Rites of Rulership

Formal rules around the position and powers of the monarch of Risur.

## Monarch Selection

The monarch is chosen either by being appointed the successor of the previous monarch or by the Risuri nobles' election.

If the monarch chooses a successor, the crown must be placed upon the successor's head by the monarch or a designated proxy (effectively Harkover) for them to officially become the next monarch.

If chosen by election, the nobles nominate individuals out of a proposed pool of candidates (minimum 1 candidate) and vote whether to make them monarch. A majority (>50%) of nobles (minimum 1 noble) must vote yes for the candidate to become monarch. A monarch's chosen successor is automatically a nominated candidate.

While the laws of Risur forbid devas or other immortals from taking the throne, such is not specifically forbidden by the Rites.

## Monarch Powers

### Lord of the Land

These powers are conferred by the nobles' approval of the monarch.

While in Risur, the monarch can spend a swift action once per round to move up to four 5-ft cubes of earth, stone, or foliage up to five feet.

The monarch can name creatures to forbid them from entering Risur via teleportation or planar travel for one month, but must know the person's actual name. Likewise, the king can spend ten minutes to open a pathway to the Dreaming and, with more difficulty, the Bleak Gate (if the planes are stable).

When the monarch is engaged in battle with a person or group actively contending for control of Risur's territory, his power is elevated to match the strongest individual among his enemies. When facing a fey titan, this gives a mortal man incredible strength and stamina, but is of little use against invading armies, since the monarch is likely already about as powerful as even the most dangerous of his or her enemies.

When the monarch is in an encounter with a hostile creature that is contesting control of Risuri lands (or if the monarch is trying to conquer lands controlled by his or her enemy), the monarch gains the following benefits.

* A bonus to AC, attack rolls, and saving throws equal to the difference in hit dice
* A bonus to Strength-, Dexterity-, and Constitution-based checks equal to 5 + [half the difference in hit dice]
* Fast healing equal to the difference in hit dice. This is in addition to the default Fast Healing 10 from Monarch of the Masses.
* For the purposes of abilities that depend on size, the monarch can choose to be considered the same size as his or her opponent. (Zidi the Halfling Queen once put Granny Allswell into a headlock.)

Effects that factor in the difference in hit dice only care if the enemy has more hit dice. Fighting a lower HD foe never weapons the monarch. The monarch only gains bonuses from a single enemy, whichever has the most HD. After all, the rites were designed to help a man fight a fey titan, not two fey titans.

For example, when King Dukain (HD 20) fought the Voice of Rot (HD 25), he benefited from a +5 bonus to AC, attack rolls, and saving rolls; +7 to physical ability checks, and Fast Healing 15.

### Monarch of the Masses

These powers are conferred by the common people's approval of the monarch.

The monarch gains a +5 bonus to saves against charm, fear, and poison. When the monarch falls to <=0 HP for the first time in an encounter, each of the monarch's allies within three miles is dazed for one round. However, the monarch has Fast Healing 10.

The monarch also receives the Crown of Risur, which lets the wearer always know the names of those he or she can see (Humble Hook Lite, but with preferred names rather than birth names). The monarch is also able to determine the general location of people on Risuri soil, though it takes a great deal of concentration and effort and does not pinpoint location with extreme precision - usually enough to determine if they're in a city, for example, but not the exact street or building.

As a free action the crown's wearer can say someone's name to grant them an immediate save against an ongoing charm, fear, or poison effect; but a given creature can only be granted one bonus save in this way per day .

### Other

The monarch is a fey titan, officially the fey titan of civilization with Risur as their territory. They also knows who is crossing into or out of Risuri borders.

The monarch is also able to confer mental/physical resilience to his citizens and shield them from mental influences. This includes mental influences from planar arrangements, such as those intended by the Obscurati.

The fey titans, bound by their pact with King Kelland, are unable to act against Risur or harm its people as long as there exists a monarch on the throne (among other conditions). The fey titans *are* allowed to contest with the monarch for territory, and take more territory if they best the monarch in combat.

*Bounty of the Land:* As a standard action, the monarch can call upon the land to restore their allies. All allies adjacent to the monarch gain the effects of Cure Critical Wounds and Restoration (CL 15). A given creature can only benefit from this ability once per day.

## Monarch Kicking

The monarch's powers wane as their approval with the Risuri population does, and if the majority disapproves of the monarch then they lose their powers. This is also true with regards to the Risuri nobility (as opposed to the general population), though more often the nobility will formalize their disapproval in a majority vote.

## Loopholes

If the monarch chooses a successor but is unable to crown them, their designated proxy may choose not to crown the successor. After King Lorcan's death Harkover used this to choose an elected monarch instead of crowning Melissa Gahlot, although she was elected queen anyway (much to his chagrin).

Any majorities are based on the Risuri population or nobility in the same plane as the monarch is in, meaning that these rules still apply while the monarch is in the Dreaming or the Bleak Gate. The Obscurati plans to use this loophole to depose King Aodhan and elect Roland Stanfield as king with the help of Catherine and (originally) Irwin Romana.

Although the monarch's territory as a fey titan includes Risuri towns and cities, natural elements in Risur outside of civilization (e.g., lakes) fall under the other fey titans' domains. The other fey titans have control over these elements, and may use those to do as they please regardless of any humans in the same space.

Rules that apply to Risuri soil will not necessarily apply to Risuri waters.