Navarr leadership

Throughout their history the Navarr have always adapted and followed the most suitable people required to meet the challenges of the time. It is expected that their leaders will be brands. The Navarr see leadership as an important but onerous responsibility, with the leaders viewed as servants of the community. Although not all brands are leaders, Navarr who persistently try to offer leadership to others who haven't become brands are regarded with suspicion. The purpose of leadership is to give direction to the community, it should be for the benefit of everyone in the striding or steading - in the Navarr eyes you can't be a fit and proper leader unless you have become a brand first.

Rather than formally appoint their leaders, the Navarr follow those brands whose leadership seems wisest and most effective. The Navarr have no need of mechanisms to remove their leaders, since their leaders have no formal authority, their importance comes from the people who elect to follow them and do what they say. If a leaders makes unwise decisions, if people have become so unhappy with the leadership they have, then they are expected to find themselves a new leader.

In theory, the leadership of a striding or steading is totally fluid - in practice the Navarr are not gadflies, they understand that leadership is difficult and arduous and that leaders must often make unpopular decisions. Most Navarr strive to give their leaders as much support as they can and it is relatively rare for them to move from one steading or striding to another simply to follow a new leader. But the fact that they can do this at any time underpins their social system, the Navarr feel it ensures their leaders stay focussed on serving their community but also helps to prevent grumbling or whining about decisions that have been made. Individuals are expected to either support their brands leadership or move to follow a different brand.

In a striding, the brands deal with the protection and supply of the group, and make decisions about where to travel. In a steading, the brands provides leadership and government. When Navarr groups meet, the brands usually cooperate or choose to follow one of their number who seems to offer effective overall leadership if that is required. It is common for a larger community of Navarr to have more than one brand providing leadership, each with an area of responsibility or specialism. Such communities operate either through the informal co-operation of the brands, or employ a system where the brand whose responsibilities apply most appropriately to the current crisis takes the lead.

Leading a territory

Within the Empire there are three forests claimed by the Navarr that are so large that they define a territory. Most of the Navarr steadings are found within these forests. The lands are governed by the Navarr who appoint Senators by communal agreement. The Navarr use a simple process, gathering together everyone with an interest and then those who would speak for the territory step forward. Once the candidates are clear, the Navarr present choose who to stand behind. The process is very fluid, it is common for individuals and groups to move to coalesce support where it appears to be most effective. Once it is clear that everyone has made a choice, the individuals with the most support become senator for those territories being contested.

Navarr Senators have a reputation for careful and considered voting. They try to operate by accruing political capital from Senators of other nations which they use on key votes, either for the good of Navarr as a nation or for the Empire as a whole. Their reputation for impartiality predates the formation of the Empire and a Navarr Empress or Emperor is often chosen in times of internal strife.