Kelse Dogan

Canon anchor: Presiding Scholar of the Council of Scholars of Rishama (the Nonet). Widely regarded as the most intelligent individual in Rihsama. The Council governs the nation; the Wali of Nahrim governs the city.

Quick Facts

Overview

Kelse Dogan is the cool center of Rihsama’s meritocracy—a scholar‑statesperson who treats policy as an experiment that must survive replication. As Presiding Scholar, Kelse sets the agenda, breaks procedural knots, and keeps the wall between national governance and Nahrim's municipal authority intact. She is a meticulous listener, ruthless with sloppy reasoning, and unusually patient with sincere ignorance.

Appearance & Presence

Austere teal robes edged in gold geometry; ink stains at the cuticles; a ring that serves as both personal seal and abacus counter. Her voice is measured, with the cadence of someone who expects to be quoted. When annoyed, she straightens ledgers until the columns align.

Duties & Authorities (as Chair)

• Agenda & Arbitration: Sets the Nonet’s docket; appoints rapporteurs; rules on admissibility of evidence in debate.
• The Four Proofs: Oversees the annual cycle of Mind, Work, Word, and Character examinations; signs the Oath of Uncolored Ink for successful candidates.
• Treaty Stewardship: Leads delegations for high‑stakes accords; insists on public executive summaries within 11 days of ratification.
• Emergency Protocols: May propose a Scholastic Emergency (requires 7/9 and Wali assent) to second national engineers to city command.

Methods & Philosophy

• Merit over lineage.
• Transparency as default. Redactions sunset after 33 days unless renewed by supermajority.
• Engineering mindset. Policies are versioned, with change‑logs and rollback plans.
• Boundary doctrine. The Undying are respected partners but do not rule; data‑sharing is warrant‑bound.

Relationships

• Safiya al-Khazeen (Wali of Nahrim): Professional symbiosis—Kelse gives Safiya national resources and room to run the city; expects data in return.
• The Undying (Rihsama Annex): Cooperative research with audit trails; Kelse personally reviews any extraordinary‑access petitions.
• Lelien Empire: The Dogan name appears in imperial circles, her daughter Lelien Dogan Defne is married to Emperor Lelien Shin, Kelse keeps state affairs strictly separate from family networks.

Notable Works

• The Paper That Saved a Bridge — A cost model that prevented a catastrophic arch mis‑spec by proving a hidden resonance; now standard in the Collegium of Works.
• Proof in the Public Square — A treatise establishing adversarial peer review for laws; inspired the Hall of Proof’s debate format.
• On Neutral Tools — Ethical guidelines for arcana and devices with military crossover; cites the wind‑lift code as a civilian template.

Quotes

• “If it cannot survive replication, it cannot govern a nation.”
• “Minutes are how we remember; margins are how we improve.”