The Brightspire & Numinost, Flame of the Brightspire

Have you ever met any people as certain of their own greatness as the Numesi? It's as if they measure the worth of a person by the size of the Spire they hail from. A person might think they're all compensating for something.
I grant you their Spire is impressive. It looks like two vast serpents coiled about one another, climbing higher and higher into the Dark until their heads nearly meet in the Spire's great flame. It's not even the same colour as the rest of them. I've seen more than a few, and they're all the same dull grey, but not the bloody Brightspire! No, grey is too mundane, too pedestrian, its builders had to make it white and smooth, as though it were made of porcelain - as if it weren't enough to merely protect us, it has to inspire us as well!
I sound jealous. Maybe I am. Who wouldn't look out over the gleaming marble and polished granite of the White City without a twinge of jealousy?
It really is a beautiful city, damn it all.

Structure

The Brightspire's lands are governed by a tiered-aristocracy. The Spire itself rests at the summit of an enormous hill that has been carved into wide tiers holding the city. Each tier - or terrace - is divided into prefectures, and each prefecture is ruled by a prefect and their extended family. The closer to the summit, the more prestigious the prefecture and its prefect. It is common for disgraced families to be "relocated" to a lower tier if their transgressions are severe.
At the apex of the hierarchy is the Consul, whose palace and administrative buildings encircle the very base of the Spire itself. Day to day administration of the region is left to the bureaucracy, while major decisions are handled by the Consul and the Senate, composed of the heads of each prefecture (or their duly appointed proxy).

Demography and Population

Roughly 95,000 residents of the region, the overwhelming number of whom are human. There is a small Shaedhe enclave on the Third Terrace of the city.

Military

The Brightspire maintains the White Legions, a standing army of more than three thousand that patrols the Penumbral regions and raids against nearby Thramorri settlements.

Religion

No official religion, although the Redemptionists maintain a large and influential presence throughout the lower tiers.

Foreign Relations

The Brightspire maintains cordial - if not always friendly - relations with nearby Spires. They are influential due to their large standing army and diverse exports.

Type

Geopolitical, City-state

Alternative Names

The White City; City of Blossoms

Demonym

Numesi, the Numesi

Government System

Oligarchy

Power Structure

Autonomous area

Economic System

Traditional

Currency

Gold, silver, copper, and brass currency Gold: Decram Silver: Tetram Copper: Docram Brass: Ecram

Legislative Body

The chief governing body is the Senate, composed of more than one hundred and fifty Prefects and headed by the Consul. The Senate is the deliberative body of the region, and while ostensibly democratic, the Consul can set the agenda, deliver edicts, and veto senatorial decrees, though often at the cost of what Numesi culture refers to as "goodwill" or "benevolence". Should a Consul become too unpopular, it is not unheard of for "accidents" or "tragedies" to befall them and their House. Such unofficial pressures tend to keep individual Consuls from becoming too dictatorial.

Judicial Body

There are civic courts, presided over by magistrates who answer to the Senate, and who dispense law according to the Statutes - a code of senate-made and judge-made laws and rulings that form the backbone of Numesi justice.
The courts are supported by the Guardians, who are effectively the police force of the region.