Much of Taldor is run not by the aristocracy, but by a growing bureaucracy that has its roots in the city-state councils and city elders of the dawn of the Empire. Over centuries, the bureaucracy was molded into a direct representative of the Crown, independent from but subordinate to the aristocracy. For the last few centuries, it has become less and less independent, and in some cases a noble may hold a bureaucratic rank in addition to his noble rank.
Tribune: roughly equivalent to a mayor, tribunes administer the cities, towns, villages, and hamlets of Taldor. They deal directly with the problems of the citizenry, handle trade and taxes, provide for guards, and arbitrate disputes between citizens of their settlement. Traditionally, a tribune is elected by the prominent citizens of a settlement and approved by the Crown, but today many are simply appointed by the local noble.
Sheriff: subordinate to a tribune, sheriffs are principally concerned with crime in a settlement. They are empowered to arrest citizens for breaking laws, hold serious lawbreakers for trial, and administering the very well documented punishments for minor crimes.