Praetorian Office
The Praetorian Office, or Officium Praetorium, is the offices and staff whose function it is to maintain the services and affairs of the Praetor of Antara.
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Key Officials
The Praetor
As the Office consists entirely of the people whose purpose it is to communicate the Praetor's directives throughout the Adeptus Antara and the Munitorum Antara, the Praetorian Office is under his direct authority. Considering the Praetor is a very busy man, he designates a trusted subordinate to oversee the Office for him and manage its staff and business.
All individuals working in the Praetorian Office are subject to the authority of the Praetor, and he can, at his leisure, call any of them to his office to explain a certain situation or a given set of affairs. He may call on them to explain their decisions in dealing with a particular matter, or any of a number of things. He uses this authority to keep his people on their toes.
Often times, the bulk of the staff of the Praetorian Office do not see him very much, as it is often tradition that he maintain an almost reclusive distance from all but his senior most advisors and confidants. As such, some people can go an entire career - 30 years or more - working with the Office and never lay eyes on the Praetor but on formal occasions.
The total manpower dedicated to the Praetorian Office totals approximately 40 personnel. This includes the small direct personal office staff of the Praetor himself, which numbers six people.
Lord Privy Seal
Directly under the authority of the Praetor is the Lord Privy Seal, who is the head of the Praetorian Office and, as a consequence, the number one official at Serenno Palace. He answers to no other but the Praetor, and carries significant authority. He is, by practice, a close friend and trusted lieutenant, and serves as an advisor to the Praetor. He is the Praetor's trusted right hand.
A close personal friend of Praetor Belesarious, Doctor Arden Lord Desann is a ruthlessly efficient administrator. The entire strength of the Praetorian Office is under his authority, and he has the blessings of Belesarious to manage that strength in a fashion that he will find satisfying. The Lord Privy Seal works very closely with the other senior officers of the Praetorian Office to maintain the Praetor's business affairs. He is, however, the only Adamantine Lord attached directly to the office.
Herald
The post of State Herald is a critical one. This man, more often than anyone else, serves as the Praetor's personal mouthpiece to Aurora. He speaks on behalf of the Praetor - and by very nature of the representation, the State itself - to the people of Antara and the other nations of the world. He handles State propaganda, press releases, and helps control information disseminated to press and public sources. He has considerable connections to and influence within the Information & Archives Ministry, though there is a special relationship between this official and the Grand Inquisitor, under whose purview the I&A Ministry is found.
Layout
The section of Serenno Palace that is home to the chambers most connected to the Praetorian Office and its functions is known as the Executive Suite. It is located on one of the uppermost floors of the Palace, and is one of the single most heavily secured areas of Serenno.
Praetor's Office
The Praetor's actual office is a recreation of the chamber once used at Garlas Aega Palace for the same purpose. It is a large room, with the soaring ceilings typical of all floors of Serenno Palace. It is walled in marble with hardwood bookshelves lining several sections.
Once one passes the Hussars at the doors and moves around to the stairs that descend into the first area, one sees a massive map of Aurora, inlaid into the floor. It is the floor of a massive fish tank. Passing around it, a flight of stairs bisected by a raised walkway that connects directly to the floor in front of the Praetor's desk, one finds two sitting areas with a fireplace on the wall of each. From there, two pillars mark the top of the final flight of steps that goes directly to the level where the Praetor's large desk is located. Directly behind it is a balcony that looks down over the Palace's internal garden courtyard, three floors below.
A door directly across from the entrance into the Praetor's office leads to a small antechamber where there is a direct access lift to the secure corridor that connects only to the Jafan Tower.
Situation Room
The Situation Room is where the Praetor meets regularly with his Inner Circle to review current status reports from around the world, making use of the room's several massive, circular tables to track the charts, maps, and reports that the specially-designed telescreens set into the tables display with the touch of a few buttons. If Antara were at war with another nation, it would be from this room that the ultimate tactical decisions would be made.
Review Balconies
Overlooking the small plaza immediately outside the entrance to the Palace and terminating the path of Palace Avenue itself, the review balconies of the Executive Suite are situated directly above the vaulted, columned entryway of the Palace. They are used for annual reviews on major holidays, and during important functions or when a Proclamation from the Throne is issued and the Praetor speaks publicly, which is rare but not unheard of.
There are three balconies. During any function, the Praetor occupies the center one, accompanied by the Proconsul, Lord Privy Seal, First Administrator and Grand Inquisitor. The balcony to his left is occupied by the Supreme Commander, Fabricator General, General Minister and Lord Conservator of COMPNOR. The balcony to his right is occupied by the Lord Castellan, Lord Procurator, Lord President of the Supreme Court, and Lord Quaestor of the Exchequer.
Praetorian Gallery
The corridor connecting the Audience Chamber to the Situation Room is the Gallery, home to what is known as the Praetorian Collection. It is a museum of priceless treasures and artifacts from around the world that are displayed for any who pass through.
The Collection is a continuation of the original Imperial Collection, where every Emperor would add a piece to it during their reign. The tradition continues today, with each Praetor adding a treasure or artifact to the Collection at some point in the first few years of their rule.
Audience Chamber
The Audience Chamber is where the Praetor will receive foreign dignitaries, such as ambassadors or heads of state or senior ministers, on the rare occasions he receives them at all. The large room is tastefully designed and the dais where the Praetor's chair is located is a balcony that, like the one in the Praetor's office, overlooks the interior garden courtyard of the largest section of Serenno Palace. The Audience Chamber balcony is located at 3 o'clock on the wall of the circular courtyard, and the Praetor's office balcony is located at 6 o'clock.
