Empress

There is no role of higher or greater significance in the modern world than that of the Emperor. The One Who Rules Over All, A king over all kings within their domain. In the World of Ethrys, all forms of society, whether it be political, social, or economic, lead to the Great Powers of the World and those Great Powers are ruled by Emperors.While the term had been used historically throughout the Old World for centuries, only recently has the title been given the near god-like reverence that is expected of the modern world. The establishment of vast, stretching colonies that cross the world has helped establish not only what it means to be an emperor but also help set the hard standard for how an empire should operate.Emperors in the World of Ethrys come in many forms, some merely relying on the sheer physical power and merit to provide stability over their realm, while others may attempt to demand respect through innate magical ability.Only in the last few centuries has the concept spread beyond the realm and reaches of the Old World, with the continent of Setica joining the realm of Emperors shortly after its independence. Unlike the Old World Emperors, which rely on the hereditary cycles of fathers teaching their sons and preparing them to be heir, the Setican system relies on simple governmental elections. Instead of it being a familial choice, representatives chosen by the citizenry come together to elect a "Tanist" for their next emperor. Even more bizarre, Emperors in Setica do not wait for death to be the result of their transition, but rather step down from their throne and rest live their life in solitude and peace as their children take over.These bizarre methods of transition are alien to the Old World who, since the foundations of their great empires were first set, relied on the transition to be either from death, disease, incompetence, or overthrowing. The Old World's "Grand Cycle", as it has become known as, is simple yet religiously intertwined. Basically, the emperor's death is seen as the Gods and Nature choosing the best time for an emperor's reign to end and for their successor to come about. Because of this, whenever the Ceremony of Ascension goes underway in the Old World, the empires will often call ceasefires, countries will experience a boost in nationalism and patriotism, and furthermore, peace is often swept through the vast imperial states of the Old World for a brief time. The only exception to the title of Emperor is the chaos-infested states of Durga's Maw, which instead of having an emperor, possesses an "Archon", which acts in much the same way. However, the biggest difference is that the states do not have one Archon, but two. These Twin Archons act as the dual monarchs of the states and are said to be blessed by the arcane energies that ravage the world as they know it. No elected, and not herediatarily chosen, Archons are "found" by the Society of the Third Eye who search throughout the states and, sometimes, the world for their next Archon, as someone with immense magical potential. Because of this, it is not uncommon for the states to rely on a single Archon for long stretches, with their being times of "Emptiness", when no Archons are around.During these times of Emptiness, the states are often in a chaotic position. Infighting, civil wars, and sometimes even attempted genocides and mass inter-state wars become all too common. Strangely enough, even though these times occur, the Durgan States often come out stronger and more stable once Archons are found than before. Because of this, many Old World Scholars wonder if their is some form of spiritual element to these titles or it is almost completely random chance and concidence.