The coalition restructuring meeting lasted six hours, every settlement leader present either physically or through messenger relay, the political entity that started as desperate alliance becoming something closer to actual nation-state through deliberate organization.
"We need formal structure," Misha presented documentation to the assembled representatives, "fifteen thousand people across thirteen territories can't operate on informal agreements and personal relationships, administrative systems require clarity about who decides what and how resources flow."
Gareth supported the proposal despite his usual preference for military over political solutions. "Misha's right, we're getting complaints from new settlements about unequal resource distribution, trade disputes between territories, conflicting patrol schedules, problems that require systematic resolution."
