Acropoli

Acropoli is a city-state in the central Eastern area of the Hundred Kingdoms. It was founded around a pair of universities during the final hundred years of the Empire of Nerath. A constitutional monarchy, Acropoli is ruled in concert by a uni-cameral parliment and Grand-Prince Nikolaas Bas.

Government

Acropolos government is divided into three sections: Parliment, monarch, and a semi-independent system of courts.

Parliment features a single house, the Electorate. Seating 150 individuals, the Electorate is by far the most powerful branch of government. It controls all domestic affairs in Acropoli, including taxation, government spending, and the creation of laws. Any member of the Electorate can call for a vote on any issue. A simple majority passes laws; constitutional changes require a four fifths majority, and then a simple majority of a public vote. Well the monarch may over turn any ruling by the Electorate, it only requires a number of votes equal to those that passed the law originally to reinstate it. Thus, most Electorate rulings stand even over monarchal objections. Members of the Electorate severe for terms of three years, with one third rolling over every year. There are no term limits on Electorate members, though Grand-Prince Nikolaas is currently arguing in favor of a four term limit.

Unlike most of the Hundred Kingdoms, Acropoli's citizens enjoy at least partial enfrancisment. Any literate citizen, no matter race, gender or country of origin, can vote in parlimentary elections. Membership in the Electorate is limited to native born property owners who can prove at least 6 years formal education. Individuals vote for political parties, seats in the Electorate are accorded to parties proportionally to the number of votes recieved. This is seen as more democratic, as Acropoli simply does not have the ability to take an accurate census which would allow for districting and determining representation in that way.

The monarch of Acropoli is referred to as king or queen. Constitutionally, the power of the monarch is extremely limited. The monarch oversees foreign affairs and the military, as well as appointing a single member of most major Electorate committees. Though the monarch can use the military as they see fit 'for the defense and betterment of the nation' permenent military spending is limited to a mere ten percent of income (note that this is different from spending). This leaves Acropoli's military chronicly weak and unable to pursue aggressive warfare.

The current monarch of Acropoli is Queen Ima Oorschot, known as Good Queen Ima thanks to her generous personal philanthropy and friendly working relationship with the Electorate. However, Good Queen Ima has not been seen for six months, and many in the Electorate assume her dead. While she is in absentia, her primary advisor, Grand-Prince Nikolaas Bas rules. He is neither as personally generous as Queen Ima, nor as friendly with the Electorate.

Judges and courts in Acropoli oversee law enforcement and civil contract by reading and interpretting Electorate law. Judges are appointed for 20 year terms by a committee of Electorate and monarchal appointees. In order to serve as judge, an individual must be a native of Acropoli and be able to prove no less than ten years of formal education and severed for at least two terms in either the Electorate or as monarch appointments. Though there is technically no limit on number of terms allowed, thus far no individual has been either long lived or inclined to endeavor a second term.

Economy

Acropoli straddles a large, slow moving river, known as the Beek. Though the land is not particularly fertile, the depth of the Beek and its mild temperment makes it well suited to sail powered vessels and pole projected river boats. Acropoli is both a prolific taxer of trade as well as one of the producers of some of the finest finished goods in the Hundred Kingdoms. Included among these are ships, bellmaking, printing, and many artistic and cultural products.

Perhaps best known of Acropoli's economic features are its many schools, scholars and academies, including a pair of universities. Acropoli attracts noble children from across the Hundred Kingdoms for education, and sends tutors abroad on fields as diverse as mathematics and accounting, military tactics, literature and metalurgy.