Brock's Toll

Overview

Custodianship of Brock's Toll is an Imperial title awarded to either a Marcher or Dawnish citizen. It is a National position, appointed through a unique method, granting custodianship of a sinecure in a Navarr territory.

Responsibilities

The title holder is expected to ensure that Brock's Bridge remains open to Dawnish and Marcher yeofolk alike. The actual job of maintaining the bridge falls to civil servants and local labourers, the majority of them Navarr. They charge a small toll for yeofolk of whichever nation does not control the bridge, which both provides the sinecure for the title holder, and goes toward the irregualr repairs on the bridge and the paths leading to it.

Powers

Small Income

As a sinecure, Brock's Toll provides an income drawn from the tolls paid by yeofolk using the bridge.

The holder of the sinecure receives 16 Crowns and 4 Rings in income each season.

Appointment

The title is selected by a tourney during the Summer Solstice. Five Marcher yeomen face five Dawnish yeofolk in a brutal, non-lethal fight with the last competitor standing claiming the proceeds of Brock's Toll in the coming year.

The title can only be held by a Marcher, or by a Dawnish yeofolk. In the event that a Dawnish yeofolk holder of the title becomes a noble, they are expected to immediately surrender the title.

The title is appointed annually. The Keeper of Brock's Toll can be revoked by the General Assembly, the Assembly of the Nine, and by the National Assembly of either the Marches or Dawn, depending on the nationality of the title holder

Brock's Toll

Brock's Toll is a famous toll bridge situated roughly halfway between Dawn and the Marches, but historically claimed by both. While it isn't much used by wealthy merchants or nobles, the road that this bridge lies on carries most of the agricultural traffic between Dawn and the Marches. Traditionally, the operator of the Toll was allowed to claim one sack from each cart's load but in 295YE this was adjusted in favour of a small toll paid by the yeofolk of whichever nation did not win the tourney.

The bridge is so old that when it was first constructed the Vallorn still controlled most of Miaren. In the early days of the Empire this site changed hands between the two nations several times, often with violence. Even when Earls and Stewards forbade their people to fight, rowdy yeofolk would often take matters into their own hands and the Navarr soon became sick of breaking up scuffles over ownership.

Eventually the Imperial Senate took matters into their own hand and decreed that ownership of the Toll would be decided by an annual competition of arms between the yeofolk who were so eager to fight. In time this evolved into the modern practice of the Brock's Buffet - a brutal (nonlethal) five-aside melee with only one winner left standing to claim ownership for the coming year.

Since 372 YE the Buffet has been won by the Marches. This is something of a thorn in the pride of the Dawnish yeofolk.