How Settlements are Run
Settlements in the DoT are run like each is it's own independent country. Each settlement will find a great deal of pride in their settlement. Each settlement will provide it's own needs for security, judges, jury, prisons, schools, homeless, trade and laws. There are several types of settlements that will each be associated with it's own type of leadership.
- Towns
Towns are usually lead by a Lord, a very rich and powerful person who has many connections with other communities that can help provide the needed support to keep the economy and trade flowing.
- Townships
Townships are the result of several settlements getting together to settle a new community for some kind of purpose. Townships are usually lead by a steward who is voted in by leaders from the settlements that invested in the township to begin with. A good example would be a mining township, perhaps a village, a city and a town are all within a days walk of a common mine that is very productive. These 3 settlements may get together to sponsor a mining township and they would elect a steward.
- Village
Village is much smaller than any other settlement. Typically there is a board of elders that runs the village but they are frequently lead by a chairman who shares the power of the board but he also has power to veto any decision. Wise elders often emerge as a village chairman without the need for an election.
- Port
A port is a shipping community, they do not do much other than facilitate trade and that is why they exist however it is usually not a group effort like a township. A lord with lots of money for a dock, boat houses and warehouses is typically the type of person to run a port. A port is run more like a business than a town or city.
- City
The largest grouping of settlers. Usually ran by a noble, duke, lord or even a king.
Kings
There are no human run Kingdoms, yet. If there is a human King he is most likely a little stuck on himself by even considering himself a king as there are no human kingdoms. A king will be very powerful so it makes sense as to why they would think they were a king and they would make people call them kings, but there are no traditional human kings who run an entire kingdom. Part of the reason is due to the elves, the elves have the only figures that are truly deemed to be kings by those that follow. The elves were deemed kings within the elven culture, this was generally only an honor that goes to a powerful elf mage who has taken responsibility for the creatures of the world, including humans. Elves at first, were the keepers of peace, the keepers of magic and mystery. Somehow they have lost their hold on those mysteries and they are losing their grip on several races including humans, orcs and dwarves.
Delegates
Each known settlement is encouraged to choose a set of delegates to act as ambassadors for their settlement. Occasionally, things will require the settlements to work together. For example, two settlements may work together to catch a criminal that is common to both. Both settlements would want to prosecute the criminal so the delegates would need to meet to decide how and where the caught criminal will be charged. Delegates are highly prominent people that are very well trusted, Very well-versed with the surrounding cultures, intelligent and capable of managing tense situations carefully with patience, class and style.
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