The Curias of Dorröhaven

  The three Curisas split almost cleanly into judicial, legislative and executive. The primary function of the Curias is to act as a protective measure against the influence that the Lordship exercises in these three areas through the Lepidas (legislative), the Astraticus (nominally judical- also administrative) and the Lord's Seat and Watch (executive and enforcement). These institutions are, in legal reality, nothing more than well-established and high pedigree guilds, as there is no official source of authority beyond the Lord and his courts. Nevertheless, the Curias have not been properly challenged by the Lord's Seat since the reign of Gouthas Broadbane, and even then it was the actions of a few coniving chiefs of the The High Council of Gwendor who betrayed Dorröchk and Gwerrith alike.   The Forma Curia acts as the interpreter of Gwendorian law, it is they who overview every piece of legislation that the Lordship's government passes. Their councils decide how each law will apply to the city of Dorröhaven and its citizens. It is custom that this is the extent of their power: they cannot insist on special treatment for Dorröchkians beyond the city walls of the city, with the exception of ships that fly Dorröchkian colours. Most commonly, the Lordship's laws are approved, with the Forma Curia simply acting as a stamp of approval. The Forma Curia also legislates laws specifically for the Havenite citizenry, the city and their ships. These laws pass between the Forma's three councils: upper, middle and lower. These councils hold audiences amongst each other to come to consensuses regarding legislation. Once it is agreed on by a a mimimum of two of the three councils, it is proposed to the Actio Curia for their formal assent. To be agreed in favour or against, each council must have an internal majority one way or another.   The upper council is comprised of 33 members, each often belonging to one of the city's dominant families. This council is dominated by the richest and most powerful of the city: guildmasters, heads of industry and deocrated sailors all occupy seats. Each member is appointed to the council through a mimimum of 10 current members formally agreeing to nominate a candidate. However, more commonly, members will bestow the right to sit on the council to a next of kin, and therefore their seat will be passed down. This action can only be overidden if an alternate candidate achieves 20 votes from the council. A member's tenure in this council is lifelong, although members can still be ousted through the internal appeal and court system that applies to any member of any of the three councils.   The middle council is comprised of 66 members who represent the middle classes: the minor tradesmen, artisans, salary professionals and high-pay labourers. Due to the other demands common to these kinds of people, terms for the middle council last 3 years and members are elected in slates of 6 or, in rare cases of replacement, as individuals. Candidates must collect 1,000 votes either for their slate or as individuals from the city's citizenry. Secondly, they must be approved by majorities in the lower and upper councils. Members of the middle council meet bi-weekly- the most regular of the three- and their vote often acts as an indication of the opinions of the Trade and Finance Actio Curia on account of the demographic similarities. There is no formal rotation for the election of these members, just the expiration of their terms. A member is always allowed to stand for re-election and may do so alongside as many of their slate as they wish. They also may join a new slate or reshuffle their previous one- such processes are handled privately amongst members.   The lower council is comprised of 99 members who represent the day-labourers and working classes of the city. Even though a large proportion of the low-pay work of the city is performed by seasonal and migrant labour, only citizens of the city can participate in the councils. Terms last 3 years, and candidates are elected through a month of public hustings where candidates are chosen through popular direct democracy. These hustings are official events and their management and regulation is the shared responsibility of the Citizenry Actio Curia and the City Guard. Elections for the members are held every year, with a third of the seats on the council being contested each election. This council is convened once every month, with special conventions being called when required. Attendance to the monthly conventions is compulsory, with absence being punishable by forced, unpaid labour for the state. Special conventions- those beyond the monthly ones- are not compulsory, but absences are not taken well by voters, many of whom value participation.   The Actio Curias serve three main roles. Firstly, each Actio Curia assents to the legislation formulated by the Forma Curia through the Actio Committee, a group of six representitives with two from each Curia. These representitives are nominated internally and informally within each separate Curia. Secondly, the power of veto lies in the members of the Curias. If two thirds or more of the members of two or more of the Actio Curias protest, they can veto the legislation of the Forma Curia. In this case, the legislation is returned with a brief as to what must be changed. A legislative dialogue is then undertaken until there is no longer the numbers for a veto. Thirdly, any legislation that is assented and codified as law is allocated to the relevant Curia by the Committee. The legislation is then enacted in any ways the Curia sees fit. Each policy decision is formulated and regulated by the Curia it takes place within. If any specific policy is seen as controvening the legislation from which it claims legitimacy by the any of the Forma Curia's council, that council can appeal to the Altior Curia for a final adjudication.   