White Willows pt7

The Powers That Be: Gods, Guilds, and Government in White Willows

Society

White Willows is a canton but should be best thought of as a city-state or a microstate. It is fully independent of other powers (but due to the plastic nature of the patchworks, is often the part of some far flung alliance) This said the canton has a very old set of laws and regulations going back generations and Lord Viscount Alba defaults to whenever he needs to make a decision.

The Government

White Willows is a hereditary monarchy and currently ruled by the Lord Viscount Alba. The Lord Viscount s rule is absolute, however he leaves most of the day to day work or ruling and law making to a senate made mostly of powerful merchants, military personnel, and other influential members of society, stepping in only when he thinks they are overstepping their bounds.

The Lord Viscount

Lord Viscount Alba is the current ruler of White Willows and has been for the past four decades. Tall and of noble stock the Lord Viscount holds his head up high but time has taken its toll on him. His once long blond hair has all but fallen out and his once strong and rugged face is covered in a white beard. He rarely smiles and partly from wounds in his youth when he was a brash fighter and partly from the requirements of office has an addiction to opium lased lozenges.

The Lord Viscount has always tried to be a good ruler placing the needs of his subjects high on his agenda unlike many of the other Patchwork Kingdoms who see the peasants as little more than a taxable source of income. Improving the roads, fixing public institutions (like the Tomb of the Ancestors and the various All-Gods temples), and stopping banditry are all on the top of his agenda. Above all else the Lord Viscount Alba respects the rule of law in the canton. He defaults to the old law books when unable to make a decision and as such has begun to draw the ire of more progressive members of White Willows.

The Senate

The Senate of White Willows is an assembly with advisory and some legislative function. It is The Senate s job to come up with the laws and the minutia of said laws to be presented to the Viscount for approval. It is also tasked with hearing complaints from the citizens of the canton and proposing laws to aid them. This body is rarely convened by the Viscount, typically only when he himself is unable to come up with a law or needs someone to fill out the details of one he wants to implement however, as the Viscount ages he relies on The Senate more and more. The Senate is made mostly of nobles, powerful merchants, and various military commanders.

The Nobles

White Willows contains numerous noble families. Nobility in White Willows is a given title from the Lord Viscount to a particular individual for services rendered, the title of which pass does through the generations and carries with it both prestige and certain privileges not afforded to others. Some of the special treatments allowed for nobles are, their own court, immunity to most taxation and weapons laws, the right to purchase land outright (rather than the life time leases for the non-nobles), and most importantly and controversially, the ability to rent out said land.

Nobility is not free of responsibility however. Nobles are expected to server the Lord Viscount in times of war and server as counsel in times of peace. While most nobles are more than happy to serve as counsel, in times of war most elect to pay the blood tax, a large fee given to the Lord Viscount so that he may hire mercenaries to fight on the noble’s behalf. Paying the Blood Tax is the preferred method of servitude for both the nobles (as they don’t have to fight and die) and the Lord Viscount (as most the nobles are terrible fighters) with a few exceptions.

Nobles that do not serve in times of war (or do not pay the Blood Tax) or to quote canton law “preform in activities or professions debased or lowly” are liable to lose their noble title. However this must be approved by the canton senate, and as The Senate itself is made mostly of nobles, this is a rare event reserved mostly for pariahs.

The current state of the nobility is a sorry one. The Current Lord Viscount Alba has named only a few new nobles and most that exist are wealthy, bored, and out of touch. Rich and affected few know why or how their families came into nobility and even less could come close to matching their vaulted ancestors. Recently a string of high profile scandals of excesses, debauchery, and failures on behalf of the nobles has soured the lot the Lord Viscount and it is popular rumor (particularly among disgruntled peasants) that he may remove many of the noble families titles. Were it not for the large amount of money and power the nobles wield they would have long been wiped out by their many enemies, the Thieves Guild, the peasants, or even the Lord Viscount himself.

The Guard

The Guard (often just called the City Guard or Town Guard) are the day to day enforcers of the law in White Willows. They are the ones who patrol the streets, man the gates, guarding public places, and investigate crime in the canton. While in charge of law enforcement all across the canton it is rare to see the Guard outside of the cities or villages.

A typical guardsman is just trying to get through to the next day. He will rarely give chase to a criminal very far (unless his sergeant is watching). Much of the Guard is corrupt and can be bribed off, depending on the crime (and its perpetrator, the Guard is notoriously harsh to demi-humans).

Each Guardsman is armed with a halberd, a small crossbow, a club, a whistle, rope, and breastplate with helmet.

The Militia

White Willows lacks a standing army, rather any of its able bodied population is liable to be drafted in times of war. Most villages retain a Militia, a loosely organized group of fighters who are dedicated to the defense of the village and the canton. Due to the time it takes the City Guard to respond to most actions the village militias often serve in their place. Each militia unit varies greatly from village to village.