Tasyod

That Which We Already Possess

The phrase "that which we already possess" is taken from the legend of Halvard Tastad, exarch of the Crusade of Light and the first and only king of Tasyod. It is the central principle of governance in Tasyod. At its core, it is a mandate to respect the sovereignty of each person, family, village, etc. That they are beholden to no one on grounds of birthright or nobility.

Free Cities

By the laws of the kingdom, each township, from the smallest village to the largest city, is entirely independent with one exception. That exception exists only to create a unified front to the other kingdoms of Bastion. Often smaller villages will form coalitions with each other, or join themselves with a larger town in the area. Townships, or a coalition of townships, elect their own sheriffs, mayors, and representatives to the Assembly, the latter two often being the same person.

The Assembly

The Assembly is made up of people elected by their townships or coalitions. The exact number of members varies often due to the somewhat unstable nature of township coalitions. The Assembly has two functions. One is to appoint, and provide oversight of, the Monarch. The other is to manage tax collection from the townships and coalitions to fund the Watch.

The Monarch

That Tasyod has a monarch at all is a result of Alverion's decree when he divided Bastion among his exarchs. The first thing Halvard Tastad did upon being made king was to have his crown melted down along with the sword he had used during the Crusade of Light. He had them re-forged into a simple rectangular sheet of metal known as the Wisdom of Tastad, but more commonly called The Steel. On the metal he etched the foundational law of Tasyod, which rendered the monarch powerless in any capacity other than defense against the other realms. It also renamed the title to Commander of the Watch, to further drive home his point.

Every session it's the same thing from you. "Lower taxes! Lower taxes! This is an affront to Halvard!" I've been patient because you're from a western hollow. For you the problem seems so far away it might not be real. Well, Assemblyman, tomorrow I leave for the Ringaduin and you're coming with me. You can spend some time up on one of the towers those taxes paid for, and after you've had a look accross the river we'll see which one of us is an affront to Halvard.

— Fifth Century Commander of the Watch

Succession

The Commander of the Watch is appointed by The Assembly to five year terms, and there is no limit to the number of terms a single person may serve. Given that the commander's responsibilities are so strictly limited to military matters, almost all commanders are selected from long time members of the Watch. It would be too much to say there is no politicking involved in the appointments, but for most of Bastion's history the position has been held by those who were well respected and well suited to the position.

Laws & Justice

Given the independent nature of every township it is nearly impossible to have a comprehensive list of every single law, statue, and policy in Tasyod. In the time it would take to compile such a list, many of the laws recorded would have changed. That said, there is common thread for almost every township. There are very few laws in the realm that limit an individual regarding actions that directly impact only themselves. Vices, or behaving in a manner only dangerous to oneself are, strictly speaking, legal in almost every township. How culturally acceptable such things are varies by region.

Law Enforcement

Every township or coalition elects a sheriff, which is considered of equal authority with a mayor. In single small townships, that is typically the end of it. In coalitions or larger towns, the sheriff can appoint deputies. In addition, it is common for a sheriff to temporarily deputize others to form a posse when the situation calls for it. Tasyod's geography leads to many townships being more than a days travel apart, very often through hilly and/or forested terrain that lends to concealment. Highway banditry is not a certainty, but it is something sheriffs have to deal with.

Listen, Ulrich, I know you're the mayor so you think you should be the one approaching Varock and Lenvig about a coalition, but we don't have time for all that. The people of this hollow elected me to protect them, and I'll not be shamed by you for bein' smart enough to know I need help. Both those towns have men who know how to use a sword. I'm gonna get a posse together and deal with the mercenary bastards those rezzy horse fuckers sent across the river. That's what I'm doing. If you want to sit here in your office writin' letters to other men just sittin' in their offices, you go right ahead. I'll have one of the boys I recruit carry them along home after we're done.

— Tasyodic sheriff

Bounty Hunters

Given that townships only have a sheriff and maybe a small number of deputies, it is not practical to send them chasing criminals all across Bastion. Granted, most Tasyodic people would never choose to flee into Nove Rezaan or Vikinmark, but that still leaves all of Tasyod. Bounty hunters exist to take up this task. Townships offer coin for the apprehension, or in some cases just proof of death, of criminals, and anyone who can deliver is paid for the service. It is important to note that there are no laws or restrictions regarding bounty hunters. If a person chooses to attempt it, and they can do the job, they are one. If they can't do the job, they are not likely to regret their choice for too long.

Trial and Punishment

When alleged criminals are apprehended, it falls to the mayors to handle things. For minor offenses most mayors are empowered to decide punishment. For more serious crimes, it is often the case that the perpetrator is not capture alive, but when they are, most townships assemble a jury of townsfolk for a trial presided over by the mayor. The juries decide guilt or innocence, and punishment if necessary.

Military

Military service is not, by law, compulsory in Tasyod, but there is a strong cultural incentive to serve at least one two year term as a member of the watch. It is accepted that not every person is well suited to being a soldier, but there are a great many jobs to be done in an army that don't directly involve fighting.

The Watch

The purpose of the Watch is to defend Tasyod's borders. This generally excludes the Dwarves as they have yet to show any interest in the surface lands of Bastion in a thousand years. Thus, this force watches the borders with Vikinmark and Nove Rezaan. There is mutual animosity with Vikinmark but it has never amounted to armed conflict. Despite this, the Watch does maintain limited fortifications and personnel along the . The majority of the Watch's resources are devoted to its true purpose, which is to defend against the infamous greed of the Arlvar in Nove Rezaan.
The makes invasion from Nove Rezaan a challenge. Despite the natural barrier, Tasyod has fought a series of minor wars to defend itself from Rezaanian dukes. The kingdom of Nove Rezaan has never officially declared war, but the various kings have never been seen as doing anything but tacitly supporting the expansion attempts of their vassals.

Tasyod

Inroduction	Laws	Military
Free Cities	Enforcement	The Watch
Assembly	Bounties
Monarch	Punishment

Capital: Stavanger
Current Ruler: Commander Waxillium Ramstad
Succession: Assembly Appointment

Demographics: Human
Demonym: Tasyodic