New Orleans (Days After Chaos)

The Most Serene Republic of New Orleans is a trading nation located around the city of New Orleans. Located at the mouth of the Great River (Mississippi River), and spanning north along the banks of the river. The easternmost border extends along the Pascagoula Bay, north along the Great River until the confluence of the Arkansas River, and west along the Neches River, including Port Arthur.

The Republic of New Orleans is a noted trade power, with powerful rivalries with the Tampanian Republic in the far east, the Republic of Mobile in the near east, and the Galvestonian Maritime Republic in the west.

Early History
The history of New Orleans can be traced back to the Great Settlement, a period where many other important regional cities such as Mobile, Tampa, and Galveston were founded. Much of New Orleans' early history was lost during the Chaos,

Government and Politics
The government of the Most Serene Republic of New Orleans is an Oligarchic Trade Republic, led by the Grands Congrès du Conseil, a bicameral legislature comprised of the Sénat and the Conseil des Dix.

The government meets from the months of April to September, with emergency sessions being able to be called by either the Doge-Chairman or the Executive.

Another interesting feature of Nouveau Orleanian government is that either house of the legislature can pass legislation which must be enforced. The legal system follows a complex system of canonical laws which cannot be replaced but by approval of the majority of both houses.

Conseil des Dix
The Conseil des Dix, or the Council of Ten, is the de facto highest body of the Grands Congrès du Conseil. Made up of the patriarch of each of the ten richest, and therefore the ten most powerful, Nouveau Orleanian families.

The primary purpose of the Conseil des Dix is to protect and enlarge the powers of the mercantile elite of New Orleans. Considered to have a vital function in Nouveau Orleanian government, the Conseil des Dix tends to operate primarily from an economic and foreign affairs standpoint, allowing criminal and local laws to be determined in the Sénat.

The head of state of the Most Serene Republic of New Orleans (the Doge-Chairman) is the head of the Conseil des Dix. The election of the Doge-Chairman takes place at the death of the reigning Doge-Chairman and is elected amongst the nine remaining Patriarchs, with run-off elections being held if needed.

The ten patriarchs that comprise the Conseil des Dix in the current year are (in alphabetical order):

Sénat
The Sénat is the second of the two parts of the Grands Congrès du Conseil, and typically viewed as the lower of the two bodies, although they share de jure equality. The head of the Sénat is the Executive, who is elected from the populace along with the entirety of the Sénat.

Each Sénateur, as legislators are called, are elected every six years by district.