The Panarch is equal in authority to the King, and is responsible for collecting taxes, customs and duties. She has authority over the Civil Watch and the Panarch's Legion and is in charge of all courts with the exception of the High Court of the King.[1]
History of the title[]
The title of Panarch is a hold-over from the kingdom of Balasun, whose territory once lay within the modern borders of Tarabon. Balasun's system had a King or Queen and a Panarch of the opposing gender, both balanced by the Assembly.
When Haren Maseed and Tazenia Nerenhald secured Tanchico and founded Tarabon during the War of the Hundred Years, they resurrected this governmental system, with Lord Haren serving as Panarch and Tazenia as Queen.For the next few centuries of Taraboner history, a king or queen was balanced by a Panarch of the opposing gender.
However, by 500 NE, it had become traditional for the monarch to always be a man and the Panarch to always be a woman. The Assembly gradually lost most of its power over the centuries aside from its power to elect a new Panarch.