I summarized some of the information from that as a box-out on Sartarite cities in Dragon Pass: Land of Thunder as well.
The principle is that the same structure as the rural Orlanthi clan exists:
Chieftain = Mayor (elected by citizens from the magistrates) Ring = Magistrates (appointed in Sartar by Confederation) Thane/Carl/Cottar = Burgher (Owns the land he lives on, bear arms in defense of the city - gains rights similar to membership of clan)
But bear in mind that cities have a lot of people who are not 'citizens' you can work and live in a city without being a citizen. No responsibilites, but also no rights.
I am working on a full description of Jonstown for The Coming Storm. Still very early days, and a lot of people will want to have their say on it, but here is something from that:
The Burgher
The social organization of Orlanthi townsfolk has many similarities to
their rural cousins. Citizenship is like clan membership, judged by
Heort's laws of society. It extends to all those who own land they
live on, pay taxes, obey the mayor, and aid in the city's defense.
Townsmen, also called burghers, have the right to speak at the city
moot, obtain justice at the city's court, receive food from common
wealth, and become a guild master.
A ring, called the city ring or town council, governs. The tribes of the confederation and leading burghers appoint the members of the council, called magistrates. Usually the confederation appoints the magistrates from among the elders, god-talkers, and priests of the leading families of the city. Sometimes they appoint outsiders, but this is unpopular. A mayor heads the council. The burghers elect the mayor every five years from among the magistrates.
The clan council maintains justice, conducts litigation, collects taxes and distributes food from the city's stores, enters into treaties and contracts, trains and equips the constabulary, organizes the markets, protects temples and holy places, and nurtures the sacred links to the city's wyter (guardian being). The council is conservative focusing on preservation of the local market and prices. The mayor employs a small bureaucracy of scribes from the Free Sages of the Jonstown Library to aid in administering the city.
The magistrates also preside in the city's court. The council takes a tenth of all compensation paid for cases heard and this is an important source of revenue for the city. The laws of the city are Sartar's Laws, codes issued and re-issued by successive princes of Sartar. They allow people who are not relatives to live together in peace. Like other Orlanthi law, they do not distinguish between civil and criminal offences, apart from the crimes without compensation such as murder or rape, and set the compensation victims receive, rather than punishment.
The mayor appoints the constable to lead the city watch.
The Family
Most burghers look to their family for their identity, no longer
focused on old tribal affiliations. The family is the Orlanthi
extended family or bloodline and may be composed of many households
sharing descent from a common ancestor. A patriarch (or matriarch)
called the spakeman governs the family. Established families have a
guardian being. Family members trust close relatives first, distant
relatives second, and outsiders last. A townsman has not just a first
name but a family name as well.
A handful of leading families dominate city politics and positions on the guilds and council. Other families tend to be bound to one of these families by alliances, employment or obligation.
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