King-Emperor
King-Emperor (or Queen-Empress) is a compound title, referencing that a ruler is king of one region and emperor of another, while keeping the two territories distinct. Most famously, it is the title of the rulers of Mavorenia, who declare themselves both kings of Mavorenia and High Kings/Emperors of Occident as a whole.
Appointment
The King-Emperor of Mavorenia is in effect an inherited position, passed down through primogeniture. The emperor part of the title, however, is theoretically elective, and requires the ratification of a majority of the lords in the "Occidental Empire". However, the Occidental Empire no longer exists, as anyone but the kings of Mavorenia will tell you, and so on the seventh day of the new year following the king's death, the great senate house in Rumath is packed with exactly ten people (the patriarchal synod and the new king). Solemnly, the patriarchal spokesman asks the empty room if they disapprove of the new king. As no answer is ever forthcoming, the ceremony continues.
The king-emperor drinks from the waters of Lethe, as all Remaran and Occidental Emperors have done; the water is brought from the swamps upon the kings death, and until the new king drinks it the kingdom is ruled by the Flamen. This obviously has lead to skullduggery in the past, such as when Flamen Wensin managed to waylay the water-bearers for three years. The purpose of this ritual is to tie the King-Emperor to the legacy of Remara; all remaran emperors initially drank from the Lethe, as their city was founded within its swamps. When the capital was moved to Rumath in the late imperial period, the ritual served to tie the new imperial lineages to those of antiquity, particularly exalted Avgus.
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