Hyborian Age Governments

Governmental Forms
Governments are complex creations, possibly among the most complex creations in the history of
mankind. Describing just one government in detail would fill volumes. Ultimately, though, an
immense amount of bureaucratic detail serves only to bog a game down. Robert E. Howard's
Conan stories, even the ones with Conan as king, do not really go into a lot of detail about the
daily duties of Hyborian age kings and queens. Conan is barely shown actually holding councils,
summoning knights, dealing with politics or performing other normal activities. The general ideas
are just backgrounds for the adventures.

Hyborian Nations
Aquilonia, Brythunia, Ophir, Koth and Nemedia all have heavily feudal governments. They are
ruled by a king, who divides the land and responsibilities of the kingdom among various barons
and counts, who then subdivide their properties and responsibilities further.
Any given major Hyborian kingdom is impressively large and is larger than its king can effectively
rule. The king can not prevent local powers from rising except by sending valuable troops. The
king also does not have enough soldiers to enforce his will everywhere. Thus the nations are left
with fragmented local powers, counts and barons, who perform civil and military functions in the
name of the king for an equally fragmented kingdom subdivided into numerous fiefs and sub-fiefs.
The area of each Hyborian kingdom is broken up into smaller territories, or provinces. These in
turn are broken up into even smaller pieces. Often the boundaries are not well defined; the
various lands ruled by a count or baron need not be contiguous. This is extremely evident in the
frontiers, where the Westermarck, which considers itself to be part of Aquilonia, is separated by
Gunderland, which does not consider itself to be part of Aquilonia despite an agreement to the
contrary. The divisions tend to undermine the sovereignty of the king and lead to inefficient
government by the counts, barons and those subordinate to the upper nobility.
The counts and barons hold noble titles and fiefs from the king granting them official power. The
granting of these fiefs is done by a patent, or contract, wherein the noble swears fealty to the king
and the king grants the noble all rights pertaining to the land proffered as fief. The fief includes
both private property and a noble title. These noble titles are inherited through the male line,
although the king may remove a title at his pleasure. The eldest son or the husband of an eldest
daughter almost always inherits the noble title. The actual property of the fief, however, can be
divided among the lord's heirs however he sees fit. If a dispute over inheritance occurs, especially
in a case where a nobleman has produced no heir, the king may intercede and name an heir.
The whole point of this system of government is the obligation of military service to a lord. The
whole reason a lord parcels out his land is to obtain warriors he does not have to support. The
vassal supports those troops. Vassals who have vassals suddenly find themselves with knights
they can send to their lord. Most vassals in Aquilonia pay their military obligation in coin, allowing
the lord to purchase more professional soldiers mercenaries. A lord may accept or refuse this
payment in coin, called scutage, but most accept it unless the specific military action requires a
vassals specific talents. A vassal is also expected to provide counsel to the lord. He is obliged to
appear when summoned; a vassal who ignores a summons risks losing his fief. The obligation of
counsel cannot be bought with scutage. Hyborian feudal lords require their vassals to serve time
as advisors in their courts. Further, most feudal lords require their vassals to gather their own
vassals and listen to their opinions.
In return for military obligations and counsel, a lord is obligated to perform certain duties for his
vassals. One, a lord must keep good faith with his vassals and not act in a manner which would
injure their honour, life or property. Second, a lord must offer protection to his vassals. The lord
must come to the aid of his vassals if they are unjustly attacked. Third, a lord must offer his

