Kingdom of Froturn

The Kingdom of Froturn is a unitary state that was first formed roughly around 1300 BEKE. The exact conditions of the foundation of the state are unknown, by the 12th century BEKE, it was definitely a unified state, even waging a war with Fathred's Confederation between 1135 and 1136 BEKE.

Between 1100 and 800 BEKE however, Froturn saw a lot of political turmoil and de facto fragmentation. In 900 BEKE, the kingdom existed in name only, while much of the land outside the capital was ruled by independent warlords. Froturn was re-unified by 800 BEKE.

While Froturn is and always was a state dominated by High Elves, it has always had a sizeable Halfling minority, predating the very existence o the state.

While Froturn today may not be the center of global trade, or the strongest military power, it is a very important center of learning and religion, filled with several sites and buildings sacred to the Church of Titanius, attracting pilgrims and students alike. Froturn is considered an important center of the studies of Magic and Literature.

Central government
Froturn could be best described as an oligarchic constitutional monarchy. At the very top is the Monarch - King or Queen - of Froturn, who formally appoints the two consuls, has the right to veto decisions by the senate, and acts as an "emergency dictator" in case the wartime consul is unable to lead the country in time of war. The monarch also has the privilege of giving anyone a royal pardon, and can also act as the highest judge, if someone chooses to appeal to that level.

Below the monarch are two consuls: a consul for domestic matters, and a consul for military matters, both with executive powers. They serve for life, unless the senate votes for their replacement (which can be vetoed by the monarch). While they are formally appointed by the monarch, the senate has a lot of say in who becomes a consul: aside from a few noteworthy exceptions (such as Ta'ael Myrth'nddare and Ardryllus Sim Vara), all consuls in history have been senators before becoming consuls - the ones who were stripped of their position (or retired voluntarily) usually reverted back to being senators. Consuls also have the additional responsibility of providing a bridge between the monarch and the senate, communicating with both as regularly as possible.

And last but not least, there is the senate, or council of senators, consisting of a maximum of 200 senators. There is only one way for a person to become a senator: formal appointing by either the monarch or one of the two consuls. Although the senate can "recommend" a person to be made a senator, the person still has to be approved by either a consul or the monarch.

The senate is supposed to discuss the important issues of the kingdom, make new laws, and notify the consuls of important issues that need immediately attention. The senate holds legislative powers.

Provincial governments
Froturn is not a feudal state. The idea of giving someone land in exchange for military service just never became mainstream in Froturn. Instead, when one wishes to hire warriors, they sell harvest for gold and contract mercenaries. While the land-owning nobility is still the dominant class of the country - and makes up the largest chunk of administrators - their ownership of land is considered the equivalent of private ownership: a piece of land, owned by a family.

Instead, Froturn is divided into provinces, which are governed by appointed proconsuls. These proconsuls are formally appointed by either the monarch or by the consul responsible for domestic matters - and they can be fired and replaced on the orders of those very same people. While in neighbouring Etrand, nobles may have to give parts of their tax income to the church and their feudal overlord (the king, or a higher noble), disregarding that they keep everything and can spend everything on whatever they want - in stark contrast, Froturnish proconsuls cannot collect taxes for themselves (unless they embezzle), but instead collect taxes for the government, and may or may not be given a small allowance by said government after that. To make matters even less comfortable for them, while in feudal Etrand, feudal nobles can do as they will on their estates so long as don't break the royal laws, proconsuls in Froturn are humiliated and harshly reprimanded if they fail to meet the (often unrealistic) expectations.

Proconsuls are expected to enforce the will of the government, and are replaced for refusing to do so.

It is important to note that disregarding the allowance they may or may not get from the government, proconsuls essentially have no wages at all, and being a proconsul essentially means having a negative income, as the financial burden of maintaining the proconsul's villa also falls on their shoulders. This essentially means that to become a proconsul, one must already have a source of income - a source of income the person will continue having, even when occupied with governing a province. This translates to pretty much all proconsuls being either nobles or bishops, although sometimes talented lowborn men can become proconsuls as well, earning a their allowance as long as their talents show.