BEHIND
THE THRONE:
Because
anyone can rule this burg in time (see below), nothing is
quite certain. The families of Distinction all have a
shot at holding the seat of Lawmaker, but seven families
are nearly tied as best bets. They are named Goaldcut,
Tiebbynd, Laexicon, Ilnott, Yrontil, Klorskip, and
Oarder. Their occupations (and the areas over which they
hold authority) are the minting of currency, the
contractual legal system, the collection of knowledge,
medicine and public health, zoning in the city,
entertainment, and trading, respectively. All save
Laexicon (a Guvner family) are loyal to the
Legislate.
DESCRIPTION:
Right
To Rule is considered an aberration in Mechanus, and
slips into Acheron or Arcadia at least once a century,
though it always comes back to Mechanus in the end. Set
on a large circular cog, the city is arranged much like a
nautilus shell, with five districts. The largest coils
around 2/3 of the cog's perimeter, and the next four,
which get progressively small, coil around the shaft at
the centre of the gear. The city is very large, and is
home to over 50,000 people.
The
largest district is called Unity. In Unity, the zoning
laws (perhaps the single most important aspect of Right
To Rule, for reason that quickly become clear) are very
strict. All houses must be of exactly the same size and
shape, and all streets must run at regular intervals and
be parallel to one another. It is quite literally
impossible to tell one part of Unity from any other. The
city runs all the way up to the edge of the gear, with no
space wasted. People here have little identity and little
will, and form the backbone of the city's working class.
Unity is often called Simplicity by it's inhabitants, who
value the simple, predictable nature of their lives.
Because they lack any real identity and acts as one,
detractors call Unity the Swarm.
Lying
inside a wall which separates the other sections form
Unity (and each other), is the second district, called
Conformity. Here, the houses are as rigidly organises as
they were in Unity, but are a bit larger. However, the
district is divided into a number of section, called
blocks which have streets running at different angles
from other blocks. Also, there is moderate variation in
buildings in different blocks. Those inhabiting each
block tend to have a similar outlook, but two separate
blocks can have very different ideas. those who insult
the secular nature of Conformity call it Cliques, but the
natives prefer calling it Community.
In
the next, smaller section is Cooperation, where the basic
zoning laws being to break down. There are only vaguely
defined streets, and buildings vary wildly in shape and
size (though most are larger than those in Conformity).
Opinions are as varied as architecture, and the district
is a teeming morass of constantly shifting small interest
groups, made up of like-minded individuals. The most
habitable of the districts, those who enjoy the lifestyle
of Cooperation call it Creativity, but those who crave
more (or less)power usually call it Mishmash.
The
fourth district, made of the the noble houses, is called
Distinction. Here, no laws really apply to each noble
manor, which exists separately from all others. Each
manor houses a family of very similar people, who are in
fierce competition with the other noble houses for power.
This is an area of intrigue and politics, with little
alliance outside of one's own house. The nobles enjoy
their relative freedom, and call their district Freedom
as a result. Many others call is Separation, because they
find the noble houses to conflicting.
Finally,
the fifth and smallest district, called Individuality,
holds the palace of the Lawmaker. Here, the Lawmaker and
his family, who seem like near-clones of their patron in
mindset, run the rest of Right to Rule. Many look up to
the impartial district and call it Independence, the
truest measure of freedom. Others, who prefer the feeling
of community granted by other people, call it
Solitude.
The
dark of all this is simple: your rank in society and thus
the location of your home int he city is determined
entirely by your capacity to make laws. The Swarm has no
real power, though the entire city relies on it's sheer
population for its military and its labour. When a person
becomes trusted enough by the multitudes of Simplicity,
he wakes up to find himself in a block of Conformity
which matches his mindset. From there, he must gain the
right to represent his peers well enough to speak for
them all, and thus make laws on their behalf, allowing
him to pass into Cooperation. The noble houses of
Distinction are all tightly allied groups of very similar
law-makers who hold power over all but other noble houses
and Individuality. The Lawmaker rules over all as the
ultimate representative. It is possible to regress
backwards in this process, as a person looses the trust
of those below him. The tower must have a base to stand
on, if you will.
Thus:
each district, collectively, can impose general law on
all districts below it. The Lawmaker makes general laws
that affect all districts but his own. The noble houses
are the high authorities for the various necessary
functions of the burg (other, less powerful noble houses
focus on military matters, law enforcement, etc.
