The Charter of Unification

The Charter was created as a constitutional document for the new, unified state of the Kingdom of Doriande. It was intended to be used as a set of core laws that would establish the authority of the new King over his dominion, as well as protect the populace from any autocratic intentions.

This document was created in the aftermath of the Second Invasion and was therefore meant to establish provisions for the rebuilding of Doriande and the sustenance of the population.

The Charter is structured in the following way:

Establishment of State

Here, the de facto borders of the Kingdom are also made de jure. Fiorlas is stated to be the capital city of the new state and the home of its king and leadership.

Establishment of Rule

In this section, the structure of the state is described, as well as the hierarchy of power. The king's authority and powers are cataloged in detail. Then the king's council and the local councils of the cities. Here, a special provision has been added by Skarmite representatives, using their veto power, providing Skarm with extra autonomy in some decisions and the nautical deployment. These provisions shall remain in effect as long as Skarm remains loyal and fulfills its obligations to the kingdom.

The royal army and navy are established as unified military structures, under the command of the king's council.

The Rangers of the Forest are recognized as an autonomous force, not subject to royal control, with a jurisdiction of affairs inside the sacred Whispering Forest

The guilds are recognized as self-governed organizations and are given authority to create their own constitutional documents and rules, as long as they obey state legislation

Religious institutions, both current and future ones, are given the authority to govern themselves and own property.

The Charter establishes an electoral system and a set of provisions for regents for the succession of the king. The title is owned by the Kingdom instead of the king, therefore it cannot be inherited, only earned. Same principle applies to all other positions of authority. The composition of the councils in terms of nobility, representatives of the army, the navy, the guilds and the people is explicitly stated.

Establishment of Responsibility

Each position of power has its own statutes and limitations. These are described at length here. The main purpose of this section however is to capture the responsibility of the Kingdom towards its subjects. This reflects the status of Doriande at the time of the pact. It holds the kingdom responsible for funding the rebuilding of destroyed settlements, creating infrastructure such as roads and harbors, maintaining the defensive forts and feeding its people.

Establishment of Law

The jurisdictions, ways of enforcement, judicial system and legislative powers are the first to be imprinted in this section. Following that, a set of core laws, mainly prohibitions and provisions are established: ownership of people is forbidden, but ownership of other property is protected. Taxation is mandatory for all subjects. Basic crimes such as acts against the life of others, espionage against the kingdom, theft and other major offenses are described along with the corresponding punishment.

There is no provision for martial law. The Charter also contains no exit clauses for any of the cities and citizens of the peninsula. Certain terms are in place however, under which the dissolution of the state is possible, if it stops serving its purpose

This constitution draws heavily from two precursors: the peace treaty of The Trade War and the constitutional document of the ancient Rolfgari Kingdom. Even though the latter has not survived the fall of Rolfgar, its core concepts have been embedded in dwarven oral tradition and some of them were already familiar to Dorians.

The Charter is public and available to all subjects of the Kingdom. Multiple copies have been created and are displayed in each large city's council hall. Upon request, any citizen can be provided with a copy made by royal notaries, with reproduction costs borne by the requester.

The document remains valid as long as the Kingdom stands, unless remedied or amended by the annual gathering of the Leaders, a summit of all cities' heads.

The tribes of Doriande shared common ancestry, worshiped the same deities, told the same legends since the Age of Monsters using the same language. Depending on the location, they of course had their differences, but the arrival of other species and the advancements made in industry and commerce had already started alleviating them before the civil war erupted.

What kept them apart were the growing tensions, due to the different settlements pursuing their own survival and progress.

The people of Doriande have long known of the first attempt of a unified nation and its repercussions. Those who advocated for unification would praise the progress it guaranteed, by smoothing the differences between rival cities, while those who opposed it, would invoke the fate of those who dared to disobey the "natural order".

Dorians have struggled for ages against monsters, attacks from enemies and each other. Many of them have advocated unity for a long time. Their The Trade War, followed by the first invasion led to the first ever agreement between the rival settlements, which culminated into The Alliance of the Forts. This set a precedent for many powers inside Doriande to push for a true unification. The Second Invasion became the catalyst for that, by eliminating many of its opposition, while forcing the issue of common defense and survival.

The people of Doriande embraced the Unification as it gave them hope after a long period of internal and external conflict. Since all of the remaining power centers in Doriande had a say in its creation, they were pleased.

The document reflects the time of its writing, a time of unity. Since its creation, it has never been amended, although not for lack of intention. The internal power struggles in the Kingdom resumed after the Dorians managed to rebuild and the newer tensions brought disagreements to the table, which continues to prevent the unanimity necessary for any changes to the basic laws.