vassals legal protection, vouching for them, offering counsel and wealth if needed. Fourth, a lord
must provide his vassals with a means to support themselves a manor, which is the basic
economic unit of a Hyborian nation, generally encompassing a basic farm, industry or combination
of both. This entitles a vassal to become a lord himself if the means to support himself is land. A
vassal who is supported at court is called a bachelor knight. Keep in mind that the vassal of a
vassal is not technically a vassal to the original lord.
For every vassal a lord creates, he gains a +2 to his Reputation and a +1 modifier to his
Leadership score. If the vassals have a higher Reputation than the bequeathing lord, the
Reputation bonus doubles. Gaining a benefice, royal charter or land grant gives the receiving
character a +1 bonus to Reputation. Almost all receipts of manors or other forms of benefice
require the character to give an oath of allegiance.
The easiest way to acquire land and property in a Hyborian kingdom is to swear fealty to a lord in
exchange for the land. After centuries of this practice, the Hyborian kingdoms have created an
environment where many vassals have multiple lords. If a vassal needs more land, he simply
swears fealty to another lord in addition to all previous lords. Simple enough, but what happens
when two of a vassals lords go to war and call upon him for aid? To avoid situations where a
vassal is forced to choose between his lords, the Hyborian kingdoms have created a hierarchy of
lordship called liegeancy, wherein one lord is the acknowledged liege lord and beneath him are
simply lords. In essence, allegiances are given orders of precedence (see pages XX-XX for
Hyborian orders of precedence).
If a vassal or lord fails his obligation, there are three remedies available. One is a public
declaration of loss of faith. This declaration tells society that there has been a failure in
performance, resulting in a -10 penalty to the Reputation of the accused. The accused may
defend himself by publicly explaining his actions (resolved through a Diplomacy check). If
successful, his Reputation is restored and the accuser accrues a -5 penalty to his Reputation. If
unsuccessful, the accused must make immediate reparations to restore his Reputation. If this
method fails to resolve the situation, the other next step in resolving such a failure is combat. If
military action is not favoured, there is a third solution for lords whose vassals are the problem
(this third option does not exist if the lord has failed his vassal). All lords have the social right of
entertainment, by which a lord may visit his vassals manor. When a lord travels, his entire
entourage travels with him, including family, advisors, staff, servants, guards, huntsmen, courtiers
and sycophants. The vassal must provide room and board for everyone. By forcing a vassal to
host the lord indefinitely, a lord can financially make his point.
Vassalage is a contract between two people and it ends when one of the persons dies. Although
inheritance is a guaranteed right in some Hyborian kingdoms, such as Nemedia, it is not
guaranteed in others, such as Aquilonia. If the right is not guaranteed, the heir of a vassal who
wishes to become a new vassal to his fathers lord must pay relief to that lord in addition to
swearing allegiance. Relief is equal to one year's income of the fief in question, which may include
many manors. If an heir is not of age, a lord may claim wardship and pay the relief payment to
hold the fief as his own until the heir comes of age, swears allegiance to the liege lord and claims
the land. If a vassal dies without heirs or is unable to pay the relief, the fief escheats, or returns,
to the liege lord. If the heir is female, the liege lord has the right to determine who the female
vassal marries if she pays the relief to retain control of the fief. If she wishes to choose her own
husband she must pay twice the relief for that right. If she wishes to remain unmarried, yet be a
vassal, she has to pay three to five times the relief, as well as prove she can live up to the
obligations of a vassal as well as a man. If she cannot afford the high relief, then she is forced to
marry whomever the liege lord chooses for her.
Unfortunately, the political and military structure of the Hyborian kingdoms tend to maintain only
the illusion of unity beneath the king. The counts and barons frequently can and do ignore the
edicts and commands of the king. Although in theory the king rules all of a kingdom, the true
practice of power shows that the king rules his capital and its surrounding manors only. Many
times in history provinces have taken themselves outside of the nominal government and had to

be 'reacquired' by the king's force of arms. A Hyborian kingdom's borders swell and shrink
depending on the relative strength of the various kings and lords.

Cimmerian Government
Families and tribes are the basic political units in Cimmeria. A tribe is comprised of several clans,
or families. Each clan has its own clan chief. A tribe is ruled by a tribal chief. Cimmerians are
ruled by tribal chiefs chosen from the warrior elite of Cimmeria. Anyone descended from a past
chief or king can lay claim to the rulership of the tribe, if they are four generations or closer away
from that chief or king. It is from these descendants that a new king is chosen, but usually the
most fit warrior will be the one chosen, not the one closest in descent. Below the warrior elite
class, Cimmerians have a class of oracles and 'gifted people,' the skilled craftsmen who make
weapons and jewellery. Conan's father is from this class. Everyone else in Cimmeria are farmers,
fishermen, hunters, trappers and minor craftsmen. Movement in and out of Cimmerian social
classes is fairly easy as they are, for the most part, based on ability, not birth. Wealth is measured
in cattle. Cimmerians are not inclined toward nationhood and rarely does a 'high-king' rise to unite
the tribes.

