Population Centres

In the Merebian Empire the gathering of taxes is an important function of the government and, as such, records of population centres and their inhabitants are kept.

A census is taken once every 20 years and everyone who is a permanent resident within the Empire is expected to record their name, occupation and location.

The Empire taxes each population according to their population and designation. The designation given to a population centre is important because it directly affects how much protection is afforded by the Imperial Army. The 'higher' the designation, the more men are stationed at nearby forts and the higher the 'per person' rate of tax. Hence all population centres seek to 'game' the system as much as possible; keeping the number of people low enough to achieve a higher designation but not too high so as to attract excessive taxes. Population centres can 'offset' their taxes by investing in structures that reduce the economic burden to, and increase the glory of, the Empire.

Population centres are, typically, classified as follows:

• Hamlet - any collection of dwellings with a combined permanent population of freemen and slaves less than 70.
• Village - any collection of dwellings with a total population of humanoids in excess of 70 but less than 750. A village pays less in tax if it erects simple defences and has a town watch.
• Town - any collection of dwelling with a total population in excess of 750 but less than 12,000. A town pays less in tax if it erects permanent defences, has a town watch and actively participates in maintaining local infrastructure (roads, aqueducts).
• City - a population centre becomes a city if it has a population in excess of 12,000. A city pays less in tax if it has permanent stone defences; has a permanent town watch of no less than 3% of the population (30 per thousand); participates in maintaining all local infrastructure within 10km; has a public forum and civic space; has at least one temple per 1,000 humanoids.