Dominion Era/Tretallë (Government)

This page discusses a part of the lore of the Tretallë {{{2}}}. If you are interested in seeing the Tabletop RPG stats associated with this race, visit: [[RPG:Races/Tretallë/{{{2}}} (Stats)|{{{2}}} (Stats)]].

Dominion Era Tretallë
Bone Elves
Istfet, The Strangers, Invaders, Deathriders
Imperial Standard of the Tretalleri Dominion
Land of Origin
Continent of Origin	Termalttë
Homeland	Teýrivellë
Capital	Ifatallë Cselvë
Racial Lore
Language	Tretalleri
Characteristics	Tretallë (Characteristics)
Culture	Tretallë (Culture)
History	Dominion Era
Government	Tretallë (Government)
Military	Tretallë (Military)
Stats	Tretallë (Stats)
Racial Relations
Allies	None
Enemies	Elledynnë
Neutrals	None

It is without dispute even between the most critical of historians that the Dominion of the Tretallë was the greatest and most expansive empire of the ancient world. In fact, very few would even contest that it did not remain so until the modern-day, though understandably, its influence had faded by then. However, it is also widely agreed that in order to rule an empire as large as the Dominion, the Tretallë required a more powerful, authoritative, and effective government than most other empires of its time just to cope. If the success of the Bone Elves through the eras is any indication, they had just that and more.

The Pale Imperator

"Metyperrë Di'Adeýla Cilanannë! Csânkîdë fitë anvë Teýna kirannë Sid'Khagirri Teýna maidnë un tantë!"

"The Pale Imperator approaches! Tremble before Him for great and terrible is His Might!"

—D'Cilanannë Di'Tretallë(The Emperor of the Dominion)
by Nevantë a'Vatagan, Historian.

Di'Adeýla Cilanannë in the native tongue of his people, the Pale Imperator was arguably the most important and most powerful man in the medieval world whenever he sat on the Ivory Throne. It is no secret that the people of the Dominion are neither shy nor stingy about the titles that they bestow upon their leader. The full title of the Imperator in Tretalleri is as follows:

Cilanannë Ornimë, Cilanannë avvë Di'Tretallë, D'Vidmerrë Di'Tretallë, Di Cilveti, un Di'Mafettë Tatyrë—Di'Adeýla Cilanannë

The closest approximation of this title in the Common Tongue, then, is this:

Ruler Absolute, Lord over the Dominion, the Protector of the Realm, the Divine, and the Ever-victorious—The Pale Imperator;

After all, what is an empire without its emperor? When the Ivory Throne is filled, there is only one man who wields absolute power in the Dominion, and that man is the Pale Imperator. His word can be overridden, but if and only if the Court of Ravens and the House of Crows decide unanimously to veto his will. This is quite a rare occurrence as the Pale Imperator is raised from one of the Nine Houses of the Azure Blood and Houses are unlikely to vote against themselves. Even then, this power of veto is reserved solely for wartime efforts. In all other matters, the Imperator's word is literally law.

He is the sole possessor of the Cileda Ornimë Cilannë—the Divine Right to Absolute Rule—bestowed upon him by the will of the Stranger and the Stranger's hand in the world—The Ivory Throne.

The Trial of Blood

D'Kallennë Lartë, as it is known in the native tongue, is not what it seems to be. The Trial is not a singular event after which the claim of an individual to the Throne is affirmed. Instead, the Trial of Blood is the period of time that follows the death of an Imperator up until the time that a new one takes his place. The Trial is instead a set of requirements that the Heirs Presumptive for the Throne must fulfill in order to accede to it.

Lineality

Main article: Lineality

Foremost among these requirements is that of lineage. For the first three thousand years of the Dominion, when the Twin Courts had yet to be conceived, the Throne was passed down from uncle to nephew, a quirk of the fact that lineality is traced through the females of a clan, and not the males. However, at the end of these three thousand years, when the Imperator died unexpectedly without an heir, the vacuum of power left behind sparked the Wars of Ascension that threatened to tear the Dominion apart.