Ghulistani Government
The tribes of Ghulistan, Afghulistan and other Himelian ethnic groups are generally governed by
groups of elders called Jirga. Hetmen are the war chiefs of the tribes. A tribe is divided into Khels
(clans), which are divided into Pllarina. A Pllarina is a group of multiple Kahols (extended families).
It is a complex system, and Himelian tribesmen may see themselves belonging to various parts of
these groups depending on the situation. Himelian tribesmen are not inclined toward nationhood
and rarely does a 'high-king' rise to unite the tribes.

Hyrkanian Government
The Hyrkanians are ruled by Khans, who come from the ranks of the Ba'atut, a class of Hyrkanians
who are given noble title because of their accomplishments. The Khan commands the Nkud, who
comprise the elite warriors of Hyrkania. In most respects, Hyrkanian government is based around
typical tribal patterns.

Iranistani Government
The Iranistani are largely tribal in their governmental form. Families follow a headman, who is the
oldest male in a village, who in turn follows a clan chief. In the more urban areas, there are more
familiar forms of civilised nobles and aristocrats. Nominally, all the clan chiefs follow the Iranistani
king, who is more or less a tribal (but civilised) high-king.

Khitan Government
Khitai is ruled by a God-Emperor as part of a dynasty. The Yah Dynasty is the last known dynasty.
The Games Master should decide whether Yah Chieng was the last of his dynasty or whether it
continued after his death in Bjrn Nyberg's Return of Conan. The governmental system in Khitai is
similar to that of the Hyborian nations in that it is feudal, but instead of being built around the
manor the basic political unit is the city-state. Khitai is a land of volatile politics and the GodEmperor can rarely control his powerful Gongs, who swear Allegiance to the God-Emperor and are
required to follow his edicts and support the emperor with an army if desired. The Gongs, usually
ministers or generals of high merit, often own the largest tracts of land and divide that land up
into smaller units for families who are loyal to the Gongs. These families become Hu. The Hu
divide up the land further to families loyal to them, calling them B, and so on. Each of these
noble families can pass their titles to their heirs. The taxes flow upwards until they reach the GodEmperor, who is then expected to use the money to build city walls, roads, dams and to maintain
an army. Khitai's economy is based on slavery, silk and bronze.

Kushite Government
Kushites are ruled by the Chaga, a ruling caste descended from the Stygians. The Chaga love to
dive into politics and enjoy engaging attempting to increase their own social power or decrease a

rivals. The king of Kush at the time of the Robert E. Howards draft known now as The Snout in
the Dark was degenerate, slothful and dissipated. His sister was Tananda. The government is
similar to Stygian government, save that nobles rule instead of priests.

Nordheimir Government
The Nordheimir are ruled by a king, who can be any warrior able to maintain a following, as chosen
during the Thing (or Althing), which is the democratic body that deals with legislative or social
issues. The Jarls are the upper class, the wealthiest of Nordheimir. They are followed by landowners, then land-workers, then slaves.

