Editing What Thunder Brings (section)

==Bright Council==
The Bright Council is an assembly of communities and powers formed of the various cooperating peoples. The Council is several centuries old and is extremely proud of the fact that it has never waged a war of conquest, instead expanding by reasoned diplomacy (and perhaps also by econonic pressure and the occasional 'defensive war until the enemy is willing to talk'). It is one of three major nations on the continent, and the only one that allows people of any race to join.

Bright Council lands are divided into provinces, representing at first historic powers that made up the council, and later planned colonial zones on the frontier.  Each province elects a Councillor to the Bright Council, who serves a five year term. The Council appoints an Administrator to each province. In the older provinces, the Administrator serves as an overlay to the local government, but in the frontier provinces they act as the head of the local government.  Cities within a province elect their own Mayors, who may have a council of elected Aldermen serving under them.  Rural areas within a province are divided into Districts, who elect Ministers to serve under the Administrator.

There are a number of standing bureaus serving the Council, headed up by Committees of Councillors.