Captains' Council

In a clever demonstration of the wisdom of keeping one’s enemies close, the first Sea Lord, Captain Drac, elevated his fellow captains to advisors to support his claim. This council was conceived to keep Drac’s rivals happy, but it also unexpectedly placed checks on the Sea Lord's powers. While they are present to advise the Sea Lord on matters of governance, councilors actually have a great deal of influence on city politics. The Sea Lord sits on the council as well and has two votes. Additionally, it is the Sea Lord who breaks all ties. Essentially, the Sea Lord needs only five council votes to push a measure through, while the council needs eight.
The Captains’ Council must consist of twelve members. The Sea Lord and the Captains’ Council can both nominate new members, and the councilors must approve the nomination with a vote. Again, the Sea Lord casts two votes and breaks all ties. Seats on the Captains’ Council are theoretically for life. The only exception to this is the Privateer Seat. This special position was created to ensure there would always be an actual ship’s captain on the Council to give a voice to the privateers of Freeport, who spend much of the year at sea. Only working captains those who regularly sail their own ships are permitted to hold this position, which lasts for three years, and after the captain cannot serve in that position again for at least another three. During this term, the captain is required to remain in Freeport to sit on the Council, effectively removing him from his ship. Traditionally, those in the Privateer Seat turn over the day-to-day operations of their ship to their first mate until they can return to their duties.
Freeport is not a democracy, but the Captains’ Council has traditionally recognized the value of having the people feel like they have a voice of some sort. For this reason, many of the past nominees to the council have been people who held sway over some faction of Freeporters or who were widely popular among the citizenry.

Founding Date

600

Type

Geopolitical, Free City

Capital

Freeport

Leader Title

Sea Lord

Head of Government

Verlaine

Government System

Oligarchy

Power Structure

Autonomous area

Economic System

Market economy

Subsidiary Organizations

• Freeport Guardsmen

Location

Freeport

Related Ranks & Titles

• Sea Lord

Controlled Territories

• Drac's End
• Eastern District
• Freeport
• Guardsmen's Facilities
• Lighthouse of Drac
• Phoenix Financial
• Plaza of Gold
• The Courts
• The Docks
• The Old City
• Tombs
• Warehouse District

Notable Members

• Marilise Maeorgan
• Reed
• Verlaine