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As has been the case for centuries, so it shall continue; The city of Outpost has been ruled by six people since its founding, people known as the Aldermen. Each of the six has been elected by a Council of Bondsmen made up of the most influential men of the city. These six hold court in the great keep known as the Palace of Aldermen.
The Palace itself stands in the very midst of the city, in the keep of the great fortress that overlooks the bridge known as The Cross, the only traverse of the river Nox. It stands taller than the surrounding buildings, an ominous, gothic presence towering over all those who wish to cross the Nox and head towards Nocturne. From within its bowels emanates the eerie red glow of the enchantments which are used to light the keep.
The Aldermen hold virtually absolute power over the city. They appoint men to oversee the Guilds, and they appoint the judges and the army. They are made up of the following members:
Justus is the head of an old and powerful family, and the current High Priest of the Church of The One. He believes in ritual, traditionalism and dynasty, and hopes that the Church will be one day restored to power. With an orthodox but strong mind, he has a very powerful presence, and this is reflected in his tall, well built body and distinguished features. At fifty, he is no reformer, but he has many friends among the Bondsmen and the judiciary, and extensive estates which make him perhaps the most powerful of the Aldermen.
Kurt is both Grand Marshal of the Order of the Knights of the Bar, part of the Church of The One, and Guild Head of the Lorewarden's Guild. Despite his old age, Kurt is Justus's good friend and right hand man. The end of a long line of Zelchews, he was always dedicated, but never distinguished himself. Now he desperately wishes to preserve his dynasty, but with his wife's death many years ago he has little hope. Many say that he will soon die, but he has no children to pass his wealth on to. It is these same people who hover about him like vultures preparing to feast, gloating over the rumours of his encroaching senility.
Charming and friendly, Carr is a powerful Elementalist. He has headed the Elementalist's Guild for only a short while, and been Viceroy of the Elemental Order of Shadow for but little longer, and is still extraordinarily young for either post. His family were famously involved in a great scandal during his youth, when his father was exiled to Nocturne for committing murder, thus passing the inheritance on to Matthew. Carr was badly injured during a magickal battle in early 901, and although his mind is as sharp and his magick as potent as ever, his bodily health has yet to fully recover.
The daughter of Justus, Kantina has a lot of friends among the young army officers, who form a large part of her regular crowd of gambling and drinking partners. She herself is a Master Guardian within the Guardian's Guild, and she is well aware of it. As the one set to take control of her father's estates, she has many suitors, but much to her father's chagrin she refuses to choose from amongst them.
Tatyana Harley is one of the least well known members of the Council of Aldermen, as she prefers to shun the social world. It is very rare indeed to see her in the Court of the Aldermen, although she has extensive offices in the Palace. She is well known for working hard to keep Outpost running and it is most likely by this virtue that she holds office.
The most recently appointed of the Aldermen, and also Guild Head of the Scout's Guild. He was elected to the Council in November 901 as a replacement for the treacherous Lamorre Sint of the Iaché, with a majority of sixty-one to thirty-two over the Elementalist Mary Gustavus. Although not fond of publicity, he is famed for his exploration of Nocturne and his heroic deeds, among them the negotiation of the Treaty with the Northern Iaché which he brought back to Outpost mere hours before his triumphant election.
One of the mysterious Iaché, Sint is the daughter of a rich merchant, and was herself extremely rich, until her estates were seized by the Council of Aldermen following her defection. To those who had not had the pleasure of her company, her position among the Aldermen was quite surprising as she is not human. However, anyone who has met her will realise just how remarkably charming she is. She fled to Nocturne after the Iaché of Lamorre and Outpost had their true colours as treacherous worshippers of the Red Skull of Tyranny revealed.
The Bondsmen are made up of ninety-three of the most influential men and women in the city. They nominate their own membership, subject to certain limitations such as land ownership and so forth. From within this membership are chosen the judges, generals, Aldermen and Guild leaders of the city.
A few of the Bondsmen are listed below:
The legislative of Outpost consists simply of the Aldermen, who are elected every seven years by the Bondsmen from amongst their number. Elections for a vacant seat are brought forward if one of the Aldermen dies or otherwise leaves the Council.
The executive is more complicated, and is generally made up from the Bondsmen. The army is divided fairly normally, with control coming from the Aldermen, who appoint the Lord General. He has to do what the Aldermen tell him, or be fired, and is chosen from amongst the Bondsmen.
The judiciary is divided into local areas within and without the city over which a Lord Lieutenant holds jurisdiction. He has to abide by the laws as set down by the Aldermen, but otherwise is responsible for bringing to justice and trying criminals. He controls the militia, whose basic task is to round up and arrest criminals, and can be raised to help defend the city. These are just ordinary citizens, and hence fairly useless. There are no juries.
Tax is collected by the Lord Commissars, who are nominated by the Aldermen, and have jurisdiction over an area of the city or the surrounding lands. Taxation is based on excise (an import duty collected when goods are sold), income tax (very basic) and outside the city, land tax (based on size of land owned, and usually paid by the peasants who work the land.) Non-humans generally have to pay much more tax, unless, of course, they make friends with the Lord Commissar.
The Aldermen also have the right to grant monopolies to certain groups known as Guilds. The right of monopoly over certain training, for example, is held by the Heads of the four Adventuring Guilds. There are also similar Guilds for more mundane activities such as smithing, glass blowing, etc.
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