The Sharehold

The Sharehold is the governmental body apointed by the monarch of the Isles of Anvil.

Qualification
To qualify for a seat within the Sharehold one must my a steep tithe to the monarch, so much so it is often rare for individuals to sit within the body. Rather, the system encourages crews of ships or mercenary bands to contribute shares toward the tithe to allow an appointed representitive of theirs to represent them during the meetings of the Sharehold. This is most often a high ranking member of the crew such as the captain or quartermaster.

Traditional Role
The role of the Sharehold is detirmined by each sitting monarch as is their whim, but a precident set during most reigns grants them a rather large share of the decision making power within the territory. A majority of monarchs within the island nation's history have lent all legal, structral, and international power to the Sharehold and focused their efforts on social and moral tasks that affect their people, such as charity and public building work.

Current Role
Under the rule of King Helmus Morn the role of the Sharehold has decreased dramatically and now functions as little more than a mark of prestige.