Halakam

Halakam means 'Admiral' in the Selkie Language. In its original context it meant "sea lord" or "ocean chief," though it firmly carries its own cultural meaning now.   A Halakam leads a Fleet, a group of 20 to 100 crews (often under ten or so Alra-Lui). Many Halakam also operate a Selkie Port (a politically autonomous neighborhood in a foreign port city) government, which is known as an Admiralty. Admirals are the most basic unit of authority connecting the Khilaia to the basic sea nomads, working to coordinate votes for Motosui Representatives, appoint deputies to conduct ship inspections for new Alra, transport young pilgrims to the sacred isles, and correspond with the greater authorities of the Halakam-Lui.   Halakam typically have a group of specialized officers and deputies underneath them, known as the Halakam-Luka or the Admiralty Officers. In wealthy regions, this can be a whole aristocratic court or miniature bureaucracy; others can have just a couple of close kinspeople or companions who handle various tasks. Rich or poor, it is common custom for Halakam to place family members in key offices - though the great Clan Mikiraka is infamous for pushing a more family-neutral and meritocratic approach on its Admirals.   Some Admirals are fully nomadic and move along with their Fleet across circular trade routes. Others are permanently posted in Selkie Port Admiralties, where they manage Fleets that keep much of their population in-port. Some try to split the difference and do some of both. Much is decided by the Halakam-Lui above them.   Each Admiral has a very close relationship with their Halakam-Lui, or commanding "Grand Admiral," who often has immense power over the Halakam's career. A group of Halakam can vote to topple their Halakam-Lui, though this is an infrequent event.   The Halakam began as the Halak class of ancient Motosui: land-owning nobles or chiefs that controlled the richest territory. These ancient nobles were born into powerful clans, but still had to accumulate prestige through deeds and successful projects to gather followers and exert power within their clan. These noble clans were eventually either absorbed or conquered by a clan federation that formed the early clan council. This council took ambitious Halaks and assigned them roles and duties to work within the new system, rather than rebel against it. The Halakam were nobles sent out to sea to manage the people abroad, to empower both the council and their clan-of-birth among the selkies who became sea nomads. Eventually, the landed Halak class disintegrated as their land base was chipped away by the growing power of the Hanahai bureaucracies. By that time, the Halakam were already far richer and more important and only the weakest of the old clan nobility were still dependent on land in Motosui. Centuries of commercial competition and expansion has chipped away at the aristocratic associations of the Halakam title, turning it into much more of a bureaucratic title associated with wealth instead of birth.