Realm Governance
Every affair ruling shapes the character of your realm. Over time, your decisions push the kingdom toward an identity — ordered or chaotic, mercantile or isolated, warlike or peaceful.
The Three Axes
Governance is measured across three tracks. Each affair choice nudges one or more of them. There are no right answers — each direction has its own flavour and future consequences.
| Axis | Low End | High End | What It Reflects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rule of Law | Unbound | Iron Rule | How tightly you control order and enforce structure |
| Trade Outlook | Self-Reliant | Mercantile | How open or closed your economy is to outside trade |
| Way of Life | Peaceful | War-Driven | Whether your realm is shaped by conflict or by peace |
Scores on each axis range from −40 to +40. New realms start at zero on all three — a blank slate.
How Scores Change
The only way to shift governance is through affair rulings. Every choice in a council dispatch carries a governance effect — sometimes subtle, sometimes dramatic. The outcome screen shows what shifted and by how much.
There are no sliders to drag and no policies to set directly. Your realm's character emerges from the sum of your rulings. A governor who consistently favours order, open markets, and military strength will see a very different identity than one who keeps the peace and trades within their own shores.
Realm Identity
Once your scores cross certain thresholds, your realm earns an identity — a title that reflects its overall character. There are twelve possible identities:
| Identity | Character |
|---|---|
| The Iron War State | Controlled, wealthy, aggressive |
| The Ordered Trade Hub | Stable, prosperous, peaceful |
| The Fortress Regime | Isolated, disciplined, militarised |
| The Closed Order | Stable, inward, controlled |
| The Merchant Power | Flexible, profit-driven, opportunistic |
| The Raider State | Rough, aggressive, self-reliant |
| The Free Port | Chaotic, rich, unpredictable |
| The Open Haven | Loose, prosperous, peaceful |
| The Warlord Isles | Unstable, isolated, violent |
| The Fringe Settlement | Loose, quiet, underdeveloped |
| The Balanced Domain | Nothing extreme, adaptable |
| The War-Touched State | Defined more by conflict than structure |
Identity updates immediately after each affair. It is calculated from your current scores — not stored permanently — so it always reflects where the realm stands right now.
Where to Find It
Open the Realm panel from the bottom navigation bar. The Governance tab shows all three axes with your current position on each, your realm identity, and whether any axis is actively shifting.
The Council tab is where dispatches arrive for you to rule on. The Islands tab keeps a compact ledger of your holdings — which shore serves as your Council Seat, how far each island has climbed through the prestige ladder, how much force it can project or withstand, and where food, morale, or neglect may need attention. Resolving affairs is still the mechanism that drives governance change.
Current Scope
Governance is currently a passive system. It records your decisions and gives your realm an identity, but it does not yet affect production, combat, trade rates, or any other game mechanic. Think of it as a record of how you govern — a foundation for future systems that will give these choices real consequences.