The Government

The government of the Dwarves is also a very interesting study - one that could take many pages to describe clearly and thoroughly.
This form of government is mainly built out of four pillars: the judicial, the monarchical, the representative, the legislative -- that is, the Elders, the King, the Representatives, and the Lawmakers and Writers respectively. The government process starts with the representatives who are elected every twelve years by the guilds, which are formed by craftsmen. Since guilds are for craftsmen, a dwarf who does not work, can not be represented. For elderly retired Dwarves the law of the land states they can continue to participate in their previous guild for elections.   Every six years a lawmaker is voted on. The Writers receive the complaints and petitions concerning law from citizens, to then write up the suggest laws, which are sent to the Lawmaker. He then picks the resolutions to send along to the representatives and the King who vote on which ones to pass, and sign off on them. The King is elected by the representatives and serves until he dies. He must be no older than 200 years old, so that it is more likely for him to serve a longer time, and less likely for him to die 100 or 200 years after being chosen.
Originally there were only two guilds: that of the makers and the growers, but then they split off based on how much revenue spent on their products. The more money earned by a group, then they could petition to become a guild - though they would have to show proof of their earnings - their receipts, notes, books, etc. Their petition would be sent to the King, who would then either affirm or deny their request.
The group would have to make up at least 5% of the population to have a guild. Small groups of craftsmen join together to reach this requirement and brainstorm names that encompass their work.   There are typically 20 guilds with representatives.   The Representatives meet in the “Urlynwagh,” “Urlyn” in the Dwarvish language meaning “People” and “Wagh” meaning “House,” though it eventually also came to mean “The Cone” for that’s what the building was: A tall cone with walls slanting smoothly down to the base which was about 70 Dwarf lengths long, covered in paintings, history, and patterns. There they gather for the first half of the year, until the end of summer when it is prepared for the Elders who arrive in the last month for their workings of affairs.
Simply expressed in quick terms, the powers of the Dwarf King are the following responsibilities: enforcing law, through the army and Watchers, suggesting laws, handling foreign affairs, and sitting with the representatives as a member of the council, where he votes with just the same amount of power as the other members.   Dwarves who don’t like the king call him the “Top Lobster.”
One historical note: the enforcers of the law in the Anielian country were at one time the Aniel Army, but the people felt like enemies, being corrected by the army that would fight others, and so a separation was made between the enforcers of the law within and without the country. Thus the Watchers were formed.
The Watchers are a group of trained police with the responsibility of making sure the citizens keep the law. A Watcher, due to the result of the previous system, are prohibited to carry or use blades over three finger lengths. They like their clubs, and also carry horns of which, when blown upon, all Dwarves, excepting Watchers must freeze where they are and make no sound until the horn is blown upon once again.
The King is a former Representative under the age of 200 who is voted in by the other representatives. Sometimes however, not all representatives are under 200, so the guild is able to take a democratic vote to choose a qualified candidate. Sometimes none of the guilds have an eligible representative to be voted for and so all use the above mentioned method to produce one. Once a king is elected he moves to the cavern palace located in the Egbeckta district to begin his duties.
The Representatives are allowed to serve up to 36 years, that is a limit of three terms, before they are required to step down and serve another 36 years in their craft in order to familiarize themselves with it and be better qualified as a representative. After that familiarizing period, they can once again run for office.
Often, as a result of this system, there is typically a swapping game between the same two politicians every 36 years. That is the common happening, because, once a Dwarf votes for a candidate, he sticks with him or her. They are very loyal and once they have made up their mind about a representative, or any leader, not even mistakes would change their mind. As it has been often said and proven true throughout all dwarven culture: “The Aniel takes forever to make up his mind, but once he does, he never loses it.” Out of all the variables and happens that might cause a dwarf to desert a leader, the Trifeline is one exception to their loyalty. According to the latest study, no politician without a Kitten of Three Tails has ever been elected. The dwarves completely distrust a politician that owns no Kitten of Three Tails. Even if their cat died the day before the election, a politician would be shunned and deserted. Thus, the market for Trifline always spikes upwards the week leading up to all elections as the candidates stock up on cats to ensure their votes. The judicial branch of the Aniel’s government is formed in the Elders. Each Elder comes from one of the thirty major families. He or she, is the oldest Writer from their family, and often the apprentice Writer to the previous Elder of the family. At the beginning of the year, dwarves are allowed to petition the Elder of their family. If it is something bigger and s/he can’t solve it alone, in the middle of the year it is taken up by the five most local Elders, if it is still bigger, then it is finally taken before the major Elder council, composed of every Elder, at the end of the year in the Urlynwagh.

Location

The Urlynwagh