Continent: Ilaros

Region: The Rotting Sea

Government Type:  Gerontocratic Oligarchy  

Ruling Bodies:  The Ezkara (a body of elders)

Current Leaders:  Venerable Belaz Asa (TN male human aristocrat 10),  Adro Ungzba (LN male human bard 6/aristocrat 4) Nestran Gole (NG male human seer 4/bard 2/Aristocrat 5)

Economic Type:  Agrarian Communal/ Mercantile

Currency:  The Nul (valued at .35 Whorls)

Population: about 7,000,000

Species Demographics: 65 % Human (including a 3% population of Illumians) 10% gnome, 10% bhuka, 10% Dromite, 5% Other   

Capitol: Askar (population 254,212)

Largest City:  Askar

Religion:  74% Ulian (Official) 20% Bifurcating Path (Adósian religion) 6% Other 

Major Languages:  Sraskaz (official), Alad

Nominal Alignment:  N

The nation of Sronid has long been something of an enigma to the rest of the people of Ilaros. Rumors abound about the strange people of that land and their unusual tradition of total public anonymity.  Clothing is uniformly concealing and masks or opaque veils, scarves, hoods, and eyewear are commonly worn by all citizen. True names are forbidden to be spoken in public and to disclose the name of someone is a serious offense. The masking traditions of the Sron have their origins in a particular religious doctrine which claims that only through constantly deceiving the demons (a general term for fiendish beings) can one hope to avoid becoming their tool and an agent of discord and ill omen.

As few outsiders are permitted within the country, the peculiar habits of the Sron have led to some truly outlandish ‘explanations’ for their mode of dress. It is commonly believed that the Sron consider all outsiders to be unclean and thus limit their contact with them through their clothing. Others hold that the Sron are not really human (or for that matter any known species) but are merely empty suits of clothing that masquerade as people. As result of these and other rumors concerning horrible diseases, ancient curses, and sinister motives, the Sron are widely distrusted and poorly understood.

Political Structure of Sronid

The Sron government is largely a gerontocracy, a rule by the old. To rule in Sronid one must have passed beyond one’s middle years and begun to go a bit grey about the edges, seen one’s children and grandchildren grow, and be assured that the fiery passions of youth are but embers.  Such men, and the rulers of Sronid are overwhelmingly male, are seen as being dispassionate rules who would be more likely to see the needs of the whole society (and thus their own descendants) than to their own comfort and advancement. 

The ruling body of Sronid is the Ezkara, a quasi-representative body made up carefully chosen members. Members of the Ezkara are not elected but are rather chosen from among the elders of the various communes (the political divisions of the country) by a group of assessors. Those who are selected are obliged to serve for the remainder of their lives or until they are no longer capable of engaging in the business of running the nation.  The Ezkara has numerous divisions, called ergu (singular erg) which have varying functions.

Sus-erg:  The Sus-Erg is really a collection of regional and city councils which is in charge of the day-to-day governance of the people of Sronid. Usually the Sus-ergu are fairly informal bodies that often meet in cafes, parks, or public squares and their deliberations are open to any who wish to listen in. Members of the Sus-erg are not required to leave their homes to become part of the ruling body in the capital, but their presence is ‘requested’ every 2 to 3 years 

Biruzh-erg:   The Biruzh-erg is the lower body of the national ruling council and is generally concerned with the purely internal affairs of Sronid such as public works, taxation, grain production and the so on. The Biruzh-erg consists of 236 members at present which are appointed to the position by the Sus-Ergu. The single most important duty of the Biruzh-erg is to coordinating the agricultural production of the country and ensure that there will be no famines.

Eius-erg:  The eius-erg consists of  125 members, all selected by the Sus-ergu, whose primary purpose is to deal with matters of  international importance, especially the regulation of trade. As tariffs are quite high in Sronid, so as to encourage domestic consumption, regulation of these and other similar measures takes up much of this erg’s time. The Eius-erg also has direct control of the foreign office and ambassadors serve at their pleasure.

Nol-erg:  The Nol-Erg is the highest body in the Ezkara and consists of 27 members. They have relatively broad powers and act as an oversight body for the other ergu. All laws must be put before the Nol-erg for consideration and amendment and the Nol themselves draft numerous laws.  The other ergu serve at the pleasure of the Nol and can be dissolved if the Nol so wish.

The judicial system of Sronid is somewhat unique due both to its semi-informal structure and the fact that the magistrates are almost always old women. Courts are generally called together when the situation calls for it and as such there is very little formal structure or hierarchy among the magistrates. Like members of the ergu, magistrates are chosen by a special body of assessors who ideally select the wisest and most insightful women in a community to act as judges when called upon.

These magistrates are both highly respected and more than a little feared for the pragmatic interpretation of laws and punishments lies entirely in their hands. (And let’s face it, there is nothing scarier than being sternly reprimanded and punished by someone’s grandmother.)