Fortunately, a rather wise man, Zovynnë a'Devytorë won the war and instated the both the laws of lineality, and the twin Courts to prevent such a thing from ever happening again. The text of his declaration remains preserved in the archives of the Palace and proceeds thus:

The Law of Lineality

---

¹ From this day forth, the Divine Right to Lay Claim to the Throne
² shall be bequeathed only upon the daughters
³ of the woman that sits upon the Throne,
⁴ but should, instead, a man be sat upon the Throne,
⁵ he shan't bequeath the divine right to his children,
⁶ for the Stranger has decreed that
⁷ should a man be the Imperator of our vast realm,
⁸ the Divine Right to Lay Claim to the Throne
⁹ shall be bequeathed only upon the children of a first daughter
¹⁰ of a third daughter of a ninth daughter
¹¹ of the blood of the High Houses of the Realm,
¹² and that King or Queen among them
¹³ shall be named by trial to test
¹⁴ their strength of heart and of will.
¹⁵ They and only they
¹⁶ shall be known as the heirs presumptive—
¹⁷ no other without regard of Blood or creed.

Further conflict forced the hand of the Twin Courts to change the terms of the Law of Lineality. They ejected women from eligibility for the Throne in exchange for giving them permanent seats in the Court of Crows, and removed the provision for allowing the Throne to pass from mother to daughter.

The Claim

Upon reaching the age of 27, immensely young for the Bone Elves, infantile by many regards, a viable Blood-candidate by the Law of Lineality must lay claim to the throne if and only if this candidate wishes to accede the throne. Should a child refuse to lay Claim to the Throne at this age, but expresses the desire to do so, he will be given an opportunity every nine years hence for as long as he is younger than the age of majority at 81.

Though it would seem at first glance that it should not be so, the laying of the Claim has been considered a part of the Trial of Blood since the year 43,097 D'Irrenë Di'Tretallë(lit. Year of the Dominion). It was in the Fall of this year, after an heir presumptive to the Throne committed suicide, the Twin Courts, with the Court of Crows at the head, introduced the Law of Knowing Claim. By this law, it was forbidden for any member of an eligible House, under penalty of imprisonment, to coerce an eligible child to make the Claim in any way. A child may be groomed for the possibility of making a Claim at the proper age, but it is forbidden to make any assertion, be it implicitly, by way of flattery for example, or explicitly, that the child must make a Claim.

The Claim is considered to be a part of the Trial because House and clan is of utmost importance to the Bone Elves and when a child lays Claim to the Throne, he severs all ties with his House, family, and clan. If, however, a child fails the Trial of Blood, these ties are restored and again, by the Law of Knowing Claim, the child cannot under any circumstances be abused or ostracised by his House as a result of his inability to accede to the Throne.

The Rite of the Tome

When the Claim is legitimized by the Twin Courts and the eligible child named an heir presumptive to the Ivory Throne, he is instructed to immediately begin residence at the Grand Rookery. The Grand Rookery is a smaller palace situated directly to the west of the Imperial Palace which is home to the Prince of Ravens whenever the Ivory Throne is occupied. It is also the greatest house of learning in all the Dominion heartland prestigious not only by its name, but by the calibre of scholars, artisans, and generals that it has produced for the Dominion.

Following the laying of the Claim, the next 36 years are what comprise the Rite of the Tome, when the heirs presumptive are trained not only in the ways of the nobility and in propriety as the Pale Imperator, but also in the necessary skills to be great leaders, governors, generals, and scholars. It is at the end of these 36 years, that an heir presumptive becomes eligible to take the next and final step on the road to attempting to accede to the Throne. The 36-year limit is flexible, however, as an heir presumptive may petition, with recommendation from instructors due to good performance, to attempt the Cloister earlier. At the same time, an heir judged as having had poor performance by the Twin Courts, may be delayed from eligibility to attempt the Cloister.

When an heir presumptive has been granted eligibility to face the Cloister, he must first declare that he wishes to face the Cloister. He may do so at any time after eligibility, but if he declares the desire to face the Cloister after someone else, he must either enter the Cloister with the other heir presumptive or wait until the other heir presumptive has failed, or be denied the chance if the other heir presumptive succeeds.

Due to the fact that more often than not an heir presumptive is not alone, when an heir presumptive declares his desire to face the Cloister, any further new Claims to the Throne are turned away. The heir presumptive that wishes to face the Cloister is then given time to prepare as he will have to wait for each and every other heir presumptive undergoing the Rite of the Tome to reach eligibility. When this is done, the heir presumptive will face the Cloister, along with every other heir presumptive that expresses the wish to do so at the same time.

Prior to the discovery of the Cloister and its connection with the Ivory Throne, the hopeful heirs presumptive engaged in duels with each other. Whomsoever emerged alone and victorious would then ascend to the throne unchallenged.

