The Maiden's Law

In the wake of the Maiden's disappearance at the end of the Age of Storms, the elves of the Elemental Enclaves sought to codify her teachings to ensure they remained faithful until her eventual return.

The Source

The Immutable Foundation

• Establishes Mauri as the font of all wisdom and the authority of the Maiden's Law
• Defines the rights of all sapient species within the Enclaves
• Provides the Structure of Governance to Uphold the Maiden's Law

The Flow

The Rules of Daily Living

• The Banks (Moral Restrictions)
• Dietary Laws
• Prohibitions against consuming things of "Strife" (scavengers, corrupted beasts)
• Physical Mandate
• Physical Exercise is encouraged to keep one healthy and reach one's potential.
• The Current (Civil Interactions)
• Contracts & Commerce
• Rules for Trade
• Contracts
• Zoning and Beauty
• Respecting the Property of Others
• Not Building Unstable Objects

The Dam

The Containment of Strife

• Definition of Strife (Crimes)
• Crimes are categorized by the "strife" that is caused.
• Murder is "Severing"
• Theft is "Displacement"
• Restorative Justice
• The focus is on repairing the breach rather than just punishment. One needs to rebuild what they broke.
• Judges
• Defines their power to rule over those who cause strife

The Reflection

The Preservation of Love

• Marriage - A permanent merging of the waters
• Inheritance - How Property and Duty flow down to the next generation
• Education - Children should be educated to the best of society's ability, particularly in history.

The Tides

Dealing with the Outside World

• Diplomacy
• How to Treat Guests
• The sacrament of Guest Rights
• Trade Tariffs
• "Strife" should not enter the Enclaves, so goods must be filtered if necessary.
• Missionary Work
• The mandate to call for those in need, and thus showing the wisdom and beauty of the Maiden

The Storm

The Application of Force

• Just War - Force is only used to correct the flow. Violence is the last resort of a stagnant mind.
• Doctrine of Efficiency - If it is necessary, violence must be swift and decisive to minimize the period of strife.
• The Fallen Protocol - Specific laws regarding the treason against the Enclaves or the return of the Fallen

Original Document

The original and primary version of the Maiden's Law is carved into the walls of the Reflecting Pool of Mauribon, open to anyone to visit and view.

Noble Copies

Each noble family is required to keep a full record of the Maiden's Law. The first Steward gifted each standing noble house with a copy in the first years of his reign. Successive Stewards have given copies to newly formed houses as needed.

Judicial Copies

The appointed judges are granted an annotated version of the Maiden's Law.

The Maiden's Law is upheld by the Steward of the Seasons, who holds executive power over the Elemental Enclaves due to the The Elemental Covenant signed by representatives of each corner of the valley in the first year of the Age of Restoration.

At the third Elemental Conclave held in the second year of the Age of Restoration, the Four Great Elven Houses ratified the Maiden's Law and swore to uphold it.

Winter Warden - House Rylin
Spring Guardian - House Daenor
Summer Keeper - House Calior
Fall Sentinel - House Saelsir

New Lords, whether from the Ruling, Vassal, or lesser noble houses, must swear to uphold the Maiden's Law as part of their oaths of fealty.

The Age of Light

For the entirety of the first age of Eldux, Mauri sought to live amongst her elven children, both out of fascination with what they were achieving and because she wanted them to grow further. Like almost any parent, the young Eldrin sought to respect her children's free will while still helping them achieve their potential. Already, she had witnessed how the free will of the elves had allowed them to imagine, create, and develop far beyond her expectations.

Thus, she decided to give them a series of lessons instead of strict commandments. The goal of these was to introduce guidance on how to live best and navigate the world around them. Through the ongoing work on the Reflecting Pools of Mauribon, these lessons were memorialized for future generations, allowing her to advise on more complex topics as her children matured.

The Age of Storms

The second age brought about the global conflict known as the Great Storm once Mauri's brother, the Fallen, began his rebellion against creation itself. While initially Mauri sought to keep out of the conflict and protect her children, it became clear that the elves would not be safe until Anko was taken down and his rebellion stopped.

Thus, alongside Auradir Rylin and her last Maurien, Belen Sneha, she marched alongside the Free Alliance into the heart of the storm to confront her brother. The resulting battle brought an end to the rebellion and the imprisonment of the Fallen, but at great cost. Mauri was gravely wounded by her brother and had disappeared, with the Elves and her surviving brother Kellener believing she had been killed. However, the last Eldrin gave the Elves hope by revealing that they did not have the power to kill each other, just to unbind each other. One day, the Maiden would reform and would rejoin her children.

The Age of Restoration

The Elemental Enclaves now faced the task of governing themselves without the Maiden for the first time, thus they created the Maiden's Law to codify the guidance they had recieved over millennia to ensure that they remained faithful to her until her eventual return.