Government

The systems of government vary greatly from region to region—from agrarian collectivism to feudalism, oligarchical city-states to absolute anarchy. When there is an opportunity to seize power for the sake of the “common good,” someone is always willing to step up. Even a dysfunctional government is capable of pooling its resources for a variety of projects: creating a standing army, building roads to establish trade routes, forming alliances with neighbors, or constructing a shrine to their dear leader.

Common Good
The government system says something about what each region values. For example, Amon tends toward economically-driven models with heavy influence from the merchant guilds or feudal protection of farming communities. In Lunthal, some regions have experimented with representative democracy. Whether it’s feudalism or democracy, each system is attempting to promote the common good.

Efre Ousel is not a place where kings and queens sit on their thrones by divine right. They took it by force, and it can be taken from them by force. Even the most oppressive systems must appease the masses in order to keep their power and their head upon their shoulders.

Code of Law
The rule of law and how it’s enforced will vary from region to region. However, it’s good to remember that almost all societies frown upon open combat in the streets, murder, and looting bodies for gold.

Ignorance of the law is never an excuse. If players are unsure about the legality of a certain action, they can ask. The DM might either answer directly or give them guidance on how to find out. Also, a chaotic alignment does not require a character to rampage through the city on a crime spree. Some discretion should be used. Otherwise, a campaign in Efre Ousel may be spent behind bars.

Seeking Audience
From time to time, adventurers will want to speak with the people in charge. It’s not easy to have a chat with the king or queen, but a local magistrate or guild leader might make time for you. Telling the DM, “I want to speak with the feudal lord” might create more challenges for your character. Some lords may have specially-designated days when they hear from their people directly.

A grave threat to the territory or a challenge to the monarch’s reign may give you a chance to make your case. But one better be prepared to have evidence or they’re no better than the crazed conspiracy theorist raving about microscopic monsters in the drinking water.

War and Peace
Wars happen in Efre Ousel for the same reasons that they happen anywhere else: economics, territory, religion, nationalism, revenge, revolution, and defense. Some areas are closed off from the rest of the world with reasonable prosperity and stability, while other areas are a hotbed for continual conflict.

Perhaps a charismatic warlord gains power and spreads influence, or maybe a group of young idealistic egalitarians yearns for an end to oppression. These conflicts and the people who fuel them will inevitably try to drag other people into it. For adventurers, such a situation could be a call to adventure or a hindrance to achieving a more important objective.

A long period of peace can be a tense epoch filled with political maneuvering and manipulation, where maintaining the status quo requires cruel displays of power. War might be preferable, if it brings an end to the oppression.