The Imperium Arcanum

The Imperium Arcanum is the common name of the Dwarven monarchy that presides over all of Reshyk, with the exception of The Ashlands where the Ashenfolk live. Reshyk was once a scattered series of states with individual rulers, as many empires begin. However, in the late Age of Creation period, the Felbor clan settled a region near the mountains home to Aellor's Wellspring that is now the capital city of Reshyk, Stavandyr. The city had a slow beginning, but the Felbor clan's pioneering innovations in studying the Wellspring paved the way for the development of the Dwarves' Runetech and solidified their authority. Because the Dwarves value magical prowess, the Felbor clan garnered a lot of support from true followers of Aellor, and this allowed them to lay the foundations of the Imperium Arcanum. Since then, the Felbor clan has been what some may call the "royal family" of Reshyk.

Reshyk's monarchy does not give supreme authority to its King. It is a constitutional monarchy, in that there are certain directives the King must adhere to. The only real difference between the Imperium Arcanum and The Synodical Republic of Arak is its reliance on a central leader and the fact that the Felbor clan still maintains hereditary inheritance of the throne. Like the Synodical Republic, Reshyk has magistrates of a sort, called Chamberlains. Each settlement in Reshyk has a Chamberlain who are responsible for the local administrative duties, such as collecting taxes. The Chamberlains also hold public forum for citizens to discuss grievances and call for change -- which is then formally brought to the attention of the Grand Chamberlain in Stavandyr, who reports the state of the realm to the King. The King then has authority to make executive orders to change the laws as they see fit. This proto-democratic process is very similar to The Commonwealth of Myr.

The constitution of the Imperium Arcanum lays out seven directives that its King must observe. Those directives are as follows:

1. Each ruler shall abdicate the throne to their most suitable heir upon their death, or once their heir has reached their third century and has completed their education.
2. Each settlement in Reshyk shall elect a Chamberlain to represent their will to the throne.
3. Each ruler shall adhere to the advisement of their Chamberlains when establishing new legislation.
4. Each ruler shall defend Reshyk to the best of their ability and pursue any and all avenues to protect the knowledge of the Dwarven people.
5. Each ruler shall prioritize the pursuit of knowledge and the protection of that knowledge which is hazardous, for the glory of Aellor.
6. Should the people of Reshyk ever determine that the ruler's judgment is unsound, corrupt, or faulty, via a unanimous judgment of each of its settlements' Chamberlains, that ruler shall abdicate the throne to their heir. If no heir has been produced, the Chamberlains of Reshyk shall hold an election to determine its new ruler. The Grand Chamberlain shall serve in the King's stead until such a ruler is elected. If the Grand Chamberlain is found to be unfit, then Reshyk's Chamberlains shall assume the role.
7. If a new ruler must be determined by an election, they must be a Dwarf of at least their third century, have military experience, have completed their education, and submit to be judged by Aellor by way of a trial issued by her devout.

There are many critics of the constitution, with their chief complaints being the various loopholes, especially regarding the flimsy criteria for who can be a candidate to be chosen in the event of an election. There is also disdain for the hereditary inheritance system, citing that simply being of the Felbor clan does not guarantee one is suitable for ruling the Imperium, and that the "trial" expected of those chosen in an election is not expected of a Felbor's heirs. As the Felbor clan has persisted as the "royal family" since the Imperium's inception, the rules of succession are ill-defined. There are several dissident factions who believe that the Felbor clan has not acted in Reshyk's best interests, especially since its borders were sealed to the other races of Aellorah. Though many agree that Runetech should not yet, if ever, be shared with Aellorah's other inhabitants, many hold the opinion that this should not prevent others from being able to go elsewhere on Reshyk, especially with the harsh punishments inflicted on those who try. There is worry that the growing discontent regarding these complaints could one day lead to a civil war.

The current ruler of the Imperium is King Rangrim Felbor, who is over 500 years old, but still very strong. He is married to Queen Talra Duril, and they have two sons, both within their first century. The eldest, and heir to the throne, is named Torgar, and the youngest's name is Gilgrim. The opinion of King Rangrim is generally favorable, though he has suffered harsh criticism because his father, Balnur, was responsible for closing Reshyk's borders to the world. Despite this, he has worked hard to bring about the idyllic, post-scarcity society that Reshyk enjoys thanks to the lack of an economy outside of Ilmerglain. He intends to build a future where the Dwarves leave money in the past and focus on the development of Runetech. Taxes are still levied to generate revenue for projects, but there is plenty of oversight into the usage of that money, and the revenue generated in Ilmerglain from its fabulously wealthy economy is put back into infrastructure and Runetech development to create a utopian future for the Dwarves. It is unknown what King Rangrim intends to do once this future is achieved, and how it will affect the other societies of Aellorah.