The Cloister of Trials

Main article: Cloister of Trials

Indubitably the most pivotal of all the parts of the Trial of Blood, what, exactly, happens in the Cloister is one of the most well-guarded secrets in the Dominion. Not only are the heirs presumptive and the Imperator bound by blood to not speak of what occurs in the hallowed halls of the Cloister, historians, too, are prohibited on pain of execution, to write on the matter.

What is known, however, is that every group of heirs presumptive that wish to brave the Cloister is given a pure white heifer to offer as a blood sacrifice to open its doors. The Cloister of Trials itself is a separate structure, found during the excavation for the Temple to the Stranger at the Shrouded Peaks, ten thousand years after the establishment of the Dominion.

The only fragment of information known about the Cloister of Trials is what the instructors of the heirs presumptive know themselves. It is said that in the Cloister, after running a gauntlet of physical and mental obstacles, none of which, surprisingly enough, are lethal, the heirs presumptive that make it to the heart of the structure are faced with their worst fears, greatest delights, and scenarios which test their leadership, self-control, and self-awareness to the limit. It is in these imaginary worlds that the heirs presumptive engage in a battle of their wills, vying to be the last to succumb to the visions lest they be determined unfit for the Throne. The one that remains standing after the fierce battle is the one that is worthy of the Throne and the Crown.

The Divine Rights of the Imperator

As per the Faith of the Bone Elves, the Pale Imperator is the sole possessor of a number of rights bestowed upon him by the Gods, collectively known in Tretalleri as D'Cilêda Di'Cilanannë—The Divine Rights of the Imperator.

The Divine Right to Absolute Rule

Cileda t'Ornimë Cilannë in Tretalleri. This Right is also known as the Divine Right to the Throne, Cileda t'Cilthë. This is easily the most prominent Right of the Imperator, granted to him by the Stranger. This Divine Right affirms that the Imperator is the sole ruler of the Dominion, and that while he may elect to allow the Twin Courts to preside over the trivialities of the realm in his stead, the final word is still his, save for in times of war.

The Divine Right to be a God Among Men

Cileda Fillë Siltanë Cilanannë Averre Medessi Terredynë in Tretalleri. This Right is perhaps one of the most contested by scholars, historians, and theologians alike. Though historically, the Dominion has never presented itself as a theocracy, there is a school of thought that believes that this particular Right elevates the Imperator to the level of a god-king, and thus establishes the Dominion as an empire ruled by a god. However, there is also an opposing school of thought that believes that this Right merely states that the Imperator is also worthy of veneration, from his fellow men, normally reserved solely to the gods.

The Divine Right to Hold Dominion Over all Lands

Cileda Fillë Darra Cilanannë Cilannë Avvë Ormë Terrë in Tretalleri. This Right is also known as the Divine Right to Conquest, Cileda t'Akhire. Relatively less prominent than the Right to Absolute Rule, this particular Right is one of the most often exercised by the long line of Imperators in the history of the Dominion as it is the justification for the military campaigns to conquer distant lands to add to the purview of the Dominion. Where the other Rights so far are granted to the Imperator by the Stranger, this one is granted to him by the Rider.

Some theologians argue that it is more than just a Right, but is in fact a divine imperative that the Imperator seek to expand his domain by whatever means necessary, for so long as it such action would not negatively impact the Dominion.

The Divine Right to Strike Down Opposition

Cileda Fillë Arradorvë Cilanannë Khirtanë in Tretalleri. This Right is the second granted to the Imperator by the Rider instead of the Stranger. This Right is one of the least-exercised by Imperators through history, thus far having only been used three times to quell rebellions in annexed land, and twice to summarily execute traitors. This Right is the justification used to execute individuals who are suspected or caught working against the Dominion without need for due process.

The Divine Right to Raised Eyes

Cileda Avvë Vissë in Tretalleri. The use of this Right varies from Imperator to Imperator, and even then, from day to day. This is the right of the Imperator to shield himself from the plights and concerns of the common man, but rather to delegate others, who do not have 'raised eyes' to take care of such matters. Imperators tend to use this right in order to avoid the headache of managing the governance of the commonfolk, thereby freeing them up to work, instead, on the larger picture.

The Divine Right to Proclaim Law

Cileda Erzivë Cilanannë Milannë in Tretalleri. Most Imperators do not bother with proclamations and instead leave the legislative process to the Twin Courts, as they are far better equipped to know and understand what laws will cause unrest or celebration in the Dominion. However, should an Imperator decide to speak a decree, it comes into effect immediately, and lawbreakers are instantly punishable by whatever provisions for punishment the Imperator decreed.

