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Rather than completely abolish the monarchy, the victorious merchants beheaded the king, selected a new king from a lesser house of the nobility and forced him to sign a document that effectively divided power between the nobility and the merchant class.
The nobility maintained responsibility for defense of the kingdom, foreign relations, and the power to raise a militia and police the country. Legislative power was put in the hands of a combined council of merchants and nobles, consisting of representatives from each of the noble families and each of the merchants' guilds. Size of the representation was determined by the size of the family or the membership of the guild. Since the guilds were generally larger and better organized than the noble families, they soon came to dominate the legislation, and it eventually became known merely as the Guild Council. Today, distinctions between merchantry and nobility have been greatly blurred due to intermarriage and the fact that those nobles with foresight sought to align themselves with the guilds, often eventually becoming leaders of guilds themselves.
Because of the high status of the merchant class in Waltham, they have become a nobility unto themselves.
At the top of the heap is the Duke, a hereditary position that has been in the same family since the establishment of the Guild Council.
Below the Duke are parallel lines of nobility and merchant:
Marquis <-> Guildmaster
Earl/Count <-> Guildchief
Viscount
Baron <-> Shopmaster
Baronet
Lord/Burgher <-> Master
Knight
Freeman <-> Guildmember
Serf <-> Apprentice
It is not uncommon for a man to be both Baron and Shopmaster, or Earl and Guildmaster. Because virtually every profession is claimed by some guild, virtually all Freemen are Guildmembers.
The difference between a serf and an apprentice is merely to whom he owes service. A serf is one who is indentured, but not as a guild apprentice. An apprentice is an indentured servant who serves in exchange for guild training and membership. Both are considered virtual property and have the same rights under the law (few). An apprentice is in a better position than a serf though, because when he leaves his apprenticeship, he will have learned a trade and have earned one year's membership in his guild (he must be able to pay his membership fees after that year).
Any guildmember who fails to pay his dues is considered a freeman, but he is prohibited from practicing his trade until his dues are paid.
Some of the guilds in Waltham include:
Alchemists Guild, Blacksmiths Guild, Carpenters Guild, Farmers Guild, Fishermans Guild, Jewelers Guild, Lumberjacks Guild, Millers Guild, Miners Guild, Rivermans Guild, Stonemasons Guild, Traveling Anchor, Weavers Guild and many others...
The highest nobility in Waltham next to the Duke are the Marquis who rule the seven Marches of Waltham: Waltham, Perth, Chagford, Harrogate, Helmsley, Ausselein and Benden. These marches are divided into counties and further into Baronies.
The port of Falmouth was originally coveted by both Waltham and McKitrick. It is the best and most prosperous port on the west coast of the Dread Sea. By a natural extension of the borders, the city should have been in McKitrick lands, but the residents of the city were divided, some claimed allegiance to McKitrick and some to Waltham.
Eventually McKitrick and Waltham agreed to rule Falmouth jointly (similar to Berlin). McKitrick ruled half, and Waltham ruled half.
The swamp land in the southeast portion of Waltham originally belonged to McMannon. It was then considered worthless by McMannon, and when Duke James Douglas Waltham (the current Duke's father) offered to buy all of it for a respectable amount, McMannon quickly agreed. Shortly after, much to McMannon's chagrin, it was found that the land was thick with small crawdad-like creatures, known as skiathos, considered a rare delicacy throughout the realm, in addition to many varieties of shellfish and mollusks in the many inlets along the coast. Waltham also encouraged farmers to grow rice in the wetlands. The area has since become the source of some of Waltham's most lucrative exports.
McMannon, though displeased, remained friendly with Waltham, and possibly even admired the way Waltham had handled the matter.
Duke Michael, in the tradition of his fathers, maintains a cordial relationship with his neighboring Dukes. Though he strives to outdo them economically, he is purely defensive in his military stance toward them, sometimes going so far as to offer them aid in situations where he is not bound to do so.
Waltham's vote in council is almost always directed at what will be most economically beneficial to Waltham. Waltham's entrepreneurial spirit supersedes its loyalty to the ducal pact, but that loyalty has yet to be tested, since the pact has provided a measure of security that has been greatly beneficial to Waltham -- the duchy has prospered under it.
