Government

(page summary)

Government Systems

Main Article: Government Systems

(short overview of the types of governments)

Government Positions

Main Article: Government Positions

(short overview)

Hierarchy

Main Article: Hierarchy

(short description and breakdown of the hierarchy)

Election

Main Article: Election

(short description)

Diplomacy

Main Article: Diplomacy

(short description, mostly list relations)

Treaties

Further information: Diplomacy#Treaty

Treaties are arbitrary, free-form agreements between one or more realms. Yes, a realm can sign a treaty with itself, and there are quite a few creative uses for such a treaty, from a (secret) declaration of war to internal politics.

Treaties do not have game-mechanic effects. That also means that their potential is unlimited, anything that can be put into words can be put into a treaty.

Protest

A protest is a formal message of disagreement with the actions of the ruling council (ruler, general, judge or banker) of your realm. To protest is sometimes the only option of dealing with someone abusing his or her powers, short of leaving the realm. More importantly, however, it makes your voice heard in a way that can not be easily ignored, for it can carry serious consequences - if many members of the realm protest, the abusive character might even be removed from the position he or she abused.

You can protest at any time using the "Post a protest message..." link provided on the Messages screen. Certain events, such as the appointment of lords or council members, will also provide a specific link for posting a protest. There is no difference between the two methods, the link below some events is just for convenience.

Note: To prevent certain abuses, new characters, and characters new to their realm, cannot immediately post protest messages. There is a waiting period of several days before the option is available to them.

Each protest message is specifically targeted at one specific government member. If you wish to protest multiple government offices, then you must post multiple protests, one for each.

Types of Protest

Protest messages can be either private ("Silently disagree with") or public ("Protest publicly against").

• A Private protest is the equivalent of talking to friends only, in the hope that the word will spread. Due to the "underground" nature of private protests, they have a lesser effect than public protests. It will take more of them for any effects to be noticed. No one will be notified of the protests. If you wish certain people to know that you protested, and inspire them to silently protest as well, then you will need to inform them yourself.
• A Public protest is speaking aloud, which will be more effective but might be dangerous in a repressive realm. Your protest message will be sent to all the nobles of the realm, including the reason you have given for your protest. There is no protection against reprisals, other than the political power and influence you wield. Public protests have a greater effect than private protests. All the nobles will see it, and it may inspire them to protest as well. Also, it takes fewer public protests to have a tangible effect on the protester than private protests.

Effects

If enough protests are posted against a government official within a certain amount of time, there can be tangible consequences for that noble.

• If enough protests are posted, the target will lose honor and prestige. The exact number of protests depends on several factors. The exact details are not known, but are believed to be related to the number of nobles in the realm, and the government system of the realm.
• If the protests continue, and involve a large enough portion of the realm, the target will be forced out of the office in disgrace, with a significant loss of prestige. A new noble will be chosen either through an election or appointment, according to the government system in place.

Rebellion

(full info)

Secession

Any Duke that has a city within their duchy can announce the creation of a new realm and proclaim themselves its ruler. In order to secede a duke must be in a city within their duchy, although they can choose any of their cities as capital of the new realm. When a duke secedes, all of the regions of their duchy will join the new realm along with all its knights and standing militia.

It is possible for dukes to secede even if their duchy contains the capital city of their current realm. However, if that city is the only remaining city region within the realm a duke will not be able announce a secession.

Although margraves command city regions, they cannot secede from the realm unless they have also been appointed duke.

Estate

Main article: Estates

An estate is a part of a region, currently defined abstractly as a percentage part of the region (e.g. 20% of the region of Keplerville). Everyone can have at most one estate, and the size of estates is limited. There are minimum and maximum sizes that depend on the region type and size. The minimum sizes go from 5% to 20% while the maximum sizes go from 30% to 50%. So every region will need 2-4 knights (of which the lord can be one) to cover it entirely.

Estates can be created and resized at will by the region lord, but each adjustment takes 1 hour of the lord's time.

Vacant estates (those without a knight) and "wild lands" (parts of the region not assigned to an estate) will collect taxes directly to the region lord, but only at half efficiency, so half of the tax income is lost.