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Countries in fantasy have governments. The type of government that runs it depends on what form it is and there are quite a few of them. Regardless of what type it is, one thing is for sure, government employees will need places for them to work in. These places are known as fantasy government buildings.
Just like their real-world counterparts, government buildings are essential to overseeing a nation. They provide a wide diversity of services, from collecting taxes to establishing import and export quotas. Moreover, they interact with the citizens in many different ways.
There is no singular building that houses everything. Rather, there’s a plethora of fantasy government buildings, each with their own purpose. Their job is to ensure that the rules and regulations of the land are followed to the letter which can, and will, cause trouble among the population.
Whether the country is led by a monarch or an elected official, government buildings in fantasy play different roles. Though all bureaucrats’ paramount duty is to safeguard their country, they also have other functions such as establishing official policies that those affected must follow. Policies like how much food should be set aside for the coming winter or be sold to other nations are created and updated every year.
When it comes to the world, fantasy government buildings are the de facto representatives of their country. Tasked with the administration of the country, they are expected to faithfully implement the agenda of the person in charge as well as collaborating with those who live within it to put the country on the path to prosperity.
This is article number thirty-two in the fantasy buildings series. For more, take a look at our blog page where you’ll surely find something that catches your eye!
Governments in fantasy come in many different forms like a republic or dictatorship. No matter what type it is, a government will need official places for its employees to work in. While the majority of these buildings are found within the capital, there are some that are in other cities, depending on their function.
One type of fantasy government buildings is the tax office. While there are many tax offices across the land, one in each city or district, they are considered part of the overall treasury and send the money they collect from the local residents to the capital. The people who work in these offices are charged with ensuring that the locals comply with the government’s tax policies.
Another kind you’ll see in many places are military buildings such as the barracks. Soldiers are assigned to guard cities and towns and in some cases, they act as the law enforcement of the land. They follow orders from their commander, who in turn receives orders from the top brass in the capital.
Courthouses are another kind of fantasy government buildings found all over the nation. Judges preside over cases that involve all kinds of disputes and act as an impartial arbitrator. The verdicts they issue are official and both sides must abide by the decision, regardless whether they agree with it or not.
Local offices include the mayor’s official residence, the city council, and that of the governor. They run the day-to-day management of towns and cities — and the state/province — and are the ones the citizens interact the most with. However, they are expected to follow whatever rules the national government establishes and implement them with all due process.
Last and not the least, there are legislative bodies. Commonly found in republics and democracies, they are either elected or appointed by local politicians and make laws that affect everyone within their sphere of influence. Some are local, serving a state, district, or province whereas others are national.
Government buildings in fantasy play a role in leading the nation. They each have their own purpose, their own agenda, which may conflict with that of another agency or the residents of the realm. Whether a king sits on the throne or an oligarchy is in power, the government has several functions, all of which are enshrined within their buildings.
First and foremost is protecting their people. Soldiers and other law enforcement personnel are tasked with the responsibility of keeping their people safe from criminals or in times of war, enemy armies or hostile factions. Furthermore, they’re empowered to arrest lawbreakers and hold them in the brig. Barracks and similar law enforcement buildings are used for this purpose.
Countries need money for many things like funding the military or buying things from other nations and they get it from the taxes they collect from their citizens as well as the tariffs from other places. Buildings like the tax and customs offices are used for this purpose and are located all over. Agents collect the taxes and send them to the appropriate location, either the capital of the realm or state/province.
The third common function of fantasy government buildings is administrative purposes. Duties like keeping records of where people live and formulating and implementing policies based on new laws and regulations are part and parcel of the administrative state. All government buildings do these duties to ensure that everything is up-to-date.
Forming strategic partnerships with outside companies or individuals is another thing government buildings do. The type of partnership depends on the agency involved. For instance, the military may have companies that manufacture the uniforms soldiers wear or tax agents may contract with bounty hunters to apprehend those who refuse to hand over the money they owe. Having partnerships frees up resources and personnel that can then be used for other purposes.
As part of the infrastructure of the government, these buildings establish and shape a nation’s policies, both domestically and on the international stage. The people who work within these hallowed halls are considered official representatives of the realm, both in the eyes of the citizenry and other countries.
Domestically, fantasy government buildings are where bureaucrats at all levels diligently carry out the country’s leader’s policies. Only those buildings can work on the policies that fall within their sphere of influence. For example, all changes in the realm’s tax policy go through all buildings that are part of the department of the treasury or its equivalence, not any other structure.
In these buildings, bureaucrats have meetings with the public where they listen to their opinions on issues like financing a road expansion that will affect local residents or discussing selling land in the hopes of jumpstarting development. Conversing with the public gives bureaucrats an idea of the overall public sentiment, which will affect the ease in which these projects proceed.
Fantasy government buildings also play a role when it comes to other countries. As official representatives of the realm, government workers meet with their foreign counterparts to discuss the issues that fall within their purview. They seek unity on the issues they have in common though they may quibble on how to get there.
Negotiations between countries typically occur in governmental agencies. Many of these negotiations tend to be low-level and mundane, however there will be times where the leaders take the reins. The leaders enter a lengthy session of high-stakes negotiations as they strive to make sure their country comes out ahead. These tense meetings can last for hours and days!
Fantasy government buildings keep the country functioning. Their workers uphold the laws and regulations of the land and work assiduously to ensure that everyone who lives within their realm is faithfully following them. They also enact new policies that will affect people’s lives.
There’s not just one kind of government building. Instead, there are many different kinds like the barracks or the legislature. They each play an unique role in both the government and the management of the nation. Having them in your world goes a long way in making it feel real to your audience.
There are several common functions fantasy government buildings provide. One of which is to protect the realm from those that intend to do it harm. To keep their people safe, buildings like the barracks act as part of the nation’s overall law enforcement. These common functions enables them to focus on the things that matter the most to them.
Regarding the world, government buildings take on an important role. Bureaucrats interact with the public on a number of matters to gauge public sentiment about potential projects or hear ideas about how to solve a problem. Internationally, they meet with their foreign counterparts to discuss the issues they have in common or to find a way to make a deal that is satisfactory to both sides.
Bringing fantasy government buildings into your world is a superb way to make it feel more real since government employees play a role, whether they be collecting taxes or something else, and they need places to work in. If you haven’t given
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