Pictish Government
The tribes are led by the chiefs, speakers and councils. A chief among the Picts is not a dictator
who rules the village, clan or tribe. There are many kinds of chiefs among the Picts and a village
likely will have several chiefs. There are civil chiefs, achievement chiefs, hereditary chiefs and
speakers. The civil chiefs, chosen for their age and wisdom, govern the village by administering
justice, organising celebrations, receiving guests, allocating hunting and fishing lands and serving
diplomatic functions. These chiefs can not afford to be tyrannical or incompetent, for they would
lose their followers, who would leave and join another village. In addition to the chosen civil
chiefs, there are ranks of achieved chiefs. Almost all Picts are born as commoners in low-ranking
families, but if they perform great deeds, some will attain the status of chief. Great warriors of
renown may become war chiefs. Speakers with incredible oratory skill may be granted chief
status. Hunters who have distinguished themselves may be named hunting chiefs. Those
chieftainships granted due to achievements are non-hereditary and although the title dies with
chief, earning a chieftainship grants the Pict a +1 bonus to his Reputation score. Picts may earn
more than one chief title. Hereditary chiefs, whose titles are passed down to them from maternal
lines, have no voting power, though they are given a small measure of additional respect due to
their heritage. A Pict with a hereditary title is granted a +1 bonus to his Reputation if he does not
later prove himself a fool. Hereditary chiefs control community property and are expected to
provide dogs and canoes to hunting or war parties, and are responsible for village reserves in
times of bad weather.
Speakers are chosen by councils and chiefs for their intelligence and diplomatic gifts to speak for
them and announce decisions. Speakers have impressive memories and are walking archives of
decisions and history. The women of a village, as a collective, as do the warriors. The speakers,
along with the chiefs and the village elders who also have a voice in government by virtue of their
age, regardless of sex, meet in council to make decisions. This council is responsible for local
policies and decisions.
The pattern of village government extends outward toward the tribe as a whole, and great civil
chiefs may be elected to govern more than one village when great events are at hand that will
affect several villages. Powerful war-chiefs may gather warriors from several villages to go on
large expeditions. Extremely powerful chiefs, such as the upper Wolf chiefs, who band together
multiple tribes into a semblance of coherent unity, often take the Paramount Chief prestige class
presented in Conan: Across the Thunder River. These paramount chiefs rule over the other chiefs
as sort of elected emperors, although they must still satisfy the people with their savage rule.
Each of these more powerful, more influential paramount chiefs have equally powerful and
influential councils and speakers to advise them and keep the people satisfied.

Shemite Government
There is no one King of Shem. Instead, each city-state in Shem has its own king and government,
although most of the cities have similar customs and traditions in regards to government and
politics. This aids Shem in ensuring that the city states competitive trade benefits all; thus no city
gets left out because it has fallen out of royal favour with a specific king. Likewise, there is no
single Sheikh of Sheikhs, ruler of all the nomad tribes. Each tribe is governed separately, but a
shared culture creates marked similarities from tribe to tribe.

City-State Government
Shemite city-states are essentially theocracies. Although there is a hereditary aristocracy and a
king, the temples are in charge of the city-state. There is no separation between religious and
secular power.
The kings of Shem claim a religious and historical right to rule. Not only are they the
representatives of their patron god on Earth, they are also the sons of kings, part of a lineage
stretching back to the Great Cataclysm. Kingship is hereditary among the Meadow Shemites and
Pelishtim. A king is most often from the warrior class, for he must be able to defend the city,
enforce the laws, maintain the social order and lead wars. He must also take part in the religious
ceremonies of the city-state. Thus he is a warrior and a priest. Many kings of Shem are
essentially deified. The wife of the king is a queen, and she is often the high priestess of the citystate, or the personification of a goddess. A king often rules by employing terror. Kings ruthlessly
suppress rebellions through the asshuri. They deport rebellious populations from their city-state if
needed, leaving them to wander in the desert until they die. They even treat the people they
conquer brutally. Despite this employment of cruelty and violence, a Shemite king does not have
totalitarian power.
The king of a Shemite city-state is advised by a council of elders and by the priests. The
aristocracy function as administrators, working for the king. The aristocrats work as scribes and
functionaries in the service of the king. The aristocrats are responsible for drafting commoners to
work on community projects, collecting taxes in the form of a percentage of crops and ensuring
the canals and other methods of irrigation are in constant repair. Further, the aristocrats divide up
the grain they collect for the city to give to its soldiers or any others it supports. The aristocrats
exempt themselves from physical labour, however, there is no system for sycophants and
hangers-on; each aristocrat has a duty to the king, the temple and the city-state.
The priests are charged with maintaining the social status-quo. They tell the commoners their
hard labours are necessary because they were created to serve the gods. The priests often sit on
the city councils of elders alongside the aristocrats to help advise the king. They help to maintain
social order by teaching that right belief means nothing, but that right behaviour is the key to
being blessed by the gods.

