Hekros
During Vytali's Era, the golden age of philosophy five centuries ago, Hekros was the hotbed of thought and discourse. Every other renowned philosopher was born here, and almost al free thinkers in the Acronian Sea studied under Hekrosian mentors. There was not a single academic in the region that did not travel to Hekros during this time. As the kingdoms of old fell way to the new forms of governments, the stability that lead to the era fell way to ideological conflict, and Hekros was at the forefront of that change, leading the way as one of the first territories to overthrow the monarchs and establish their new kritarchy.
Hekros is still held in great esteem in the world of philosophy, art, and academia. The largest library and a number of the largest universities in the Acronian Sea are found within its borders. Indeed, the people are very passionate about their culture, and are quick to push their way of government onto foreign realms. The state is ruled by a hierarchy of judges in strict adherence to the formalized laws of the land and the state’s constitution, and almost all government matters are handled in a court of some kind. New laws are legalized by a council of judges assigned to the matter, and often put to trial as a citizen might be, with prosecutors speaking in favor of the law and defendants arguing against its adoption.
The free people are highly political, and almost all engage in government in some way. Citizens' courts are methods of new law proposal in which when a certain number of citizens petition for a law, it must be put to trial, with its advocates electing a judge to support it in court, and vice-versa for its opponents. Similarly, an existing law may be challenged in this manner.
Outside of such lofty matters, denizens work the alpine lands and mines, and maintain one of the more expansionist governments in the region, bringing their methods of order and rule to villages across the land, and assigning a Justice to govern each. Their wide swath of territory on the largest and most mineral rich island in the Acronian Sea places Hekros firmly in diplomatic power.
In daily life, equal time is devoted to work and politics, and most citizens only work a small number of hours a day. Most are miners, blacksmiths, stoneworkers, or lumberjacks, and a good number make a living as scribes for the huge number of government and political organizations. Religion is of modest concern, and the people would express a loyalty to their finely crafted government before they do any of the angels, and woe be to those, native or foreign, who violate their laws.
Government
Hekros's form of government is a Kritarchy, a system of rule in which legislative, executive, and, of course, judicial power rest with judges. All cases are put to trail using the Trinity system, in which one judge acts as a neutral arbiter and final decision maker, with another judge acting as prosecutor a third as defendant. Any citizen may become a judge, but must pass one of the rigorous legal colleges at the capital. These colleges are open enrollment and free, but exceptionally difficult and are designed as a gateway to the position. Upon completing the curriculum, usually taking several years, the new judge is appointed for life, but may be expunged if put to trial by a citizens' petition.
New bills may be proposed for law by a group of judges, or by a citizens' petition. In the case of a citizens' petition, the signers may elect one of their own signer or write in the name of a judge to act as their prosecutor. Defendant judges and arbiters are chosen at random from a ledger. In criminal cases, the accused is given a defendant to represent them and may choose him by name, but the judge may choose for any reason to deny the request and may request payment to speak on the accused's behalf in court. Otherwise the accused is granted a randomly selected judge for free.
All courts are public and may be viewed by anyone, even non-citizens. If the public determines a trial to be inconclusive, they may appeal, in which case a written record of the trial is made public, and a petition with enough signatures will require a retrial. Only Hekrosian citizens may sign a petition.
The most common punishment for a crime is a fine, but if one cannot pay the fine or is found guilty of a more serious crime, such as murder, conspiracy, corruption, or treason, the next punishment is slavery. Hekros believes in free citizenry, but does allow slavery in limited terms when found guilty of a crime. Unlike other slave holding countries, however, there are very specific laws as to how slaves are handled, put in place to prevent their abuse. They must remain clothed, fed, and housed with adequate footwear, and may not be struck with any weapon except a leather lash. Slaves are viewed as citizens serving their countrymen in retribution for their crimes, not as a dehumanized workforce. Slaves who act in contempt are subject to imprisonment. Repeated offences of contempt, usually after three prison sentences, lead to a sentence of execution.
Even foreigners entering Hekros are subject to the same laws as its citizenry, including their punishments. In trials, the law as written as well as precedent are given firm legal weight, in addition to the ethos of either judge. The applicability of laws may be reconsidered or the laws themselves may be re-evaluated or nullified if any speaker in court can provide an adequate ethical or logical justification for doing so, but this is usually only done in favor of a defendant. Cases in which a sound ethical precedent are given yet ignored in favor of the rule as writ are the most common reason for a citizens' appeal and petition.
