This was more or less what I was imagining.
>There may not be much formal democracy but I have no doubt that
>Heortlings can and will make life quite unpleasant for a chief who
>makes too many unpopular decisions ("No one can make you do
>anything", "There is always another way" and even "Violence is
>always an option" suggest the sort of thinking).
Definitely. I think the Orlanthti Chief selection process is broadly democratic, in that most people get a say in who gets elected, but I doubt the clans as a whole is polled when time comes to appoint Ring members. More likely, the other Ring members offer their advice and the Bloodline heads (probably part of the outer Ring at least) put in their two cents, and the Chief should have a pretty good idea of which way the wind is blowing.
Now, having said that, there is probably some variation from clan to clan. Some clans may democratically elect Ring members. Some may have term limits (seven years and then you go to the grove...). Some may require some sort of ratification ("Do you accept Manki the Bold as Warleader? -deafening silence- Hmm. How about Grim Elvgrim? -cheers- Well, OK then...") And so on.
Something else that's worth thinking about is that Heortling law is universal -- everyone obeys the same laws (although some people are worth more, everyone gets weregeld). This can be contrasted with Yelmic Law, which varies somewhat by class. Even Lunar law, although more universal than Yelmic, applies the law differently to different classes of people. So, if Lunar law is puzzling to Heortlings, Heortling political practice might be equally confusing for Lunars. This might make for a fun scenario -- the local Lunar leadership tries to rig a clan election using Glamour street-style demagoguery.
>There ought to be definite story possibilities in a chief trying to
>keep someone on the Ring despite protests from the clan.
Oh, yes, certainly. You could build a whole campaign around a Chief slipping from a good, solid Heortling leader to Bak King So and So, too.... Very Shakespearian.
Peter Larsen
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