The Divine Right to Absolute Truth

Cileda Ornimë Verra in Tretalleri. As the highest judge of the Dominion, called upon when the Twin Courts fail to come to a conclusion about a matter of justice, this Right deems the Imperator deserving of the truth, and only the absolute truth. At this point in the judicial process, should it become apparent that the defendant has committed any sort of dishonesty, they are to face immediate execution with no due process necessary, nor any recourse.

The Ivory Throne

Di'Ifatallë Cilthë in the native tongue, there is no more important artifact to all the Dominion than the Ivory Throne. It is not only the seat of power of the Imperator, but it is also the reason that the Dominion can hold sway over as many lands as it could. The Ivory Throne is single-handedly responsible for the vast reach of the Dominion's territory, and for good reason. It is an artifact that is unimaginably older than the Dominion itself, something rather impressive as the Dominion has existed for 160 millennia. For all its power, it is shrouded in mystery as well.

What little is known for certain by the Dominion about the Throne is hidden away in the sealed vaults underneath the Palace. Meticulous copies of these documents are also kept in sealed vaults at the heart of the Temple in the Shrouded Peaks. Both of these vaults are accessible only to the Imperator and the record-keepers. Each is guarded by powerful blood magic that can overcome any unwanted intruders.

The Throne itself was unearthed by a then-tiny population of the Bone Elves thirty thousand years before the Dominion was ever founded. The Throne was found deep in the darkest reaches of the Forest of Bones, sitting buried in silt, surrounded by the ruins of what seemed to be a grand temple that a river had carved through. Despite the fact that everything else around it seemed to have succumbed to the ravages of time, the Throne itself was pristine—undamaged—and would remain so for the many thousands of years that the Dominion stood.

The Ivory Throne is a truly impressive object, commanding both awe and terror by its visage alone. The early Bone Elves that found the Throne quickly discovered that the it was made of what seemed to be ivory but was in fact something much, much stronger. Unable to describe what they had found, they simply named it Ivory, and left it at that.

The Throne stretches dozens of feet into the air, its ivory spires just barely touching the top of the dome of the throne room that had been built around it. The Throne sits upon a dais of marble ten feet high, adding to its already-mighty size. Behind it sprawls the Imperial Bone Tree, immense in its own right at many times taller than the average bone elf, though still dwarfed by the sheer magnitude of the Throne before it.

Bone Elfin artisans have, over the millennia, attempted to carve the scenes of the Dominion's conquests on the Throne, but no tools seem to work against it. All the decoration that is on the Throne has been there since the day that it was found. As far as historians and scholars are concerned, the decoration has been on the Throne perhaps since the day that it was wrought by a long-gone empire.

The throne is gilded in certain places, and decorated with inlaid silver in others. It glitters in the light of the throne room, though its light is neither beautiful nor enchanting. The radiance of the Throne is unsettling and imposing. All about the base of the Throne parade carvings of brambles and roses, rising high up above the heads of any who would sit upon it. Yet, higher up, the carvings of these thorny plants give way to raven feathers and etchings of the wind so life-like that many who have marvelled at the intimidating grandeur of the Throne speak of them. In the words of the historian Nevantë a'Vatagan:

"Linnë vissenë ankë ni'vissettë lesseni geýrida, taterë vinsinë anma lesseni geýrida"

"It seemed as though an invisible wind stirred the carvings, giving them the very semblance of life."

—D'Cilanannë Di'Tretallë(The Emperor of the Dominion)

In addition, despite the relative comfort, as Imperators over the years have described, of sitting upon the Throne, many of them in fact find doing so rather disconcerting. Imperators time and again have claimed that even getting too close to the Throne fills them with utter dread about misusing its powers. There is only one Imperator known to have sat on the Throne for all the days of his Court, he is also perhaps the most often associated with the bloodiest time in Bone Elfin history. This man is Ifanarien a'Callen the Ruthless, the Imperator responsible for expanding the Dominion far beyond what anyone anticipated, and far beyond what anyone that came after him could ever dream of accomplishing.

There is, however, more to the Throne than meets the eye. It is imbued with powerful blood magics, and is, in fact, believed to be the source of the discipline. The Throne is at its most powerful when its partner, the Ivory Crown, is also being used. Alone, the Throne can ensure the obedience of individuals through the oaths that are sworn upon it. With its partner resting upon the brow of one that would call himself the Pale Imperator, however, the Throne can unleash its full, terrible power to bend the will of individuals to the whim of the Imperator.

