Draft: The high laws of Elwynn

[Scott Alexander]

Monty?

In the name of Elwynn the White Orchid Lady, who looks upon her hapless followers with maternal love and pity, who views all their feuds and fighting just like quarrels among children, and who longs for her family to be reunited once again; and in the names of all the gods and goddess and godlings of Eluin and Sxiro, of Mors the stern and terrible, of Zurvan full of fire, of Truth and Beauty cold and clear, of Odin the one-eyed and all-seeing, and of a bull made out of butter. In the name of all these gods and goddesses and all those we have yet to name, We the assembled people of of Elwynn, Flower of the North, Jewel of Many Facets, Land Between The Rivers; we the proud marchwardens of Sxiro, Ancient of Days, Mother of Empires, Seat of Death; we bind ourselves and our lands by this the High Law of Elwynn.

ARTICLE ONE: THE CAPITAL

Eliria is the spiritual and cultural capital of Elwynn. Because Eliria is in rebellion against the Golden Mango Throne, Dragonskeep is the temporary political capital of Elwynn.

ARTICLE TWO: THE DUKE

In Dragonskeep shall reside the Duke of Elwynn, and his titles shall be His Grace the Duke of Elwynn, Lord of the Two Rivers and the Six Peoples, Warden of the North. The symbols of his office shall be three: the Orchid Coronet, the Antler Scepter, and the Carapace Torc.

The Duke may rule by decree, subject only to those restrictions placed upon him by this Code and by the Elwmoot.

ARTICLE THREE: THE COUNTS AND MARCHES

There will be three non-hereditary Counts of Elwynn: the Sheikh of the Babki of al-Ribat Eluinshahr; the High Priest of Joy in Hyperborea, and the Prince of the Eastern Elw. The Duke of Elwynn may create new non-hereditary Countships, or elevate citizens of noble heart and worthy deeds to the status of hereditary Count.

At his pleasure, the Duke may assign each Count a single County, or a single County and a surrounding March of several nearby Counties. A Count who holds a March may take the title of Marchwarden, and bears the sacred duty of defending the borders of Sxiro against the enemies and traitors who surround it.

ARTICLE FOUR: THE ELWMOOT

The assembly of all the nobles of Elwynn will continue to be the Council of Eliria, established in the days of Duke Harald of the One Track Mind. For the duration of the current crisis, while the Council is not physically located in Eliria, it may be called by the alternative name of "the Elwmoot".

The Elwmoot will meet in Dragonskeep once a year on Rugala to discuss happenings across the land and resolve its differences. The decisions of the Elwmoot will be the supreme law of Elwynn beneth only that of the Duke.

The procedures of the Elwmoot shall begin as those described in the body's original Rules of Order, but may be adapted by the nobles of the Elwmoot to fit the needs of the current era.

The Elwmoot is the only body which may alter or revoke these High Laws, which it may do only by a supermajority vote.

ARTICLE FIVE: PRIVILEGES OF THE DUKE

The Duke of Elwynn has the privilege of ruling by decree, subject only to the Imperial Law of Shirekeep.

The Duke of Elwynn has the privilege of, when convenient, consulting the Elwmoot on important issues, or delegating to them authority over certain affairs.

The Duke of Elwynn has the privilege to appoint zir own heir. Should a Duke of Elwynn ever die or abdicate without having chosen an heir, the Elwmoot may choose a new Duke by a 66% supermajority. If the Elwmoot cannot agree on a Duke after twenty years, the matter will be referred to the Kaiser and his choice will be final.

The Duke of Elwynn has the privilege to expect active and responsible subordinates. Should a Lesser Noble vanish without warning, the Duke may spend two generations (sixty years) trying to find a suitable heir of zir line to take over zir position. Should no heir arise within sixty years, the Duke may declare that noble legally dead and do as ze wishes with zir lands and titles.

ARTICLE SIX: PRIVILEGES OF THE NOBILITY

All nobles have the privilege to enjoy the fruits of their own good governance, or suffer the consequences of their own malfeasance, in their own County. The Duke of Elwynn may grant or revoke authority over Marches at will, but ze may not unseat a Count from zir own County without the consent of a supermajority of the Elwmoot.

All nobles have the privilege of serving under a Duke whom they respect. Any noble who loses confidence in the Duke of Elwynn may propose a vote for that Duke's removal, which passes upon approval of a majority of the Elwmoot.

All nobles have the privilege of serving an active and responsive Duke. Should a Duke of Elwynn ever vanish, the Duchy will wait twenty years in hope of zir safe return. After twenty years, the Duke will be declared legally dead and a replacement will be sought. The Duke will not be reinstated if ze returns after this time.

