Dutchy System

During the Long Night, the known worlds were ruled by a dictator called Samuel Fate. Most of his enforcers were controlled directly through mind control, by which he could see through their eyes and speak through their mouths, of millions of people at once all over his empire. No one besides Fate had any real power at anything greater than the local level. Even his armies were led by officers under his control, and only the lowest soldiers were allowed to think for themselves.

In most of the regions dominated by Fate, people were forced to live simple, agrarian lives as subsistence farmers. However, as his war machine still needed fuel, there were a few regions where the farms needed to produce more. In these places, a system of "duchies" was created, under which one man or family would be placed in charge of a large region. So long as they did not attempt to advance technologically, these men were allowed to command in their own right and to enrich themselves.

Duchies became the basis for many early New Day governments.