Lor: Government and Politics

Since the time of the first mayors of Lor, the Galeright twins, the city has had a unique arrangement: a man and a woman must run on the same ticket when pursuing the leading position in the city. Friends, relatives, married couples, regardless of the relationship, the twins set the standard and Lor is managed by two. In conjunction with the mayors is the Diet of Lor, which has a standing number of 12 at any given time and the power to overrule the mayors' decision with a unanimous vote. The Diet is voted on every 3 years and special elections are held when a member dies or steps down. The mayoral race is held every 6 years, and in both cases, an open vote of every citizen of Lor is conducted.

Lor currently does not officially follow the Laws of Rael and maintains that it is still an independent city. However, four of the Diet members have been pressing for a more conciliatory tone with the capital of Rael and three others have put forth the idea that wanton use of magic is bad for business and should be prevented. A union, which has representation on the Diet, however, is staunchly opposed to any effort to remove pack animals from the city.

The mayors are Evelyn and Gregor Svedowski, a husband and wife that run the Amiable Traders in town and have three fishing boats for insurance. As expected, merchants and shipping magnates make up the majority of the council and the leadership is slanted toward the business side of the city. The mayors and the Diet are currently in daily debates about how to fit into the realm they now occupy with only a slight majority including the Svendowskis favoring independence.

These debates have gone on for years now however, and it seems as if Lord Rael is not too concerned with Lor's claims of independence. Because whether the Lorites like it or not, Rael is their largest market by default and if the Deep Lord really wanted he could cripple their trade or grind them to dust.