[quote=@rush99999]
[@Polybius]

So our character can be anyone so long as they're influential within the city, yes?
[/quote]

Right. I'm looking to the medieval Italian republics like Genoa, Florence, Venice etc. For inspiration. The ruling class had a much more precarious financial situation because they relied on trade rather than traditional agrarian sources. This is why you rarely see dynasties emerge throughout italian history, power simply shifted too often. They also relied on the church and certain patronages to maintain power. Hope that helps. We can also work out character concepts in the ooc. And if you get bored with one character you can always make up a new one.