Kairos

Kairos, officially the United Principality of Kairos, is a sovereign city-state located on one of the three largest islands in the archipelago. It is ruled by an anocracy infamous for its strict control of individual freedoms and extensive bureaucratic systems.

History
Main article: Kairosian Timeline

The island of Kairos was settled shortly after the Cataclysm by several groups, all vying for control. It wasn't until 500 AK that the island was united underneath a single monarch and consolidated itself into the United Kingdom of Kairos, the predecessor to modern Kairos. Over the course of several centuries, power slowly shifted into the hands of the king's court, until the kingdom was reorganized into the United Principality of Kairos.

The current leader, Princeps Cornelius, recently announced his impending retirement, and the city lies in anticipation of its next principial election.

Government
Kairos is governed by three distinct branches: the Senate, the Clergy, and the Office of the Princeps. Power is divided between these branches with varying levels of checks and balances in place. Originally, the princeps was the weakest of the three, acting as mainly a figurehead of the city-state. As of the ascendance of Lord Princeps Cornelius Tannius Rejuvenatus in 2320 AK, toward the close of season 2, power has slowly shifted hands into the office of the princeps, which now rivals the Senate and Clergy in terms of political power.

Senate
Staffed primarily by prominent noble family houses, the Senate is by far the largest branch of government in terms of political officials. It's responsible for the creation and passing of new laws and measures for the principality. The Senate meets within the Spire, a legislative complex in the Landing. The Senate is led by a Speaker of the Assembly, the Logothi Consul, who mediates discussion and acts as a spokesperson for the body.

Clergy
The Clergy serves two purposes, as caretakers of the Olympic temples in Alembas and as the overseeing council of the Protectorate, the Kairosian city guard. Officers of the Protectorate are tasked with enforcing city law and peacekeeping duties within the districts. Each temple in Alembas is led by a High Archon, who also sits on the Protectorate's overseeing council.

Protectorate
The Protectorate is the city guard of Kairos, tasked with the general enforcement of laws and peacekeeping duties within the districts of the city.

Organization
The Protectorate is led by the Hierophant, who is often, but not always, a member of the Clergy, and who is appointed by the overseeing clerical council. Below the Hierophant are ten Sentinels who are in charge of the individual praecinctai. Within each praecinctum, the rank and file of the Protectorate is comprised of Guardians, Vigil Guardians, Siblings, and Initiates. Initiates are trainees, often assigned to a district far from where they grew up. Siblings are full officers and guards, often sent to patrol the city. Vigil Guardians are armed leaders of patrols and raids, divided further by skill and experience into Vigil Guardians Second Class and Vigil Guardians First Class. Finally, Guardians comprise the managerial and administrative staff of their praecinctum, organized into various councils and subcommittees.

Law Enforcement and Debtors
The primary form of law enforcement used by the Protectorate is a form of extreme deterrence, where a single infraction can lead to tens or even hundreds of additional charges being added to the initial incident due to the extensive list of laws and codes established by Kairos. Charges can range from "unlawful use of magic" to "wasting an officer's time" to "offensive smells." A single infraction, coupled by the extensive list of additional charges, can lead to jail time and/or excessive fines that an individual may not be able to pay back. As a result, those who are unable to pay back their fines completely are deemed debtors and sent to the Debtors' District to slowly pay off their dues. An individual can spend anywhere between a few years to their entire lifetime paying for their crimes.

With the heavy intricacies of Kairosian law—particularly, the sheer number of things that are illegal—it's impractical for every infraction to be prosecuted, and so many are overlooked. This has resulted in a system where the charges and punishments can vary drastically based on the mood and temperament of the arresting Sibling, as well as on the identity of the perpetrator. Members of the Clergy are often let off with a slap on the wrist, while members of the nobility, forming the political group often in opposition to the Clergy, are either heavily fined, or let off easy due to their power within the city. Residents of Terminus face more objective charges, while adventurers, foreigners, and individuals who anger the Protectorate are often given extensive charges and fines. Of the permanent residents of the city, those in the Free District have to be the most cautious around Siblings, as they have neither connections, wealth, nor power to protect them.

