Politics & Factions

  I. Government Faction    II. Mercantile Faction    III. Guild Faction    IV. Nobility    V. Churches 

The city of Aquila has existed for centuries. Despite the rather turbulent appearance of things within the City of Thieves such a record requires at least a minimal amount of stability.

Aquila maintains its stability through a tripod of powerful factions each of which serves to hold the other two factions somewhat in check. Although the factions do not manifest themselves blatantly during the day to day affairs of the city, they are nonetheless a powerful driving force "behind the scenes".

These three factions fall into the rough categories of the city government, symbolized by the Overlord, the mercantile interests, best represented by the powerful Merchants' Consortium, and the mass of the population, generally seen as the organization of the guilds.

Competition and negotiation between the members of these factions provides most of the motivation behind policy decisions, laws, and taxes in Aquila. Each faction maintains certain positions in all debates (the merchants, for example, will always attempt to keep retail prices as high as possible), but other positions are subject to negotiation and compromise.

Each faction, together with its most significant members and motivating values, follows. The motivating values for each faction are listed with the most important concerns first, in descending order to the least important concerns. For example, it is more important to the Overlord to maintain a steady income from taxes than it is to keep wages and prices down.

Note that the general category of religion does not fall under the heading of any of these factions. Instead, each religion represented by a temple in Aquila generally finds a niche within one of the factions, based on the tenets of its god, or (as often as not) upon the political leanings of the high priest or priestess.

While the primary form of interaction between the factions is the open debate allowed on most matters of city policy, certain more sinister tactics are occasionally employed. If the guildmasters, for example, hear rumors that the Merchants' Consortium is about to purchase large quantities of cheap imports that will directly compete with city workmen, spies will certainly be employed to learn the details of the transaction. lf a reasonable plea on the guilds' behalf yields no results, sabotage of the incoming goods is a likely expedient. In rare cases, assassination of important persons in a rival faction may even be employed.

I. Government Faction

This faction can probably best be described as the "law and order" faction. Change is discouraged, and the current balance of power steadfastly defended. These are the people with the most to lose if Aquila should undergo some tumultuous evolution.

Members:

Overlord, his family and staff Nobles City guard Aquilaian armed forces

Motivating Values: [ more... ]

II. Mercantile Faction

The mercantile faction is primarily concerned with profitability and the health of Aquila's economy. Members of this faction might be regarded as quintessential capitalists. This faction works hard to insure that Aquila remains a thriving business center. This activity is reflected in the profitability of the various areas listed above. The Merchants' Consortium is a collection of many different types of sellers, bound together by their desire for profit.

Members:

Jewelers' Guild Merchants' Consortium Moneylenders' Guild

Motivating Values: [ more... ]

III. Guild Faction

  Guilds    Minor Guilds 

The Guild Faction certainly has more individual members than either of the other two, but does not possess as much overt power as either the Overlord (through his armed forces) or the Merchants (through their vast financial reserves). Ideally, the Guild Faction should speak for the rights and desires of the common people of Aquila; more often than not, however, this faction represents the wishes of the powerful Guildmasters, which are not necessarily those of the members.

Members:

Virtually all of the guilds listed below, except the few under the Mercantile Faction, count their members as part of this faction.

Motivating Values:

• Keep wages as high as possible
• Keep taxes as low as possible
• Minimize the amount of government interference within the guilds
• Control price levels so that most items of necessity are affordable
• See that neither the merchants nor the Overlord become unduly powerful in the operations of the city

IV. Nobility

House of Nobles

Anyone born into a family with a title (duke, count etc.) is automatically a member of the House of Nobles. Barring unusual circumstances, the minimum social rank of a noble is 10. The highest possible social rank is 15 among the nobles. As a rule, it is easier to lose social rank than it is to gain it. In general, player characters should not begin the game as nobles.

A noble need not have an occupation or a skill. He can survive on his inherited monies. Most nobles either attempt to manage their money or hire a moneylender or merchant to do it for them. Amassing large quantities of money is one way to improve social rank.

Only the Overlord of Aquila can give a person a noble title or change the title of a noble. This happens very infrequently, maybe once every couple of years.

The House of Nobles is an actual group that meets and makes group decisions. Because each of them is so independent, they rarely accomplish anything as a group. Although the meetings are only held once a season [ more... ]

V. Churches

Religion irreverently permeates the entire society of Aquila. Every citizen claims to be a member of at least one church. That same individual might change his affiliation as often as he changes his socks. To understand this better, one must understand the nature of the church in Aquila.

There is a street in Aquila appropriately called the Street of the Gods, along which all the churches are found. This street extends the length of the city, all the way from the Marsh Gate to the River Road along the Hlal. It is rumored that there are 1,001 different churches in Aquila. The actual number is probably about half that.

When a new religion first starts in the city, its priest stakes out a small piece of street next to the Marsh Gate. The length of street he can hold is directly proportional to the number of people that attend the services. By sheer brute force the more popular churches work their way up the street toward the Hlal.

About a street block away from the March Gate, small buildings replace the ba [ more... ]