Freedom - as applies to Xurno

[So Haleza Grise]

Forgive me if this seems like a topic someone has raised before, but all the freedom-talk got me thinking: how democratic/free is Xurno, really? What degree of accountability would an artist have to the general population. Of course, being politicians, the rulers of Xurno would no doubt be reliant on patronage from powerful groups in society, but the only groups I could envisage playing much of a role would be clerics and maybe some particularly well known artistic establishment. Oh, and maybe the military - do the Salons like the military at all? Who do they use to administer it?

[zompist]

Forgive me if this seems like a topic someone has raised before, but all the freedom-talk got me thinking: how democratic/free is Xurno, really? What degree of accountability would an artist have to the general population. Of course, being politicians, the rulers of Xurno would no doubt be reliant on patronage from powerful groups in society, but the only groups I could envisage playing much of a role would be clerics and maybe some particularly well known artistic establishment. Oh, and maybe the military - do the Salons like the military at all? Who do they use to administer it?

By our standards it's not democratic at all-- indeed, not even republican-- since the people as a whole neither rule nor vote. Nonetheless it's a great advance over the previous monarchy, since the power base is much wider.

Essentially it's a meritocracy, in which fitness to rule is shown by mastery of artistic forms. Studying art takes much time and a certain amount of leisure, so there's a bias toward already wealthy families; still, even a somewhat poor family may be able to send the eldest to school, and Xurno is one of the few Almean societies in which a peasant's son may advance to the ruling class.

The governmental system is a bit complex, but in effect the Academy, with its nine Salons of 99 members each, serves as the legislature and the sovereign. An artist begins as an Apprentice in his or her Salon, later becomes a Member, and may finally become an Academician. The rules for this vary by Salon; in some the Academicians are elected by the Members; in others they are chosen by the remaining Academicians.

Day-to-day government is in the hands of the Council of the Academy; this however can be recalled by the full Academy. The Council appoints the ministers (who are thus really employees, not policymakers).

The revolution would not have succeeded if the Revaudo revivalists hadn't quickly moved to form their own armies. The officer class are almost invariably Members of one Academy or another; the top generals are all Academicians.

The Endaju? hierarchy forms a partially overlapping second focus of power. The clerics and artists generally approve of each other, but of course there are turf battles.

There is actually a good deal of effort made to find artistic talent wherever it lives-- most Salons accept apprentices by examination. So any group seeking power or influence aims chiefly at getting some of its own people into a Salon.