Of the three Actio Curia, the Citizenry Actio Curia (referred to henceforth as Citizenry Curia) is the most publically active and most involved with everyday affairs and law. It is responsible primarily for civil and domestic laws and concerns itself with the doings of the city's citizens. It is the Citizenry Curia that upholds the civil rights and charters that enshrine education and freedoms as part of city life. This, and civillian liason with the City Watch are its foremost roles. It is comprised of 12 councils, called congregations, which administrate the city: 8 are district congregations which focus on local affairs within set parameters and 4 manage inter-district affairs. Each congregation consists of between 50 and 100 members depending on the bureaucratic requirements of the localities, with each council being bespoke in structure to address the dynamic needs of those under their jurisdiction. Those who serve within the Citizenry Curia are most often career administrators and bureaucrats, but the leadership contingent of each district congregation is elected directly through a similar husting process to the lower council of the Forma Curia. Leaderships vary in size, but none exceed 15 officials. Each candidate must reach at least 1,000 votes through popular appeal at hustings which are held every 4 years, with those with the most votes qualifying. No member can serve on any Citizenry Curia leadership for longer than a combined 12 years.   The second most publically active Actio Curia is that of Trade and Finance. As the name suggests, this Curia takes care of trade regulations and financial policy. Accordingly, there are two chambers within it: the citizenry and the guilds. Neither are democratically elected through hustings or public consultation, and all the members are professional bureaucats or guild representitives. While the exact administrative jurisdiction of each chamber is not codified, it is custom that the Guild Chamber manages trade and commerce policy, while the Citizenry Chamber manages and enacts fiscal policy. Such divisions of responsibility ebb and flow with the social and political landscape of the city. The exact size of the chambers also change with demands and influence of their namesake demographics, with hiring being conducted by internal comittees.   Last of the Actio Curias is External Affairs. Immigration, military deployments and management of affairs beyond the city limits are all responsibilities of this Curia. Immigration is a key part of Dorröhaven, and its regulation is crucial to the smooth running of the city's bureaucracy. This Curia coordinates with the Altior Curia and Citizenry Curia to maintain immigration offices within the cities and stringent checks at the city's entry points. The External Affairs Curia takes care of the coordination and logistics of military deployments while the executive decisions are the responsibility of the Militia Primus and Magvatus Dor. As such, it is not the Curia's role to decide whether to deploy, but rather to provide. The most common work of this Curia is handling political relations and administrative connections between Dorröhaven and other regions and settlements. A common contestation is the responsibilities regarding maritime trade as shared between External Affairs and the Trade and Finance Curia. Although the overwhelming majority of maritime trade is conducted by private companies, the majority of these companies operate as beneficiaries of Dorröhaven's state subsidies and regulated commercial spaces. Not only this, but the commercial links that private guilds use are often owed to the networking of External Affairs as political arrangements pave the way for trade deals. As a result, the exact jurisdiction of each Curia is not well defined, and the two often cooperate in this area.   The Altior Curia has within it many entities, each responsible for a different jurisdiction of executive or judicial power. Firstly, the Consullium: a group of twelve judges who act as the highest court of the city. They arbitrate legal and jurisdictional disagreements between the Curias and can be appealed to if the city's lower courts do not reach a consensus on a domestic ruling. Rulings made by this court can only be overturned by a 9/12 majority of a future Consillium, and the court itself cannot propose cases. Secondly, the two law enforcement entities within the Altior Curia: the City Wath and The Havenite Company, each of which oversees a different jurisdiction. The City Watch oversees the maintainance of civil and criminal law within the city walls. Unlike the Lord's Watch, they do not answer to the Lord of Gwendor, instead recieving orders from the Magvatus Dor and being accountable to Dorröhaven's laws. This luxury of legal autonomy is why the City Watch must only operate within the city walls, as convention agrees these as the boundary between Gwendorian and Dorröhaven law. Unlike the Lord's Watch, the Dorröhaven City Watch is first and foremost a civillian enforement entity, possessing few force multipliers and rarely exercising lethal force. Their power, therefore, is grounded in the fact that the Watch is maintained through a community-led model in collaboration with the Citizenry Curia. These efforts create ranks of watchpeople who are rooted in their local communities, while short service terms minimise corruption and nepotism. Furthermore, there is a strict ban on military cross-contamination: those with military records cannot serve in the City Watch, regardless of whether they saw frontline service or not. The The Havenite Company operates in the spaces beyond the remit of the City Watch, most commonly the regions surrounding the city which are beyond its walls and the ships in its habours. As the name suggests, the Company is more militarised and operates within more forceful parameters: it is outfitted more akin to an army than a civillian police force. Accordingly, its role in domestic peacekeeping is limited through the removal of agency. When operating within the city, the Company must be mobilised by either the City Watch or the Magvatus Dor and may only act in accordance with permissions given by warrents recieved from the City Watch or the Magvatus Dor. In conjunction with this, the City Watch only has the authority to grant warrants concerning maritime property: primarily ships and their crews. The Magvatus Dor does technically possess the power of 'Supreme Warrent' wherein the orders can take whatever form the Dor thinks appropriate. However, such power is rarely exercised as such operations violate so many social, cultural and political conventions. Therefore, in practise, the Company acts as maritime enforcement, boarding ships and seizing contraband, and outer city security, patrolling the surrounding region.