By Ryan St
Precise, austere, mathematical city built high and filled with many hanging gardens. Calligraphy important part of public art.
Emjou is starkly different from Denayir in this one way: While Cheneth allows, and even encourages small powerbases to develop under him (as in the case for trade consortiums), Meccon does not tolerate any kind of power groups forming that do not have the God-King as their ultimate sovereign and benefactor.
The templar class in Emjou is the strongest of all the cities - they have arbitrary powers of arrest and are almost entirely self-regulated. This level of power has been abused in the past - but since corruption in the templar class is treated just as treason in the military, the level of regulation appears to keep these abuses in check.
The noble class is entirely held within the military - there is no distinction between military ranks and noble classes, and thus in Emjou a soldier has the greatest hope for advancement. This has helped Meccon attract the greatest martial talents in the world.
The miliatry/noble and templar classes do not clash, because they have different areas of influence - literally. Templars regulate cities and the satellite towns of Emjou, while the military dominate the smaller settlements, forts, and other lands beyond. Rank privileges within the military are such that even the lowest military man can keep his family on a military farm - it's simply determined in advance that these farms are outside of the templars control (just as the city and towns are outside the military's control).
Emjou's laws are harsh and absolute - judges (that is, mid-ranking templars) exist to verify the occurance of a crime; they have no leeway with regards to sentencing once the crime has been verified. The word "guilt" is not part of Emjou's judicial system. The harshest penalties are for the following four crimes:
1. Treason 2. Corruption (public official) 3. Perjury 4. Murder
All of the above are punished by various forms of the death penalty.
A seperate code covers non-citizens within Emjou's borders.
Although outsiders might be inclined to see Emjou as a state without any kind of legislative activity, this is far from the case. Although he drafts and enacts all laws himself, Meccon meets with the highest order of his templars on a monthly basis to discuss policy - and unlike other God-Kings, he actually listens to what they have to say. Although his vision remains steadfast, he knows that the path to that vision is not always clear, and for this reason he continually ensures a strong flow of information is brought to him. Meccon has learned that short-term plans can be tested out in advance by being capable of accepting contrary points of view - although always in the most private forum. Meccon holds similar policy meetings with his military classes and Movidi on a monthly basis.
Ethnic makeup: While Emjou's ethnic makeup would be statistically similar to Denayir's, these ethnicities are far less stratified by class (although the setting tendencies remain the same). Templars include members of every race, and the population of Kardi freemen and merchants is larger than any other city. As for the slave class, it is again relatively diverse - although still predominately defined by mixed-race Kardi, for obvious reasons.
Architecture: The architecture of Emjou is a study in mathematical precision; most notable are the roads within the city - they are paved with thick, interlocking bricks. Archways, and columns are also common, but most striking is the city's height - Meccon's study of architecture has resulted in a city where most of the buildings within the walls are between three and seven stories. Perfect squares and circles dominate the city's layout.
