Thirewynian Empire
"Our forefathers aspired for an empire that spanned not only the continent, but it's people. They sought to expand our borders and influence from the Abeccean (sea) to the Lucent (sea). They believed in a empire that would rival not only that of their neighbors, but that could only be rivaled by the gods. Today, with the long worked towards annexetion of the Reachmen, and the sitting of our newest (Elder) Councilmen, the day has come that the age of man enters a new era. United, dignified, and unrivaled. The Empire of Ander Forwith, and Ambross Elylia before him, could not dream of the heights of our new power. We shall usher in a new era, and with it, a new achievement must be set for us to one day exceed yet again." - Silas Fontaine, 3898
Imperial History and Roots:
At its core, the 'empire' of Thirewyn is a Republic, with some exceptions due to the nature of how the empire officially came to be in conquest over the course of a thousand years since its initial formation. The modern-day provinces on Thirewyn are not always entirely portrayed or represent the borders of the kingdoms throughout history, and in some cases through wars between kingdoms even before the formation of the Thirewynian Empire in its earliest concept in 3,225 the borders that you see representing the modern day provinces have changed hands many times. In the war between the Elylian Empire (prelude to the Riverlands) against the Edington Confederation (prelude to the Vale), which lasted for half a century, official borders and cultural borders changed hands many times until finally settling to something similar to its modern day borders. A reason why some provinces today have larger or more misshaped swaves of land is for this same reason. While it would be hard to argue that the loose confederation of likeminded peoples of the modern day Plainlands province in during the same time period was close to being its own kingdom, they found it much easier to both gain, as well as loose, land due to the nature of it's more easily traversable environment in comparison to other provinces in which are known for more mountainous regions. Hence, while it was easy to claim open land and add it to a 'cultural border' or 'sphere of influence', it was much harder to defend such terrain against enemies with greater numbers and resources, and could easily become besieged in most any major settlement and become helpless to defend themselves. As a result, in later years, they would attempt to often work with other kingdoms and the empire itself through trade and negotiation to ensure their cultural survival. However as time went on, the empire that was once operated with the intent of expansion and control slowly became more open to outside inclusion. While the Elylian Empire was officially created and named after Ambross Elylia and later was passed on to his son, in 3,306 Surgis Elylia dies, with no heirs to the throne to rule the kingdom. As a result, the entire kingdom nearly collapsed. Several coups for power were staged in the year after Surgis' death, however a well-known respected military general of the campaign against the Edington Confederation ended up in a permanent position of power through the support of the military, which was still was fighting a war with the Confederation. As a result of the chaos and need for stabilization, many lives and gains were lost to the Confederation during their biggest offensive to date in the war, taking advantage of the shambling empire, and possibly costing the empire a military victory against the Confederation, though they would eventually be annexed into the empire several centuries later after years of peace and trade bolstering both government's economies.One of the biggest changes, if not the biggest, the empire had ever seen was the decree and reorganization of the government by (unknown) Forwith, the general who had managed to take control of the power vacuum that the Elylian bloodline had left behind. A number of both governmental and social policy changes came about during a short period of time, and became the cornerstone of the modern-day Thirewynian empire. Of these changes, none more were more important than the structural change of the government itself. While up until that point the Elylian dynasty had ruled as monarchs, a sort of Republic was adopted for the newly reformed government. With these changes, a high king, or emperor, would remain in power for the remainder of his life, unless removed otherwise or resigned from their post. In this position, they would be able to declare war, make peace, determine governmental priorities, and generally run and operate the empire, among other things. They, like most governmental rulers, had a personal council, who could advise them on anything from economics, to the military, to social issues. To both elect a new emperor or high king and ensure the duties of said ruler was to not be abused and if need be corrected, an 'Elder Council' was formed.
The Elder Council:
The 'Elder Council' initially was formed by ruling subordinates of critical regions within the existing empire in the early days before expansive gains of modern day provinces, and was meant to do two critical things: The first and foremost duty of the 'Elder Council' was to ensure that the laws of the government were enforced and protected, and often times more than not were the ones creating such laws, alongside the Emperor. The idea was that if you were both the one creating the laws to balance power and keep the highest power in check, and the one able to enforce the removal of said power should they obstruct justice or overstep their power, the Emperor would be kept in line when regarding the day to day operations of the greater empire. To enforce this, the Elder Council at any time had the ability and duty to call a meeting, which would be unknown to the Emperor himself. During this meeting, any crimes or legitimate concerns or grievances by its members would be debated amongst one another in complete privacy in the 'Council Chambers', in which only members would be allowed.It is the duty of any Elder Council Member who has such knowledge or concerns about anything in the empire, including but not limited to the emperor himself, to present the evidence and make their case. In the case that a vote is committed to the removal, or even just the restriction of powers, of the emperor or another official all members must declare their vote in secrecy via a paper note, and one designated 'High Elder' will present the count verbally to the council. The count will also be verified by another council member, at which point the vote counts are casted into the fire to remove any evidence of the vote itself and what the count is, as well as removing the possibility of anyone retrieving the paper votes and determining which council member voted a certain way and leading to possible retaliation. During this time a successor from within the Elder Council will also be selected, and the process remaining the same. Should an emperor be voted to be removed from their post, the 'High Elder' of the EC will meet with the emperor's secretary of defense/war to declare a removal of office, in which case pre-designated royal guards and the secretary of defense/war will remove the emperor by force if necessary.
What happens after said removal in regards to the former ruler of the government is dependent on the crime committed. The Elder Council member who was elected to the post will then meet with the emperor's council and be filled in to any and all details necessary to their immediate ruling and a private ceremony with the three randomly selected Elder Council members (of differing regions), the emperor's council, and the newly appointed emperor himself will be present in the crowning of the new ruler. It is important that only three Elder Council members are present in the ceremony, while the remaining members are put into temporary exile to ensure their safety, should a coup take place and possibly destroy much of the empire's critical government infostructure. It also serves as a point of atonement for the members in regards to how they voted, despite likely not knowing how one another did, as they are responsible in some way for the new crowning of the emperor. Elder Council members of themselves must be at least 30 years old, be a human male, and are voted into said position by their respective region, much like the HoR and Senate in America. While a sitting emperor may rule for the rest of his life, even as young as 30 years old, as a result of these criteria, Elder Council members are not set positions. Many Elder Council members, even those who have remained in their positions consistently through the years, are voted for by the common people every ten years. Ten years is still a long time, especially compared to our representatives, but most Elder Council members are at least into their 50's and well known by their representatives for one reason or another, although usually academically. While some EC members are wealthy businessmen or even previously regional governmental officials, being the most important vote you make in your life for most citizens within the empire means that whoever you vote for may one day be voted into the position as the highest single ruling office in the entirety of the world, so votes are made carefully. As the empire grew and transformed into what it is today, it was decided that each province would receive two Elder Council members, in which each region would vote for their respective two members of the council, which means in total there are only 14 Elder Council members at any given time, and 13 in the case of one being put into the position of emperor through the previously mentioned vote. In the case of such an event, or an Elder Council member either dying or otherwise being unable to perform or relinquishing their duties (which has never happened in the history of the EC to date), a special election is held at the earliest possible convenience, although no sooner than a week after the announcement of the special election, and no later than three after.
