View source for Pelervar/Membership Tiers of the Free Cities

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A settlement's place in the [[Pelervar/Council of the Free Cities|confederation]] is defined by its [[Pelervar/Glossary#Charter|charter]], and charters come in recognised grades. The tiers are a frequent source of friction: smaller and dependent settlements resent their reliance on the great cities, while the full members resent the free ports that enjoy the confederation's protection without carrying an equal share of its obligations.

== Settlement Grades ==
From greatest standing to least:

{| class="wikitable"
! Tier !! Standing !! Examples
|-
| '''Free City''' || Full Council seat; broad authority over its own laws, armies, taxes, and foreign policy within treaty limits. || [[Pelervar/Ardaene|Ardaene]], [[Pelervar/Port Arenhold|Port Arenhold]], [[Pelervar/Ashford|Ashford]]
|-
| '''Chartered City''' || Self-governing under a Free Cities charter; bound to trade law and Council-recognised appeals. || [[Pelervar/Eastwatch|Eastwatch]]
|-
| '''Free Port''' || A chartered port granted real local autonomy and a voice on the Council, kept under charter oversight. || [[Pelervar/Blacktide Haven|Blacktide Haven]]
|-
| '''Dependent Town''' || Own council or mayor, but legal and military dependence on a larger sponsoring city. || [[Pelervar/Galvorn|Galvorn]], [[Pelervar/Brindle|Brindle]] (under [[Pelervar/Ardaene|Ardaene]])
|-
| '''Recognised Port''' || A tolerated port with limited rights and trade privileges under heavy scrutiny. || —
|-
| '''Shared Waters''' || Sea-lanes belonging to no single city, governed by treaty, custom, and patrol agreement. || [[Pelervar/Zahari Passage|Zahari Passage]]
|}

== Regional Arrangement ==
* '''Chartered Region.''' Where a frontier needs governing beyond the walls of any one city, the Council may charter the region as a whole, placing it under an elected official with authority over its settlements, roads, and borders. The [[Pelervar/Western Marches|Western Marches]], centred on [[Pelervar/Ashford|Ashford]] and governed by the [[Pelervar/Principal of the Western Marches|Principal of the Western Marches]], is the standing example. A chartered region carries a distinct ''advisory'' regional voice on the Council, not a full city vote.

[[Category:Pelervar/Government and Law]]
[[Category:Pelervar/Free Cities Region]]