Both the Crown and the Throne possess receptacles for crystalline vessels that can be filled with blood. For so long as these vessels remain filled, and it is the role of the Pale Imperator to make sure that they are, the Ivory Throne shall refuse to allow any others to sit upon it and wield its terrible power. This also serves as the Throne's safeguard, for it will not allow even the Imperator upon its seat if the Imperator has gone mad with power.

The Oath over the Shard

Di'Perida avvë Farassi Ifatallë in Tretalleri. Properly, the Oath is called D'Perida Lartë avvë Di'Farassi Ifatallë (lit. The Oath of Blood over the Shard of Ivory), but it is normally contracted into its shorter form, both for ease of speaking and recording and to be less daunting to speak for those that are only just learning to speak in Tretalleri.

The Oath is one that is required of every individual more than ten years old in the purview of the Dominion. Making the Oath is, to those educated in the ways of the Dominion, one of the most important and most socially-acclaimed pilgrimages that a person can take. Taking the Oath at the foot of the Ivory Throne itself is the ultimate sign of devotion in the Dominion. The Oath is absolutely binding, to break it or attempt to go against its terms, is to forfeit one's life to the blood magics of the Ivory Throne.

When performed in person, Oath-takers kneel before the Ivory Throne to supplicate its terrible magnificence. If there is an incumbent Imperator, he delivers a brief speech about the importance of this ritual. If, however, the Trial of Blood is currently underway, the Lord or Lady Invokers take turns delivering the speech and presiding over the Oath-taking.

While a Pale Imperator is incumbent, the Prince of Ravens retrieves a sanctified ivory dagger whilst the Prince of Lances takes the sacrificial shard from where it sits on the Ivory Throne—just above where the Imperator's head would rest should he be sitting upon the Throne. When an Imperator is not incumbent, the whomsoever of the Lord Invoker or the Lady Invoker delivered the speech would take the role of the Prince of Lances, while the other takes the role of the Prince of Ravens.

Supplicants then prick their fingers, or, customarily, for those willing to display greater allegiance to the Throne, slice open their palms and allow their blood to fall upon the sacrificial shard. Apart from the crystalline vessel that contains the blood of an incumbent Imperator, the sacrificial shard is the only object on the Throne stained red by the countless drops of blood that have fallen upon it.

Individuals unable to travel to the Imperial Palace are instead charged, if yet un-sworn, with bloodletting using sanctified ivory daggers. The blood that is let is then collected in crystal vessels to keep it free of impurities that are taken back to the Imperial Palace to be poured upon the sacrificial shard.

When the bloodletting is done, individuals are required to declare their allegiance to the Dominion by speaking the words of the Oath. It is important to note that any descendants an individual shall have from the day of their Oath-taking are bound by the Oath as well, though it is customary for children to make the Oath just in case.

The words of the Oath themselves are charged with blood magic and can be binding without bloodletting or contact with the sacrificial shard in certain, remote cases. The binding nature of the Oath is attributed to the fact that the Oath was carved unto the sacrificial shard. It was not until the Ivory Crown was discovered that this capacity to make wholly binding Oaths by carving them into the shard and making a blood sacrifice became known, and even then, only to the Imperators. The information has since been divulged and is kept under strictest guard in the sealed vaults under the Temple at the Shrouded Peaks and the Imperial Palace.

As for the text of the Oath itself, it is as follows:

The Beginnings of the Dominion

The Forest of Bones and the tradition of the Bone Tree are both believed to have originated from the massive excavation project that followed the discovery of the Throne. It took many hundreds of years for the Throne to be unearthed, and in that same time, many hundreds of lives were also lost. It is believed that the families of these excavators shattered their bones and marked the trees at the site of their death with the bones, thus initiating one of the most long-standing and most important traditions of the Dominion, as well as giving the forest its name.

For a handful of millennia after the excavation was finished, the Bone Elves of the city that had found the Throne established the Kingship of the Bone Trees, a minor kingdom that absorbed nearby Bone Elfin city-states and towns in its domain. It was not until the first Imperator of the Dominion, Cilritanë a'Detvida, who had grander ambitions than any of his predecessors, that the armies of the Kingship swept across the land, subjugating and annexing all the lands of the then-disparate Bone Elfin peoples.