General Discussion Thread VIII

[orsal]

Well, perhaps the city states are under some form of government, perhaps a high council or something.

I think that works.

Oh, I think it's clearly established that Orussus is a *very* lawful city -- after all, the City Watch was able to dispatch a unit of several people, including a mage, to intervene in a fight between a couple of ruffians once.

I believe everything settled about the form of government in Orussus is in this thread. In a nutshell, the supreme authority is a legislative/executive council in which the major organizations, such as guilds or large merchant houses, are represented. We haven't gotten as far as establishing specifically what organizations control council seats, but in general, if we develop an organization with a significant role in the life of the city, it's no stretch to suppose that it has council representation.

Just no hereditary nobility. No doubt titled aristocrats are often seen in Orussus -- it is a major trade port and crossroads, after all -- but none whose titles bring with them any particular authority (or income) within the territory of Orussus.

One implication of the republican political structure that should be noted, is that any PC who establishes a role within an important local organization can aspire to be a councillor. As we get a few more experience PCs, we might therefore be able to roleplay some of the local politics.

 

[Knight Otu]

Don't worry, it's bound to balance out. And when it does, an encounter with a squirrell will result in a total party kill!

Promised?

 

[El Jefe]

Maybe even some sort of "comissioner" type system -- a council made up of the captain of the watch, the city's most learned mage, most respected religous leader, the chief administrator, the tax assessor, and a well respected businessman. That would be different and fun.

That's about where we ended up in the Orussus thread. We didn't get as far as deciding who was on the council, how they were chosen, or how long the terms were, but it was heading in that direction. There would definitely be variety on the council. They wouldn't ALL be merchants, or all wizards, for example.

And in feudal times, the definition of a free city was pretty much one that wasn't "owned" by one of the King's vassals, but one that answered only to the king. Usually they had some kind of charter to limit the mayor's power so that he didn't set himself up as a sort of "Duke of the city". There were often laws we might consider quaint, such as any serf who escaped to a free city and lived within its walls for a year and a day became a free citizen of the city and was no longer bound to his old lord's land.

I'd expect that around Orussus, anyone who had a sufficiently old grant of land could consider themselves a noble, even if the monarchy who made the grant wasn't around any longer. This would account for all the "Baron So-and-Sos" and "Lord This-and-Thats" that live within spitting distance of Orussus. What intrigues me is that in this great power vacuum of the old city collapsing and the new city rising, why haven't some of these old noble families aspired to bigger and better things? Maybe Orussus has just been the best-defended place around, even when it was down and out, and able to repulse anyone who tried to take it.

 

[Patlin]

Promised?

Why am I suddenly expecting these brigands to unleash a pet dire squirrell on us?

 

[Knight Otu]

Why am I suddenly expecting these brigands to unleash a pet dire squirrell on us?

Nah. Don't worry about that.

Spoiler

But maybe a paragon (epic) pseudonatural legendary squirrel that retained its Int of 2, so it isn't affected by the bloodstained dreams...[/sblock]

 

[Velmont]

In a nutshell, the supreme authority is a legislative/executive council in which the major organizations, such as guilds or large merchant houses, are represented.

Merchant house... Hmmm... ok, I think Rinaldo will aim to become head of his merchant house and member or the council. It will make a good retirement for him when he will haev reached the level 20

 

[Manzanita]

Yeah! An adventure by Doghead. I wish I had someone around to go. I'll go check it out. I think the judges already know by now not to read the proposals if they have characters in the inn.

Hey - who is in the inn these days? It looks like we've got two proposals up. Perhaps the time has finally come for the introduction of my PC#3? I'll hold off reading Dogheads for now. I already read the other.

 

[Erekose13]

Just put in my PC #3, glad that plenty of adventures are coming down the pipe.

Manz, we'll have to talk about that Half-giant thing a bit later, cause I'm leaning more towards it. Hopefully ao'Thuir will be coming back at least closer to lvl 4 to be retired.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Awww, it was more fun being the only active Elan. Zaeryl's background is different than for a usual XPH Elan, so now I have to reconcile why there are both kinds.

 

[Patlin]

With the whole "I'm a recovering god" thing, it appears to me that Zaeryl is highly delusional, making it substantially less important that anything be consistent with his delusions.

Of course, I base this only upon what I've seen in the inn, so your mileage may vary.