The Realm of Chara

Two thousand years ago, the Empire of the Charybae was a potent force in Torthe. The Sovran Torvian Garvallos reigned over the Court, having driven back the orcs and their elders to the remote isle of Tusk. Almost all of the western world belonged to the empire, save for the fledgling Republic of the Tarynae, sometimes allies and sometimes enemies of the Sungleam Throne.
That all changed when the Calculix rose against his masters, soon after the Accords of Kharasaki. In the chaos and aftermath, the Charybae lost three quarters of their land to orcs, men and others, and now two millennia later, it is only the Empire of Chara that remains.
The Politics of Chara
The Sovran reigns supreme, with support from their Consort. The title is not hereditary, but certain Houses have been blessed with more Sovrans than others. The Houses play a large part in governing the Empire.
There are two circles of power, the Houses of the Sun, and the Starlit Towers. Of those, only the Houses of the Sun can become Sovran, for they are descended from the first lords and ladies of the Empire. The Starlit Towers are those families who remained behind in the rebellion of the Tarynae as they fled the Empire to form their Republic. As such, they are banned from Imperial Power, but still hold significant influence. They can marry into the Sovran House.
The Sun Houses elect a new Sovran when death or incapacity claims one. The Starlit Towers raise questions of the Sovran, and act as intermediaries between the Sun Houses and the rest of the Empire, when needed. The Sun Houses tend to be much more withdrawn, their blood said to be spread thin, prone to madness or distance, and the Starlit Towers are much more present. It is the Starlit Towers that are given much of the day to day administrative power in the Empire, and most captains and generals hail from these areas, overseen by key Viziers from the Sun Houses.
The Arcana is the collection of towers that train the great wizards of Chara, led by the Arcanus.
The Amara is the collection of colleges that train the warriors and generals of Chara’s armies, led by the Amarus.
The Acadama is the universities of the empire, providing education and learning to all, led by the Acadamus.
The Admara is the naval college, formerly also the air college, led by the Admarus. The Admara still includes the eagle riders and hawk scouts.
The Adara is the merchant guild, led by the Adarus.
The Astara is the temple of the Seldarine, led by the Astarus. They also prescribe the ways in which worship of the Golden Throne can be followed. Select elves of Chara are chosen each year by the Astarus to travel to human lands to follow their gods, reporting back to the Sungleam Throne.
The Anara is the free guilds of rangers and druids, led by the Anarus.
There are also many secret societies across Chara. These are named Lantana (singular), and Lantanas (plural). Each one answers to an individual within Chara, some are endorsed by the Sungleam Throne, others are secret even to their Sovran. The Golden Lantana is the most well-known, known as one of the hands of the Empire, their secret service operating in a range of spheres throughout the world to eliminate threats at all levels before they grow to damage or limit the power of Chara.

Culture

A note on the word “lantana”:
Lantanas are flowers, which are sacred to both the Republic and the Empire. In the feywild, and in elven lands, they can grow in a thousand times a thousand different colours and variations. As such, the word too can be used in different ways. It can mean a group of people or friends united in a common purpose, it can mean a family, or a House. It can be a secret society, or a political party, or a guild. For humans or other non-elves, it can be hugely confusing to enter an elven realm and hear about the multitude of lantanas, some elves belonging to as many as a hundred lantanas. There are said to be some that form to aid in sewing, knitting or baking as well. In Tarn, lantanas tend to be looser, and less formal, but in Chara lantanas are heavily prescribed and socially restrictive, helping the elves of the Empire follow the traditions they have preserved for millennia.