A little used Galfarran title, with origins among the Flindrosa of the Glakinod star system. Taredĵo is one of absolute legal authority. In very few circumstances has it ever been used such that it did not lead to a dictatorship, in fact the only current examples of this title in use are to be found in the law enforcement of the Sweytzian Alliance worlds: Sweytz and those worlds within its system, Talgori, Velrod, and Selinasa.
In its traditional form, the full authority of law is given to a single individual, who may then appoint at their own discretion and authority any number of vataredi to assist as deputies. Taredĵo is always a proper noun, and treated appropriately, due to tradition that has been lost in antiquity, though some guess that it was due to the Taredĵo’s very singular role, though grammarians are quick to point out that this would be utter nonsense. The Taredĵo is responsible both for enforcing laws, sentencing, judging, etc. in easily half of the cases that a society appointed a Taredĵo that individual also became the sole law maker, and in all cases but the Sweytzian Alliance’s use of it was the case within a generation.
The Sweytzian Taredĵo is afforded the autonomy and authority that the title implies, but the founders of the worlds believed to have found a balance and so far have proven correct as the oldest society in the group to use the title is over three hundred of its years old, and easily an hundred generations have been protected by its Taredĵo without any signs of tyranny.
This difference is from the laws containing a prescribed punishment, the law making authority being firmly in the hands of the populous as a whole, the Taredĵo and her vataredi not being the only ones allowed to enforce local law, the Taredĵo’s authority extends only over a province with the Taredĵo of other provinces able to bring aid to a province whose Taredĵo goes rogue, as well as the populous having control of the military which can bring down a rogue Taredĵo.
Taredĵo are always appointed for life by the government in control, be it a king, or in the SA’s case by popular vote. They are tasked with keeping the peace and upholding law and order, and then given full authority to do this as they see fit. The Sweytzian Alliance worlds are not the first to think of giving law making powers to a separate group thinking that in so doing they would stop the power hungry, or in some cases well meaning, Taredĵo from usurping all power, but all of these tasked the individual with the world’s peace. The SA is the only example of limited geographical authority with an army independent of the vataredi.
In the case of the Sweytzian Alliance’s use of the title, there is a codified selection processes. When a former Taredĵo dies or steps down, or in the one dozen incidences throughout the multiple centuries as well as planets and provinces, is overthrown a number of eligible vataredi announce their willingness to take the position to their provincial council. The vataredi then select those they feel do not have the leadership ability for the position and those candidates applications are rejected. After this initial culling of those the vataredi are unwilling to answer to, the full provincial council considers the candidates remaining via full access to all records of their time as a vetaredi, as well as consideration of their general character – suffice to say the title nearly always goes to the one best known among the people by being most active and outspoken in council as well as being more public and visible in general – then the matter goes to vote. In the case of a tie, the candidates themselves are asked to make the tie breaking decision, which curiously does not often lead to a second tie, but when it does then the Taredĵo of all the other provinces of that world vote not from those who tied but all those initially considered by the voting council.
Restrictions on the Sweytzian Alliance Taredĵo are that they are not judges in cases where guilt is questionable, they instead become the prosecution in a council trial. They may not perform executions, a criminal’s only right by Sweytzian constitution and those based on it is the right to life; they are not given absolute autonomy in sentencing, laws include what punishments are deemed justified, though most give the Taredĵo choices with regards to details and thus it can still go very badly to annoy a Taredĵo during sentencing; and they are not given free access to the provincial coffers, and are granted a budget that they may request increases in and present their reasons to the council and must manage their equipment and vataredi force based on that budget.
