View source for Fynwell Political Factions

Fynwell has a number of rivaling political factions, all of which fight for power and influence in all the branches of the government.

== Factions and Positions ==

Below are the largest, and most important factions:

=== Iron Gate Society === 

Iron Gate Society are Isolationists. 

They want self sufficient city, closed borders and expulsion of foreigners (or at the very least banning foreigners from entering the inner districts). They want strict limits on trade with the outside world and oppose hostile actions in foreign land. They want do dissolve the legions, and dismantle the Ministry of War, handing over the control of the army to the Ministry of Defense.

Their symbol is a locked gate. 

Iron Gate Society is lead by [[Lord Bullworth]].

=== Cavaliers === 

Cavaliers are Expansionists.

They want Fynwell to expand and keep growing. They advocate for conquering the neighboring states and for organizing hostile raids on the enemy nations to loot their riches and weaken their military power and influence. They seek more funding for the military, and favor aggressive, ruthless and unyielding foreign policy.

Their symbol is mounted knight. 

The Cavaliers are lead by [[Lord Gruzwell]].

=== Velvet Rose Society === 

Velvet Rose are Mercantiles. 

They want increased trade, open borders and friendly relations with neighbors. They oppose hostile actions in foreign lands, and favor cooperative foreign policy that will foster trade.

Their symbol is a red rose. 

The Velvet rose is Lead by [[Lord Fairmoth]].

=== The White Hand === 

The White Hand are Populists. 

They want to dismantle the House of Lords and the Small Council and have elected ministers and redistribute tax funds from the rich districts to aid the poor and starving masses in downtrodden districts such as Dog Fenn. They champions of the poor and the opressed. They are a vocal Senate minority. 

Their symbol is a white palm print.

The White Hand is lead by [[Senator Brixby]].

=== The Golden Chalice Society === 

The Golden Chalice are Monarchists

They oppose the rule of the mob and want more power for the lords and seek to strengthen the office of the Mayor, extending its term indefinitely, and making the title hereditary. 

Their symbol is a golden chalice. 

The Golden Chalice is lead by [[Lord Brexton]].

=== The Brass Lion Society === 

The Brass Lions are Statists. 

They are ultra-conservative faction that opposes any and all reforms or changes to the way the city is governed. They are mostly an obstructionist minority party that will vote no on just about anything. They don't really have a strong political views other than their contrarian stance and desire to maintain the status quo and preserve the city as is. 

Their symbol is a brass lion. 

The Brass Lions are lead by [[Lord Rigel]].

== Balance of Power ==

At the moment the Velvet Rose has gained power in the Senate by creating an uneasy alliance with the Golden Chalice and Lions. They rely on the fact that Cavaliers and Iron Gate usually disagree on most issues so they have very small majority in the House of Lords.

The House of Commons is more or less evenly split and votes according to party lines, but The White Hand is a wild card and if you get their vote you can push almost anything through.

The Small Council is very skewed towards Velvet Rose because they are friendly to Guild Leaders but Vicars tend to be all over the place with respect to voting records as they have always been. They are inscrutable and answer only to their deities. White Hand has strong presence at the Small Council because many Vicars and Councillors are commoners and favor their politics.