Gullstown

Gullstown is a recently formed and rapidly expanding frontier township on the edge of Arcadia, within the Autarchy of Aurelia. Very rapidly on the rise, Gullstown's meteoric growth can be attributed to the establishment of formerly difficult southern trade and astute civil management by it's highly eccentric Mayor, Fern Gully.

History
Once a blasted ruin, little more than a collection of broken houses and worn down dirt, Gullstown wouldn't come to be called 'Gullstown' until the Aurelian Crusade at last reached far enough to strike out at the ruined village and oust a Lich and his company of Undead from within its buildings. Having participated in this venture, interested in utilizing his Druidic talents to try and cure the land, Fern Gully found himself unexpectedly appointed as the village's first and founding Mayor.

Given the responsibilities of both naming and organizing this place, the usually scatterbrained Kaldorei set about these tasks with a fervor and aptitude which was almost startling. Showing a natural affinity for the affairs of governing, from civil management to taxation, Mayor Gully turned Gullstown from a ruined collection of rubble and lumber into a bustling hive of activity over the course of a month. When asked how, Mayor Gully has responded with the idea that 'People aren't that hard to understand. If you want to get something done, just find ways to make people happy to do it for you.'  This idea of simply promoting the interests of Gullstown and its Mayor by making them desirable for citizens themselves has held true and effective thus far.

Law
Gullstown, as a recently founded frontier village, had need of a legal system which could be played fast and loose as it were. A cumbersome beast of local and area courts, magistrates and higher judges would only hinder the functionality of such a town. As such, Gullstown's legal system was built around a strong and simplistic set of core functions which would keep the village running at all times, and which would greatly encourage new settlers, more farmers, more skilled tradesmen, and more self sufficient defenders. These founding rules are referred to as 'The Ten Tenets of Gullstown'.

"Upon this document will be recorded and proclaimed the founding principles of Gullstown. Citizens of Gullstown will, outside of specifications made within this document, adhere to the laws of Aurelia as closely as circumstances permit."

- All citizens of Gullstown age twenty and upwards with the exception of residents with two(2) or more children will serve in a local militia for a period of no less than eight(8) months upon first arrival within Gullstown, receiving a wage equal to the Arcadian average.

- Members of the Gullstown Militia who maintain an unbroken chain of service lasting more than one(1) year will be given land on the Gullstown outskirts equivalent to the average size of a mainland farmstead, to do with as they please.

- The Gullstown Militia will never permanently detain or otherwise hold a free citizen of Aurelia unless under direct orders from an officer of any Arcadian Legion, or higher. Citizens of Aurelia found guilty of a crime within Gullstown will be held for no more than three(3) weeks, before transport can be arranged elsewhere for proper judicial measures under the right and just law of Her Grace, Telriah II Embershield.

- Grievances and complaints within Gullstown will be heard and reviewed personally by the Mayor, and allowed no more than three days unanswered. Should the Mayor be incapacitated or otherwise unreachable, a randomly selected council of five(5) townspeople in residence for more than eight months will hear grievances.

- All Gullstown home and land owners are required to own and be proficient in the use of at least one martial weapon of their preference, be it bow, gun, sword, or spear. Proficiency is defined as having participated in at least three weeks of Gullstown Militia training drills.

- Citizens of Gullstown reserve the full right of Assemblance to Defend; that being if a clear and present danger is presented to Gullstown, all townspeople have the right to join and aid the Gullstown Militia in a temporary capacity to defend the township.

- All citizens of Gullstown have full right to arm themselves with one weapon in public at any given time, and will never have weaponry confiscated from them without either the order of the Mayor or an officer of any Arcadian Legion or higher.

- Gullstown will collect no landowning tax for the first year of its full operation. After the first full year of operation, members of the Gullstown Militia who have been given a land grant will remain tax exempt for a period of four(4) months. If they re-enlist after these four months and then serve for another eight, their tax exemption will be renewed.

- New Gullstown residents with two or more children will receive the same four month tax exemption as land-granted Gullstown Militia members, and will be able to extend their tax exemption once every four months until one or more of their children reaches working age.

- Above and before all other things, citizens of Gullstown swear their loyalty and lives to Her Grace, Telriah the Second, and will obey her commands and the commands of her immediate messengers without delay or question.

Following the implementation of the Ten Tenets, men and women alike have flocked to Gullstown, alone or with families, skileld or unskilled. Tradesmen have been drawn in by the lack of landowning tax, promising new trade lanes to the south, and the heavily armed populace making raids on caravans by banditry or roving monsters much less likely. Unskilled laborers have been attracted for the promise of training and a lasting career offered by the Gullstown Militia for dutiful service, ultimately culminating in land grants.

Recently, two more additions have been made to Gullstown's functional legal code as well, as the town has grown and recent events have warranted some interest in such things.

- Any member of the Gullstown Militia who has served his compulsory term will be given the choice of passage to Vallenhall for instruction in a proper military academy, to then be enlisted in the growing forces of the border guard of Arcadia.

'''- Landowners around Gullstown will be permitted free use of mined stone and mortar, as well as the assistance of active Militia members, to construct defensive walls and paved roads on their property. In exchange, landowners will be held responsible for the future maintenance of these on their property, with the ultimate goal of fully forming a fortified defensive position around Gullstown.'''