The Pale

The Pale lives off mine and sea. Iron comes out of one side of the town, quicksilver out of the other, and what does not come from the ground comes from the water or the ice. It is a hold of long routes with no shelter in between, and anyone who makes that trip without hot food learns the lesson once.

The White Hall is a single room with no ceremony, and the hold it governs is almost all empty road. Whoever takes the Pale inherits two mines and a harbour, and the decision of how much to charge on every load that passes through them.

Citizenship is requested one hold at a time, and only the Jarl, the Hand and the Chancellor can approve who comes in. You can renounce and hold no citizenship at all, and request another one later.

Offices run from the Jarl to the garrison in six tiers: Jarl, Hand, Chancellor, nobility, command and garrison. Whoever stands above promotes, demotes, dismisses and hands out written titles to those below.

The treasury takes tax on everything traded inside the hold, at a rate of up to 25% set by the top offices. The treasury ledger records every collection, every change of rate and every withdrawal, with the name of whoever did it.