Governments of Bastion Overview

Just as much intrigue and mystery lies within Bastion as danger without... This article focuses upon the rise of The Federacy, the reigning government which ushered in the Fourth Age.

The Bastion Federacy
The rise of The Federacy is the beginning of the Fourth Age. Existing for the past 900 years, outwardly their goal is Keep things going smoothly.

Houses
Houses are the various major seats of government which, directly or indirectly, function under the over-arching auspices of the Federacy.

Major Houses (let’s rename?) - are resource rich (vegetable, mineral, animal, and/or people) interests who essentially control an entire strata and/or an extraordinarily influential city or city group. Less influential/powerful but still significant, are the Minor Houses, usually an important city or very important town. Minor Houses owe allegiance directly to a Major House. Free Houses, which are the influential and resource equivalent of Minor Houses are independent.

Influence is more important than relative power levels in the Federacy. Only within the past century has their been a waning of resources, but Lunarian efficiency has prevailed even then, multiplying the the efficacy of existing resources and beginning to explore alternate resources.

There are over a dozen Major Houses and all predate the Federacy. They have their own cultures and governments though many are heavily influenced by the Federacy's bureaucratic processes. Most of the races have their own Major House (humans have several), though a couple of Major Houses are incredibly cosmopolitan in nature with multiple races having significant influence and representation within them. The Drexel actually formed two Major Houses though to all but Drexel they act as one on almost every issue.

Given their incredible penchant for knowledge (and their ability to rapidly multiply), it's a mystery that the Lunarians don't have a Major House (some say it's because of their "social and historical vulnerabilities, though only culture scholars would be able to make sense of that theory). They eschew actual Major House status though have championed a cause called the Free House of Brotherhood and Knowledge - a government not so much based upon geography but by choice of personal cultural proximity - a principle which it seems only Lunarians truly understand, though the Drexel back them upon the matter. For the time being, their Minor House is overseen by Sae Frimagia (loosely translated as The Big Cheese), the more prominent Drexel Major House (and steward of the Great Library). - Curious Facts and Nibbles, A. Lexerd

Guild Houses
Over the past century, Guilds have become a popular notion and some have acquired some wealth and influence. The relatively relaxed requirements of red tape through pre-approved charters means that Guilds can move significantly faster than other organizations. Though regulated by the Federacy, the Guild Houses represent an interesting ongoing economical experiment which relaxes some of the restrictions concerning inter-government commerce. They’re required to have Mercantile Operations Monitors (who are officially agents of the Federacy) who insure that they are not violating Federacy policies.

''Yes, this means that shady kids are always trying to hide things from MOM. ''

Response to The Clearing
A mad scramble to launch explorations began quickly followed by bureaucratic quandaries. The very nature of the realm beyond the lake made it difficult to conceive of in normal expansion mindset - it's hard to build upon a colony that won't be there the next day. A lot more knowledge was necessary to acquire but Bastion's bureaucratic nature made it difficult to settle upon a solution.

Wiser heads suggested using the existing framework of Guild Houses to grant exploration charters to places "outside of regularly governed areas." With that numerous  Venture Guilds were formed. Many quickly perished sending back dire warnings of the perils beyond the Lake. Some were successful at bringing back information and artifacts rare and wondrous. The most successful of these was AXE - the Alliance for eXploration and Expansion.

Find out what led to all of this in the Bastion Historical Overview.

What to do with this Info
''This is general backdrop information that should be useful in running sessions. Bastion is Huge and there’s so much that can go on in any given city, let alone an entire strata. ''

''Inevitably a player will ask, “how much of this can I act on in character?” The answer is “all of it.” However, it’s suggested that the character take a character element and devote it to such knowledge if it’s that meaningful to the player. A high level of Lore might grant some knowledge (but of course it would require a roll); an aspect of any sort would also provide some usable knowledge. ''

''It’s not that the info is readily available, it’s that PCs are incredibly rare and awesome individuals. They either have or will recover incredibly rare and ancient tomes; perhaps they sat under the feet of a bard from a tribe of very gifted and extraordinarily deliberate Truth Speakers, who passed on information for over 5 millennia; maybe they plugged into (and were changed by) BastionAncientNet, the computer of Lore (if such a thing exists...). And, of course, GMs, you owe it to yourself to incorporate such wonderful information into your adventures. It’s practically free food!''

Building Upon This Canvas (and Naming Conventions)
''Importantly, GMs, feel free to come up with your own locales for use within Bastion. It’s sure to fit somewhere! And, by the way, all of the names that I’ve posted here - Ages, Federacy, Major and Minor Houses, etc… are definitely open for change. '''Please make suggestions. '''Thanks. -mh''