Plemjesta

Plemjesta, as the seat of the Rutenkīj tribe, is ruled by a Tribal Council made up of the 'senior members' of the tribe, interpreted as all men in the tribe forty years of age and older. The tribal council has the nominal power to make and enforce laws in the town and its subject territories. Presiding over the council is the hereditary tribal chief, Jaromir the Young, whose primary power is the appointment of members of the council to its most important roles: the lawspeaker, the victualer, and the guardian.

Competition for the functionary roles of the council is rather fierce and as a direct result has led to the increase of the effective power of the tribal chief, as factions struggle to gain the chief's pleasure or direct his displeasure on their foes. As chief Jaromir and his predecessors have enjoyed the privilege of replacing the council's leadership roles at their pleasure, the council is eager to please the chief and grand him any concession he requests, despite his young age and inability to speak at council meetings.

Plemjesta is partially surrounded by a palisade that serves to separate it from the jungle beyond and provide the town's residents some protection from the wild beasts and spirits that lurk in the wilderness. A ditch and earthen rampart, long since overrun with thick shrubbery, serve to protect the town and its residents from invasion by sea.

The town of Plemjesta is centered around an open square dominated on one end by the Hall and the other by the residence of chief Jaromir the Young. Surrounding this square are a series of wood-plank big houses in which extended family groups of twenty to thirty individuals live together. The buildings of the town are joined by a network of ‘roads’ constructed of split tree trunks, although important walkways, like the one joining the chief’s residence with the hall, are covered and can be traversed comfortably, even in the worst weather.