From enemies to allies

Lord Sebastian took charge as the new mayor of Aranor with Aurelia at his side as his chief aide. The town was now firmly under Lord Sebastian’s command, but he still could not make any major civil or military decisions without the support of the three noble houses.

After the Great Rebellion, during which the commoners sought to overthrow the landed gentry, the king was compelled to make several changes to the administrative setup.

The old feudal system of government with the king as the head and the nobles under this command had worked fairly well for over five centuries. But now, Valaria had adopted a pseudo-democratic form of government. Even though the nobles retained their positions, the administrative officials were now chosen through elections.

However, since the nobility still held on to their lands and titles, they exercised considerable power over the cities and towns, and not even the mayors and ministers had the authority to pass new regulations and decrees without consult