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 leave a steading or striding simply to follow a new leader. The fact that they can do this at any time, however, 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.

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. 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.

Leading a territory

The Navarr appoint the Senator for a territory by communal agreement. 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 individual with the most support become senator for the territory.

Only Navarr who are members of a steading or striding that is associated with the territory may take part in the process. Although stridings travel around the Empire, most return to the same territory at least once a year. Any individual or group who has recently taken part in choosing a Senator who then moves territory is forbidden from taking part again until a year has passed.

Navarr Senators have a reputation for tactical voting. They accrue political capital with 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.