In matters that are of little import to Waltham, Waltham often sides with McMannon or McKitrick. This is done to maintain good relationships with the two duchies, but Waltham has engendered distrust among some of the Dukes, because of association with McMannon.
Waltham has no prisons beyond temporary detainment cells. Rest assured, if you are arrested in Waltham, you won't stay in prison for long.
Practicing magic is not illegal in and of itself. However, since Bahamut worship is the state religion, anyone who practices magic is vulnerable to charges of heresy and can be turned over to church justice.
Crimes in Waltham are divided into four categories:
Petty crimes: Punitive fine, community service. Any combination.
Minor crimes against others: Any lesser punishments plus public flogging, temporary suspension of guild membership (if a guildmember and if approved by the guild), temporary indentureship to victim. Any combination of the above.
Major crimes against others: Any lesser punishment plus amputation or mutilation of appropriate body parts, permanent revocation of guild membership, reduction to serf status, exile. Any combination of the above.
Crimes against the state: Death.
Each repeat offense puts the person one step higher in punishment category. Thus, a second offender for a particular petty victimless crime, say drunk and disorderly, is treated as if he or she had committed a petty crime against another person. And a second offense murderer is put to death as if he or she had committed a crime against the state.
The social status of the offender and victim are considered mitigating factors in the meting of punishment. There are three broad social classes considered: nobleman and guildmembers of master level or greater, guildmembers and other freemen, and serfs and apprentices. If a person falls into more than one category, the most common being a noble who is apprenticed to a guild, their highest social status is used for purposes of sentencing.
For every level by which the social status of the perpetrator exceeds the status of the victim, the severity of the crime is reduced by one. The sentence cannot be reduced below the minumums specified for petty victimless crimes. By every level which a perpetrator's social status is less than the victim's, the severity of the crime is increased by one.
Thus, while a noble assaulting a serf is a very minor offense, a serf who assaults a noble may expect to be put to death. Sympathetic judges have been known to find some serfs guilty of only disorderly conduct in such situations.
Dueling to the death is forbidden, but dueling to yield or first blood is an allowed way to settle disputes. A legal duel must be attended by five mutually-agreed-upon witnesses. In the event of the death of one of the duelists, the five members will be called to determine if the survivor acted with murderous intent. The death is presumed to be an accident unless all five agree the intent was murderous.
Any person accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty by a preponderance of the evidence in petty crimes, and beyond a reasonable doubt in major crimes and crimes against the state. Both the accuser and the accused receive an advocate, provided by the court. There are no professional, independent lawyers in Waltham.
Civil (i.e., non-criminal) disputes are handled by the guild, if appropriate, or if no guild has clear jurisdiction, then by the lowest-ranked noble with jurisdiction over all parties involved.
Granite for building is also plentiful there, though difficult to transport.
The coastal waters are rich with sea life and the southeastern marshes are renowned throughout the realm for the skiathos that are caught there. Rice is also becoming popular as an export product.
The dark, rich soil of the coastal plain is cultivated for tobacco and food crops. More than enough is produced to feed Waltham, but relatively little is exported.
Sheep and goats are herded in the western hills, but these are rarely for export.
Waltham imports most of its horses, and iron, but they have a good deal worked out with Tudor for the latter. There are textile mills in Falmouth, but most of the raw materials for fabric are imported. Some hemp and cotton are grown on the coastal plains.
Waltham has a good river system . Lumber is floated down river to Waltham City. It is cut there, and then goes overland to Falmouth or down the Silver River to McMannon.
Coal and granite are transported down the river in barges, and like lumber go overland from Waltham City to Falmouth or down the Silver River into McMannon.
The pride of the army is its archers. The standing archer's brigade consists of less than 600 troops, armed with longbow, short sword, dagger and leather armor. They are trained to work together in small groups and specialize in hit-and-run tactics and night infiltration and sabotage. In addition, each guildmember is required to show proficiency in the use of the longbow as a prerequisite to guild membership.
The duke may call up guildmembers and freemen to serve in the militia. He may conscript any male over sixteen and under 35. Those younger and older are eligible to volunteer.
Each Baron is responsible for maintaining the training of his local knights. Knights are generally armed as heavy cavalry with banded mail, lance, longswords and shields. There are less than 300 knights in the duchy.