Nomad Tribal Government

The nomad tribes of Shem are essentially republics governed by opinion and tradition. No one can
decree sovereign law to the nomads. No one can even enforce popular opinion. If a clan feels
honour bound to act differently than the rest of the tribe decrees, they are allowed to do so.
Honour and revenge are the highest laws and the highest government. By placing such
importance on honour, the individual nomad is compelled to uphold the name and respect of his
family, clan and tribe. The fear of dishonour, not only of self but of family, virtually ensures
individual nomads comply with the wishes of the majority. The importance of vengeance allows
nomads to pursue individual rights to the death, bringing their entire clan into the conflict,
regardless of how small or large the initial slight. The fear of retribution by friends and relatives
causes individual nomads to refrain from rudeness, restraining passionate quarrels. Thus social
order among the nomads is maintained. Still, the tribes maintain an informal chain of command
based on a concept of precedence.
The commanders of the nomads hold the highest rank of precedence. The Shemite nomads are
commanded by sheiks, or chiefs, who dwell in large, silk-walled tents hung with gilt-worked
tapestries and littered with rich carpets and velvet cushions.
The sheiks, or shaykhs, are elected by a council of elders from the family of the prior sheik. The
power does not pass automatically to the eldest son as it would in Nemedia or Aquilonia. The
council of elders chooses from the entire family, a system that often leads to violence between
brothers as each tries to win the favour of the elders. Reputation, Reputation type and Charisma
play a large part in the selection of a sheik. The sheiks are not dictators; they rule by consensus,

negotiation, tradition and, occasionally, arbitration. Nomads have no respect for authority such as
would be seen in civilisation; indeed, they meet their sheiks on even footing, so long as the proper
respect is shown. The nomads are the most democratic of all people during the Hyborian age.
The nomads follow only successful leaders and some, such as the Zuagirs, tend to have more faith
in foreigners to lead them than in one of their own race. They want loot and they will follow the
chief who will lead them to it.
The council of elders determines how water resources are used and distributed. The sheik
presides over the council but he is not a supreme authority. However, his position gives him an
advantage in swaying councils and tribes. His expression of opinion, more often than not, became
the tribe's de facto opinion, such is the esteem a sheik are held.

Southern Black Kingdom Tribal Government

The title of Chief or King applies to anyone from a village headman to a god-like king of many
clans. Often a Black Kingdom chief is the warrior with the largest resources and armies. In most
cases, a hereditary chief is a ritualised position, a mere expression of symbolic authority. The
symbolism is important, however, and his authority is sanctioned by the tribes because he is
regarded as a living pledge of divine favour for the clan. The hereditary chief is the focus of
innumerable rituals. The title rarely passes from one chief to his chosen heir except by the death
of the chief. A council of elders chooses the new chief from among all of the chiefs male children;
thus most new chiefs have at least one level of barbarian under their belt. The hereditary clan
chief is responsible for the ritual success of the clan.

Stygian Government
Stygia is a theocracy. The government claims its right to rule on behalf of Set, an unwholesome
and ancient deity. The king demonstrates or claims to have the support of Set and his pantheon
and says that any attempts to remove the king would risk the displeasure of all the gods. Almost
the entire bureaucracy of Stygia is comprised of priests. The largest temple complexes are almost
cities in and of themselves, employing almost every sort of worker. Temple bakeries, breweries,
fisheries, stables and farms can be found in these complexes. Produce and animals from the farms
arrive constantly, and everything is recorded by temple scribes. Craftsmen and administrators, as
well as the more permanent priests, also work here. The city of Luxur's Temple of Set employs
more than 81,000 people, for example.
Many thousands of Stygians are needed to make sure Stygia runs according to the king's desires.
The king claims to be master of the world, all that is seen and unseen. The priests and the
bureaucracy then serve as his eyes. The bureaucracy is arranged much like a pyramid.
The wide base of the pyramid is built from the common scribes. They function as clerks, recordkeepers, tax collectors, supply distributors and accountants. Exceptional scribes can move into
the next level of government and oversee the common scribes. Being even a 'common' scribe is
still respectful and higher in status than a non-literate overseer of a farm. These are primarily
scholars, although any class can take the training.
Above the scribes in the scheme of Stygian government is the class of dignitaries, who are high
priests, army officers, town officials and governors. The dignitaries live like wealthy landowners.
Of course, most of them are wealthy landowners. Skilled scribes can often make their way to this
tier of government. These characters are usually mid- or high-level non-noble characters, or low
level nobles.
Above these dignitaries are the most gifted and influential of the nobles and dignitaries, chosen by
the king to serve as his central administrators. They are usually given impressive titles, such as
Master of the King's Surplus. Another high ranking title is the Speaker of Set, who is one of the
most politically influential and powerful sorcerers from Set's House of Life. Thoth-Amon currently
serves as the Speaker of Set in the court of Ctesphon IV. These central administrators live almost
like kings themselves, in huge houses approaching the size of palaces and with vast quantities of