Princeps
The pre-Cornelian princeps was considered to be a figurehead position within the city government, with no official duties other than the appointment of military leaders and judicial magistrates. The post-Cornelian princeps now oversees a significant executive branch, with the assistance of their Consort and other officials in the princeps' inner circle. In addition to the princeps' executive duties, the office also controls the Inquisitores, a secret police force within Kairos. The Inquisitores publicly operate within Kairos, occasionally making high profile arrests or investigations, but also do clandestine work within and outside the walls of Kairos, much to the distaste of the other islands of the archipelago.

The Office of the Princeps is also the only branch that holds an election for the position. Since the founding of Kairos, these have been free elections that allowed for any citizen of Kairos to run. Despite this, elections have been swayed by various noble houses and members of the Clergy towards favorable candidates. After the ascendance of Princeps Cornelius, restrictions and regulations have been placed on the election to control who is allowed to run.

Armed Forces
The Aegii is Kairos' primary fighting force. It is divided into two distinct branches, the Copae and Classis. Both branches work to protect Kairos and its colonies from foreign threats. They are overseen by the princeps, who appoints praetors to lead each branch.

Copae
The Copae is the primary land-based branch of the Aegii. It is responsible for the patrol of occupied territories, land-based combat, and the garrison of military installations. There are several unique units, such as the Rothguarian Guard, an elite half-orc unit. The Copae is led by the Praetorus Copae, appointed by the princeps.

Classis
The Classis is the primary seafaring branch of the Aegii. It is responsible for sea-based combat, patrolling trade routes, and anti-piracy duties. There are several unique fleets and squadrons stationed at various ports. It is led by the Praetorus Classis, appointed by the princeps.

Geography
The city is divided into several districts across the island. Each district is protected by its own branch of the Protectorate, and separated from each other by 50-foot-high white stone walls.

Alembas
Alembas is a large hill in the center of the main island where the main temples that honor the Olympian gods can be found. It also serves as the headquarters for Kairosian clergy. Since 2320 AK, following season 2, more temples have been added that practice the worship of other deities outside of the Olympic pantheon.

Alembas is not officially part of any praecinctum, but does see regular patrols of Siblings.

Debtors' District
Located southwest of Alembas, the Debtors' District contains the infrastructure of the judicial system—a courthouse and jail, as well as the housing complexes built for the city's numerous debtors, who have been issued fines beyond what they're able to pay and must now work off the debt. The district is heavily guarded both by members of the Protectorate and Arcanists from the Scoli Arcanum.

Debtors are sent to work in the nearby mines and olive plantations. A number of plantations are on the main island, just north of the Debtors' District and west of Alembas, but there are more located on the smaller islands of Poseinas and Athenas just south of Kairos proper. The Crags, a semi-collapsed mountainous island west of Kairos contains mines infested with dangerous creatures and pockets of poisonous gas, and is connected to the main island by the Folly, a large marble bridge with a foundation made of wrecked ships. Just east of Athenas is the Cistern, the smallest of these four islands, which contains the base camp for the underwater mines surrounding it.

The Debtors' District is its own praecinctum, while Poseinas, Athenas, and the portion of the main island with plantations form a second, and the Crags and the Cistern make up a third.

Free District
One of the three largest districts of Kairos proper, and certainly the densest, the Free District houses the majority of lower class citizens and some small businesses. It's located in the northwestern region of the main island. The area is heavily policed by the Protectorate, and neighborhoods are often controlled by homeowner associations, which organize their own patrols to enforce their policies in their areas. Life here is perpetually stressful, with residents walking on eggshells to avoid being arrested for a crime or fined by the local homeowner association. With neither connections, wealth, nor power to protect them, the majority of debtors originate from the Free District.