Many of the guilds maintain their own fighting troops which must answer to the Duke's summons. Chief among these are the lumberjacks, trained to fight as infantry wearing chain mail and using great two-handed battle axes. Other guild troops include the stonemasons with their warhammers, and the miners with their picks. The Fisherman's Guild is prepared to operate as a navy in times of war.
Total guild troops consist of about 200 from each of the 12 largest guilds.
The Duke also maintains an elite force of specially trained troops, known as "The Watch". Their exact number is unknown, at least 100, and their skills are said to be quite unusual and quite uncharacteristic of usual military training. They wear no armor and no uniforms, other than a small badge of their order: a stylized cat in a fighting crouch
Waltham's greatest military asset is another result of good politics. Waltham is the home of the Abbey of Harkan of the Order of the Claw. The Order of the Claw is the Church of Bahamut's largest order of warrior priests, and the Abbey of Harkan is their home and main training center. It stands at the fork of the Silver and Stirling rivers, a great forbidding granite keep, built into the cliffs that line the rivers at that fork.
Waltham has declared Bahamut worship the official state religion, the abbey is untaxed, and the population is encouraged by the Duke to donate to the church. Any guildmember or noble is required to open his home to a traveling priest and let him eat and sleep there for one day at no charge.
In return, the Order of the Claw is pledged to the defense of Waltham, as long as it does not conflict with the needs of the church. More than 1,500 fanatic warrior clerics, wielding picks, sickles, tridents, fauchards, kamas and other sharp, nasty objects and wearing armor ranging from scale to plate mail (depending on station) -- all eager to give their lives for the greater glory of Bahamut. Don't get in their way.
The Silver River runs along the border between McKitrick and Waltham, until it joins with the Stirling River. from there, the Silver turns south, cutting Waltham in two. Where it runs into McMannon stands one of Waltham's great man-made wonders. A huge castle spans the river there. The river flows underneath it through a great arch, large enough to accommodate the largest boats on the river. Heavy iron gates can drop down over the river, blocking all passage. The castle is a remnant of a less peaceful time. It was built by a distant ancestor of the Duke's. It's tall walls are black with age, and those who travel down the river through that great dark arch call it "the Maw."
Great building plans seem to run in the blood of the Waltham clan, for the duke Michael Lawrence Waltham has his own plan to change the face of Waltham. he is at work constructing a great canal from Waltham city to Falmouth. He envisions great barges of ore, granite and lumber, traveling directly down the canal to Falmouth and the sea, negating the needs for the huge slow wagon trains that regularly travel between the two cities.
To the west of the Silver the land becomes hilly and covered with great evergreen forests. The hills get rougher and higher toward the west till they top out in the twin highlands of Benden to the north and Ausselein to the south, divided by the Stirling River winding through the valleys between them. In these hills are many small mining and lumber towns. there are also reported to be thieves villages where people go when they don't want to be found, but for no other reason.
The highland is a region of superstition. The miners and lumberjacks in their little villages draw strange symbols on their doors and keep odd amulets in their pockets and over their beds. Bahamut is their God by day, but at night they fear things that their priests have no names for.
Farther west the hills and evergreens give way to the deciduous trees of the elven forest.
Frankly, the highlanders didn't want to deal with either one of them. They had a history of taking other people's sows ears and making silk purses out of them. So it was with their land.
A young clan chief name Oban Dunblane saw that all the hill land needed was a nice corridor to the sea to be a fine kingdom in its own right. Unfortunately that land was currently controlled by the kingdoms to the north and south. So he organized the other hill clans and formed an army. They first capture the junction of the Silver and Stirling Rivers and built a fort at the sight of the current abbey of Harkan. they held a section of river all the way down to the sight of "the Maw" and from there moved eastward, taking the coastal plains.
Naturally, the kingdoms they took the land from didn't appreciate it at all, and border battles continued for hundreds of years. It was practically the time of the signing of the ducal pact before McMannon or McKitrick would recognize Waltham as other than a rebellious border territory. Once the pact had been signed, though, both duchies resigned themselves to accept their neighbor, and even grew to enjoy good relations with it.
It was during that dark time before the signing of the pact, when Waltham was protecting itself from invasion from the south that "the Maw" was built, to protect the land from invasion along the river.
There are many other forts that dot the borders. Some are still manned but many have fallen into disuse and disrepair.
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