Interestingly, agriculture is never a noble house's major
faculty, because a native of the burg requires no food
while on that cog). The Mishmash acts ad the middle men
to Cliques, and they to the Swarm. Thus, though focused
more on the individual, the city is still primarily one
of Law.
The
major export of Right To Rule is the Legislate. A sect
that dominates Right To Rule, it has not caught on
elsewhere (mainly because of the Guvner monopoly on Sigil
and the homebound nature of the sect), but its presence
is well known. Historically, the factol of the Legislate
has always been Right To Rule's Lawmaker.
Overall,
Right To Rule's nature is determined by the district you
are in. In Simplicity, one can get easily lost, but any
major service you require isn't far away. In Conformity,
life is a struggle of who is the major clique.
Cooperation sports a lively, active intellectual climate,
since all the residents know well that, if they let
themselves become stupid, sloppy, or disrespected they
risk sliding back into Cliques. Separation is almost
vindictively lawful, with more emotions than any other
district. Solitude has the aura of peace coming from
absolute power that makes it relaxing, but the Lawmaker
can never rest, as he must maintain his position
vigorously or fall in station.
Interestingly,
all newcomers must live in Unity. this is not a law, but
a fact. No matter what precautions are taken, the person
will shortly find themselves in a small building in
Simplicity. You have to work for power in Right to
Rule.
MILITIA:
Most
of Right To Rule's army is composed of Swarm minutemen.
Because invaders are only really a problem when the city
shifts to another plane (at which point, the military
noble house often leaps to Lawmaker). These minutemen are
lead by elite infantry from Conformity, supplemented by
crack surgical strike teams from Cooperation, and led by
generals from Distinction.
Breaking
the laws of Right To Rule are dangerous, but not nearly
as much as in the rest of Mechanus. Since the locals
usually follow the rules anyway, there is little need for
patrols of policemen. Outsiders who are caught breaking
rules are given three chances. First, they are given a
warning. Then, they are incurred an incredible fine
(usually more than a body has) and forced to work as
members of the Swarm or a slated period of time
(effectively erasing all power a local had). The third
offence is death or, under special circumstances, exile.
Severe crimes, including murder, arson, treason, and
magically charming a person to affect the laws all result
in either death or exile.
SERVICES:
Right
To Rule has a number of services. First off, as a large
city, any number of specialty services are offered to
those who work to find them (Cooperation is almost always
their location). Right To Rule is known for two things
more than most burgs, however: The Legislate and
magic.
The
Legislate fills every corner of the burg, and is almost a
requirement for rising in the city's districts. For each
rank achieved in the sect, the sector must return to
Right To Rule to register. Thus, as the greatest base of
power in the Legislate, Right To Rule is often synonymous
with the sect.
As
for magic, the Laexicon family has risen remarkably to
the rank of noble house, largely on the basis of it's
magical resources. A family of magi, the House has
provided and continues to provide law-based magic to the
city and to interested parties. While the vast majority
of Necromancy and some Enchantment magic is outlawed,
most everything else is not, and Laexicon both buys and
sells magic relating to law in some manner.
LOCAL
NEWS:
The
Legislate has recently made a powerful (if surprising)
ally: the Fated. Though the two are very different, both
feel that the strong (though what is strength varies
between the groups) get what they want and hold what they
can. This has disturbed the Guvners, who regularly find
themselves against the Fated by alliance (the Hardheads
do NOT like the Fated). The presence of a potentially
chaotic presence on Mechanus is also disturbing to
them.
Perhaps
the cause or perhaps the result, the Laexicon family is
becoming far more active in its field than it had been in
the past. With Hijarr slowly succumbing to age, the city
is ripe for a power struggle, and Laexicon is as likely a
winner as any other noble house. But a Guvner Lawmaker
spells problems for the Legislate. After all, does that
make the Guvners the leaders of the Legislate? Or,
because of the different allegiance, will the position of
Lawmaker fall to a noble house, and if so which one?
These vexing problems, compounded by the inexperience to
current population (which is mostly human and was not
alive when Hiljarr became Lawmaker) in these matters, is
causing paranoia to ripple through the town. While the
Laexicon family still holds the will of the people, other
Guvners are being persecuted as spies, and at least three
were exiled in the last week. Laexicon has petitioned
Tiebbynd to try to outlaw this type of behaviour, but
they are resisting because of the faction/sect conflict.
One thing is certain: the children of Right To Rule will
live in interesting times.