The Free District contains two praecinctai, which cover the east and west of the district, respectively.

Terminus
One of the three largest districts in the city, the Terminus is Kairos' heart, containing general businesses and housing the majority of the middle class. It stretches across the island's center, just east of Alembas, from the southern shore to the northern shore. The main port can be found here, as well as the Forum Primaris, the city's largest public square and the first thing seen by visitors entering through the port. The forum is always busy, with vendors on all sides hawking their wares, an elegant fountain in the center, and Orators speaking their pieces from various raised daises, platforms, and boxes throughout the square. Terminus also hosts the local branch of the Adventurers' Guild, a relatively small building directly across the street from the southern praecinctum's Protectorate headquarters.

For residents of Terminus, life is relatively stable and safe. Children play in the street until the wee hours, crime is extremely low, and life is fairly good, so long as one doesn't rabble-rouse, commit crimes, or otherwise question or work against the Principality. The Siblings patrolling in Terminus tend to do their job well and fairly, but crossing one can still easily catapult a citizen to debtorship, or at least to eking out a much more difficult existence in the Free District.

Terminus contains two praecinctai, which cover the north and south of the district, respectively.

Landing
The Landing, the last of the three largest districts, covers the eastern portion of the main island, beyond Terminus. It houses the rich, the powerful, and the noble residents of the city, and is divided into a variety of subdistricts, all of which are separated by Kairos' traditional 50-foot-high white stone walls. It also contains a natural harbor with the same name, said to be where the refugees from the Cataclysm first landed.

The Landing is naturally separated into a northern and southern portion by the natural harbor. Northtown contains the Phoenix's Nest, or simply the Nest, which is a complex of governmental buildings including the princeps' palace, as well as a variety of homes for the wealthy of Kairos not belonging to the nobility. Southtown contains some similar housing, as well as the Aerie, the Landing's most notable subdistrict, home to Kairosian nobility only. The Aerie contains the Scoli Arcanum, a renowned school of the arcane. The Scoli typically admits only those of noble status, but those without that status who manage to gain noble sponsorship may be admitted as well. The Aerie also contains the Forum Nobilis, a public square and marketplace catered to the nobility, and the Gift, a statue widely—but silently—considered unspeakably ugly, but which is revered by the nobility as a gift from the gods. They believe the Gift to be responsible for saving the city during a historical period of strife and potential catastrophe. Paying compliments to the Gift is seen as a symbol of status, as well as a sign of taste.

The Landing contains two praecinctai, which cover the north and south of the district, respectively.

Sunrise Isles
The Sunrise Isles are three smaller islands to the east of Kairos, and are home to the vacation, family, and second homes of many of the powerful and ultra rich of Kairos. Artemas is the northernmost island, Apolum is the central island, and Dionus is the southernmost island. The islands are connected by two bridges known as the East and West Bridges respectively. They are home to members of the nobility, the wealthy, and the Clergy alike, with homes of the various powerful classes intermingled throughout the islands.

The Sunrise Isles comprise a single praecinctum.

Religion
Since the founding of Kairos in 0 AK, only the Olympic pantheon was recognized by the city-state, with all other deities being outlawed. As of 2320 AK, all such laws have been repealed. Since then, several prominent pantheons and deities have established temples in Alembas. Despite legal freedoms, worshipers of deities outside of the Olympic pantheon are still sometimes met with discrimination from the public and officials alike, though opinions vary by social class and age of residents.

Flag
The design of the Kairosian flag carries great meaning for the city. The original design depicted a crowned phoenix, representing a city reborn after the Cataclysm, with the chaos of the flame tamed, its power turned to creation, to order and progress. At some point, five stripes were added to the background, three blue and two white, symbolizing the columns so common to Kairosian architecture. Over the years, the flag has changed, the crown replaced by the current three diamonds, standing in for the three branches of government, and the background simplified to use only three stripes.