Judges who act on behalf of an individual or organization are either chosen randomly or selected by their client in an agreed upon contract, except in accusations of corruption, in which case all judges are chosen at random. Contracts can involve any form of payment the judge and client agree upon, so long as they do not influence other cases. For example, a judge cannot agree to rule a certain way in another trial in the terms of a contract. If a judge is found receiving payment from a client not included in a written contract, it is grounds for an accusation of bribery and the judge can be put to a corruption trial.
Taxes are collected from imports, bank transactions, and dues from vassalized rural settlements. Additionally, church tithes are taxed. From the general populace, an income tax is implemented, but sales tax only apply to large transactions such as bulk goods, housing, weapons, and ships. Any transaction costing less than 100 gold pieces however, including most things the common people use on a regular basis, are not subject to sales tax.
Defences
The port capital of Hekros is protected by an elaborate array of trebuchets and heavy ballistas stationed on a chain of islands that encircle the port's harbor. This wall of ranged defense is designed to penetrate naval assaults from a distance, miles before enemy forces reach the port. After the array has weakened any naval assault, any surviving forces must face Hekros's capital fleet. Outside of the capital, the territory relies primarily on traditional military forces and strategies, but is fond of using a similar approach of heavy siege weapons as a defensive force.
Unlike Acron, where each settlement is presided over by one nobleman in charge of its defense, Hekros faithfully employs a national military to deploy as necessary, including crossbowmen, pikemen, and cavalry. National peacekeeping forces are also employed to maintain law across the land, but rural settlements are also within the right to recruit a local militia and guard.
Their primary vulnerability is the Hekros Isles, where simply the vast number of small islands packed densely into such a large swath of ocean make the area logistically difficult to maintain defensive forces in. The islands are strategically less interesting though, consisting of mostly self-sufficient fishing and farming villages that live off their islands, containing few of the minerals and metals that are more commonly the target of the Kritarchy's enemies. Also, the shallow waters and rocky reefs there are treacherous to say the least for any war ready vessel, and most ferries are used by Hekrosians travelling amongst the Isles.
Infrastructure
The Hekros territories include a large number of mines and stone quarries, and the most common trades are miners, stonecutters, and smiths. The city, although its citizenry is not particularly religious, does take Falensha, Angel of Artifice, as her matron and highly value any craft that involves construction and creation.
The city has a simple sewer system below ground as well as an ornate system of aqueducts. Smaller aqueducts are spread throughout the territory, bringing water from highlands to larger cities and settlements. The state also employs a postal system and a newspaper that delivers to all settlements in the country, as well as to any foreign state in which a diplomat or emissary resides, including their neighbor in Sprigstein. This includes a fleet of doves, sometimes used to carry a copy of expedited messages overseas, usually important diplomatic messages. This speed of communication is considered one of Hekros's military and diplomatic advantages.
Guilds and Factions
The capital is home to a number of guilds for key professions, including blacksmiths, sailors, and stonecutters, who pool resources to pay for judges who specialize in their affairs to represent them in court and advocate laws in their favor. The largest is in fact the Stonecutters Guild, followed by the Miners Guild, and their judges have passed many laws in favor of workers' rights.
Another faction is a conservative group that opposes the adoption on new laws, and advocates for changes that make it more difficult to pass new laws, allowing for legislature to be more predictable and less dynamic. This faction, known as the Ironhorn Party, is purely ideological and dependent on donations from its supporters, and has less weight than the worker's guilds.
Architecture
The capital city of Hekros is a stonework marvel, sculpted and renovated over centuries of diligent craftsmenship. Hekrosian architects revere geometric forms and straight lines, believing in the innate beauty of perfect, equilateral shapes. Buildings rest upon square and circular bases, and ceilings are held up by perfectly straight stone pillars with smooth sides. The city's layout is highly communal, with almost all neighborhoods and districts being centered around town squares and open bazaars.
Elevation is considered a luxurious quality, and buildings are often built on slabs much higher than necessary with stairs leading up. Upper class abodes will decorate their stairs with marble or golden plating, while working class stairs are designed to be more function, and often a native can tell the function of a building by looking at the staircase leading up to it Cheaper wooden structures will mock this style by being built on stilts, but those with more particular taste typically look down on this haphazard attempt at aesthetics. Despite this, towers are frowned upon, and very few buildings will rise above two stories, instead choosing to sprawl outward.
The rural territories are far more varied, with villages being built of whatever materials the settlement can afford, and possibly with a government building or courthouse made to replicate the architecture of the capital.
Alternative Name(s)
The Kritarchy
Type
National Territory
Population
11,776,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Hekrosian
Location under
Included Locations
Characters in Location
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