quality servants. These are almost always high level characters, although a few influential midlevel nobles have risen to this station.
Above the central administrators are the two viziers of the king. One vizier serves Stygia from the
bend in the Styx to the west and the other is in charge of Stygia from the bend in the Styx toward
the south. A diagonal line that runs from the bend at Taia toward Sukhmet divides the desert. The
viziers are the eyes and ears of the king, to whom all things must be reported.
At the apex of the pyramid is the king of Stygia. He is the supreme judge of all disputes and the
ruler of all people. He is the commander of the army and the representative of the gods on earth.

Turan's Government
King Yezdigerd is the Sultan and Caliph of Turan; he enjoys absolute power. As Sultan, he is the
secular ruler of Turan. As Caliph, he is the spiritual ruler of Turan. His advisors are known as
viziers, and are led by the Grand Vizier. The viziers also have their advisors; they are known as the
Kahye. The government is run by administrators known as Nazir, who function as ministers. Turan
is an empire with a meritocracy as a basis for wealth and rank; military service is key to
advancement.

Vendhyan Government
The government of Vendhya is efficient and organised. Vendhya are ruled by the Kshatriyas, a
ruling caste of warriors. The king is chosen from ranks of the Kshatriya most of the time. A
foreign conqueror might be granted Kshatriya rank by virtue of his wealth and power; often a
fictitious lineage is created to give the foreigner a 'legitimate' link to a Kshatriya family. In People
of the Black Circle, Howard writes, 'The rulers of the golden kingdoms south of the Himelians were
considered little short of divine.'
The Vendhyan government uses the nobles to organise mass feeding ceremonies, as well as public
distribution of grain and other necessities, to ensure the economic survival of the people.
Only Kshatriya can take the noble class, either at first or any other level. Vertical mobility in
Vendhya is impossible, so a Vendhyan character from a lower caste will not be able to garner much
power unless he leaves and returns as a foreigner with a false identity, much like Alexander
Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo.

Zamorian Government
[[[ Box Text ]]]
Zamora was an absolute despotism where differing political opinions were not tolerated.
Robert E. Howard, Letter to P.S. Miller
[[[ End Box ]]]
Zamora is not a feudal society. Zamora is an absolute despotism, rife with corruption and sorcery.
King Tiridates is a drunken tyrant, but he understands the essence of Zamora. Zamorians
understand the fearful predicament the king leaves them in, however. They cannot allow the king
to fail, for there is no organised opposition which can take over power should he fall. Everything is
staked on the king, which permits lightning efficiency when things are good but nothing to fall
back on when times are bad.
Zamora's king does not allow public airing of political thought differing from his own. His drunken,
tyrannical rule, however, is strongly hated by many Zamorians. Secrecy is the key to those who
oppose King Tiridates. The seeming omnipresence of spies coupled with the swiftness with which
the king reacts to news of opposed political factions discourages large groups from gathering,
preventing united action. Military groups would like to see a larger standing army and less of a
reliance on subterfuge and rumoured sorceries. Some groups favour a Hyborian style feudal
government. Most would just rather take the reigns of totalitarian rule for themselves, deeming