ARTICLE SEVEN: PRIVILEGES OF THE COMMONERS

All commoners have the privilege of freedom of movement within and without Elwynn. This means that those who wish to emigrate to a different county, Duchy, or nation, or even to lands in rebellion against the Crown, may do so without interference except where prohibited by Imperial Law.

All commoners have the privilege to practice the non-infernal religion of their choice. Infernal religions, defined as those which actively aid and abet the demons of Balgurd, or which engage in metaphysically disruptive activities that threaten the integrity of dimensional boundaries ("high magic") are strictly prohibited under penalty of death or extradition to the hands of the Piscatores, whichever is worse.

All commoners have the privilege of freedom from slavery and involuntary servitude. Any slave who enters the Duchy is immediately free by Duchy law, and any escaped slave who reaches the Duchy will be protected and resettled within.

All commoners have the privilege to live under an enlightened aristocracy, free from crooked politicians and mob rule.

All commoners have the privilege of swift, efficient, and impartial justice.

All commoners have the privilege to be considered for promotion to the nobility if they show exceptional valor, intelligence, dedication, or other suitably noble qualities.

ARTICLE EIGHT: POLICY TOWARD REBELS

All Elw have both the sacred duty to strive towards a strong and loyal Elwynn united under the Crown that first raised it from barbarism millennia ago, and the sacred duty to treat other Elw peacefully and compassionately regardless of their political misdeeds or their participation in rebel factions. Determining the proper balance between these two duties is left as an exercise for the reader.

ARTICLE NINE: RELATIONSHIP WITH SHIREKEEP

Elwynn is a loyal fiefdom of His Niftiness the Kaiser of Shireroth.

If in extreme circumstances, Elwynn ever needs to consider secession from the Imperial Republic, either to become independent or to join a foreign power, all nobles of Elwynn must be consulted in the decision and must have equal say.

Raikoth retains special permission to secede from the Imperial Republic as accorded it in the treaty between Kaiser Raynor X and Prince-Elder Sethi Kalirion in the seventeenth century ASC, but ought to consult with the Duke and the Elwmoot before exercising this privilege.

ARTICLE TEN: SYMBOLS OF THE DUCHY

The shield of Elwynn shall be a snowcapped range of mountains with a river issuing from the center, with an orchid blooming above, like so.

The animal of Elwynn shall be the Polar Bear, the bird the Swan, and the tree the Silver Birch.

The flag of Elwynn shall be three horizontal bands of white (top), blue (double width), and white with a white orchid in the center.

[Scott Alexander]

By the way, Ric, I made the "Prince of the Eastern Elw" a non-hereditary Count, but I have no idea if this figure even exists. I notice you used the term "Prince of the Elw" even before secession, as if this were some sort of local or tribal figure, but I don't know anything about what it means.

Do you think it's likely that the Elw remaining in Shireroth have chosen a new Prince? Would that be Elijah Danielion? Or how exactly does that position work?

[Kaspar]

Looks nice! I'll comment more later.

Ísur-Ai was the Prince of the Elw of the Northern Reaches (Cape Farewell) so perhaps you could have Prince of the Elw of the Eastern Reaches?

[Kaspar]

When the Elw speak of princes, it is a figure like a chieftain, only that he is selected from the local tribe. Isur-Ai was Prince of the Elw in the Northern Reaches, and his oath, in old traditional style, said:

"Hear you me! I am Ísur-Ai; I have heard you, my people, your call. You have charged me to lead you. I have stood before you on top of the highest rock of the Rocks of the Farewell of the Reaches. I have ripped my clothes off for you and have stood naked before you, as naked as I was upon the hour of my first breath. I have let you cut my wrists; for you and before you I have bled."

I could have used a tribal chieftain word, but I chose Prince since it sounds noble. I've always thought of the Elw as a nomadic people who are "noble savages". I would assume that there are very few nomadic Elw back.

When it comes to religion, Elw believe in a pantheon of gods or powers, of which Elwynn and Lest are the important ones. Those gods are "imported" and may not always correspond with the Treesians... Hm, I should write something up of Elw culture!

[Kaiser Loki IV]

Prince makes sense, from princeps. More obvious as Furst (first) as in "first among equals".

[Monty]

Signed by my hand as Duke of Elwynn.

I do have other ideas for Elwynn playing on its history which I will put forward to the Council of Eliria in due course. I will be considering appointing Counts in the near future. All applications should be lodged in this thread.

[Kaiser Ayreon II]

Very nice!