Government and Houses

Each house of Wahrzeit has a bicameral legislature consisting of a council of aristocratic nobles, the Gold Council, and a senate of elected common citizens, the Volksenat. Chancellors on the Gold Council serve for 10 years (or until they die), but must wait half a term (5 years) before they can be re-elected; senators have a term of only 2 years, but can be re-elected after half a term as well (1 year). In recent years, the influence of (and citizens’ general satisfaction with) the Volksenat has declined, whereas the power of the Gold Council continues to climb dangerously, to King Wahrzein’s dismay. Chancellors have begun to cycle through the council (rather than introducing new members), whereas the Volksenat is experiencing high turnover as citizens desperately scramble for competent senators who will be able to effectively advocate for them.

If a person violates house guidelines multiple times, commits a serious crime, accumulates excessive debt, or is declared a dishonor is some other fashion by both the Volksenat and the Gold Council, they may face eviction from the house. Their family line would be irreparably disgraced in all historical documents (though the severity of disgrace depends on the severity of the wrong committed); in the case of debtors, all debt would have to be repaid in full by the family alone by a time decided by the source of the loan, or else be turned over to the loan-granter’s house for prosecution and justice— in some cases, this could very well be the house they were exiled from. House guidelines vary from house to house, as to punishments for crimes. Serious disputes may be redirected to the royal house for mediation.