themselves more fit to rule by nature or nurture. Many priests have ruling designs, believing
Zamora should be a theocracy modelled on Stygia or other ancient cultures.
The King of Zamora tends to protect his nation with an impressive array of assassins, sorcerers
and spies. He does not trust strength of arms or the inner moral character of his subject
population to protect him, so he keeps his standing army relatively small and focuses instead on
assassins and kidnappings, diabolic sorceries and arcane wards, subterfuge and espionage.
Only the King of Zamora has the authority to hire mercenary armies. Any other noble who
attempts to do so risks his life, his family and his property. Mercenaries might be hired in small
forces as personal guards, providing lawful permission is obtained. Most mercenaries in Zamora
are there to gather news about wars in other lands. The many caravan routes passing through
Shadizar make the city a prime place for foreign news and rumour.
However, Tiridates does use mercenaries as commanders of his Zamorian military units. King
Tiridates is extremely paranoid and knows a foreigner cannot hope to lead Zamora, for its ways
are strange and evil to foreign eyes, so he avoids giving too much power to any one Zamorian.
Hence, he hires foreigners to lead his armies, confident that they cannot use their military power
to usurp his throne or conquer his lands.

Zingaran Government
Zingara was once an atypical feudal land, a monarchy in Hyborian fashion, though Zingara is not a
true Hyborian kingdom (see sidebar on the king of Zingara). Under a dazzlingly complex political
system, dukes and counts ruled fiefs in the name of the king in Kordava, although in most cases
that fealty was, at best, nominal and somewhat confusing. The nobles of Zingara are a proud,
individualistic race, not given to subservience. They rebel both openly and secretly. This continual
backstabbing, political manoeuvring and social ladder-climbing under weak kings who were more
concerned about the state of Argos' shipping brought about the final dissolution of Zingara as a
bastion of civilization and good breeding. Today, Zingara is a faltering anarchy.
In the past, most court officials did not hold hereditary positions, so in many ways Zingara was
never as traditionally feudal as Aquilonia or Nemedia. Court positions instead were paid positions.
Zingara was atypical in its feudal system in other ways as well. Land grants were not always
linked to vassalage or allegiance. Sometimes land was granted simply as a reward or, when
granted to the temples or clergy, to earn a place with Mitra in the heavens. Also, vassalage and
allegiance did not automatically come with land rights, like they did (and still do) in Aquilonia or
Nemedia. Land that was given could also be retaken by the giving lord or his heirs. Immunities to
royal justice were never handed out as a noble privilege, and even so-called 'free' cities
occasionally felt the heavy-hand of royal intervention.

Zingaran Town Government

Zingaran towns are governed primarily through an open council, an assembly of all the male
householders. These councils generally meet once per week after religious services. A magistrate
is appointed by the king to be his representative at these councils. This arrangement works well
for villages and small towns, but city-sized urban areas found this to be unworkable there are few
buildings able to hold all the male household owners of a city and still enable them to be heard.
Larger cities divide their areas into townships led by Mitran temples. Each township in a city
elects a juryman to represent his township and their needs. The jurymen of each township then
meet and make decisions, along with the king's magistrate. The jurymen are also charged with
maintaining order in their township, so they operate as constables and soldiers. In addition to the
jurymen, 24 noblemen are appointed to sit on the council and are given the title of regulator.
The magistrates of the city are assisted by officers to enforce the laws and have the power to raise
small armed forces to police and defend a city. One of the officers who answers to the magistrate
is the Mayor of Justice, who hears criminal cases on a daily basis at the prison. Civil cases are
heard by the Mayor of the Ordinaries. A chief constable usually oversees the township juryman

constables. Public scribes ensure the orderly conduct of life by recording all transactions, such as
legal proceedings, council proceedings and actions, and similar duties. Many Zingaran cities have
a town standard-bearer, whose duty is to lead a city's army into battle. Other officials include
council messengers and a council proctor who speaks for the council at the court of the king.
The Constable of Payments is a Zingaran official delegated to ensure the collection of payments
ordered by the courts and the mayors. The prison is run by a council-appointed man given the
title of Fiel. A mayordomo supervises any land owned jointly by the council and he is responsible
for all public accounts. The mayordomo is served by a public accountant and a fund collector.
The council also appoints two Mayordomos of the Streets, who are responsible for ensuring clean
streets. They appoint examiners to check the weights and measures used by merchants, as well
as the overall quality of most of the merchandise sold in the city. Two clerks are appointed to
oversee public works and agriculture. Another official is designated to measure lands and watch
over the boundaries of the plantations and manors.