Last week we finished delving into the families that comprise the Fresian Merchant League, that behemoth that seems to consume everything it touches. However it is not the only power in the city of Middelburg.
In the streets they call them the Six Princes of Middelburg. They aren’t actually Princes and there aren’t just Six of them, but symbolism is often more important than accuracy. The Six Princes are the six institutions which, together, control every aspect of life, not only in Middelburg, but in the entire nation of Alfresia. From the legislative to the judicial, the economical to the military, and even the two dominant religions, these Six Princes rule over the nominally free nation with an iron fist.
The Fresian Merchant League is one of the Princes, with the three Patriarchs and the Matriarch of the Four Governing Families acting as its liaisons. Not all businesses and stores in Alfresia are owned by the League, not for lack of trying mind you, but none can argue against the fact that League sets the economical policies of that nation. As the saying goes: whether you like them or not, eventually everyone ends up working for the League.
Next week we’ll look into the Prince that holds the executioners blade in Alfresia.