Infellian Politics

## Divine Ilhestrine Rule

### Leaders

King Ilssine Ilhestrine I, King Ilssine Ilhestrine II, Queen Delionne T. Ilhestrine, King Eliast O. Ilhestrine, Queen Vircette Ilhestrine, King Liost E. Ilhestrine

## Political Makeup

### Suffrage Rights

Elves and Half-Elves, Female Dwarves, Male Humans, Fey Folk

## Demographics

### Supporting Parties

Monarchical Constitution Party (MCP), Absolute Divine Right of Kings Party (ADRKP)

### Oppositional Parties

Infellus Republican Party (IRP), People's Republic of Infellus Party (PRIP), Fellowship of Engaging in Direct Democracy (FoEDD), Magus/Magic-Influenced Peoples' Party (MMIPP), Philosophical Peace Party (3P)

The Divine Rule of the Ilhestrines was the longstanding Infellian monarchical power, centralized in Silastine, Infellus, from -3765DA to -134DA. The monarchy was known for a stiff following of rules and legislation, strong international trade operations, a powerful militia and an even more robust navy.

Milûk was the patron Godde granting the Ilhestrines absolute rule, leading to a long line of paladins (and the odd padlock!) using her power to their benefit in battle.

Being an elven power, many high elves (and some wood elves) hailing from Infellus who are old enough to recall the Ilhestrine rule reminisce on times in which they had much more power.

The Ilhestrine rule was brought to a halt during the dethroning of King Liost, in -133DA.

### War Time

Not only did the Ilhestrines have a very powerful navy and militia, but they exercised these powers quite frequently. The Bestrine Wars started during the First King's reign, and only ended while the Second was nearing his death. The various uprisings arose in every ruler's reign, though they were most popular during King Eliast and Liost's reigns. The Smokepowder Wars started during Eliast's rule and ended in the midst of Vircette's. Peacetime was a rarity under the Ilhestrines.

Transfer of power was from current leader at the time of their death to their eldest child; thus, eldest children were raised in unusually harsh conditions, education in every field from battle to arithmetic to finances to legislation. It was common for firstborn children to join the military at the time of their hundredth birthday, giving them a chance to flex their battlefield and strategic skills. This being so, second, third, and even fourth children were only usually birthed during times of war, when the chance of an eldest child passing away before their ruling parent was not unlikely. The children birthed after the eldest were only marginally trained in the ways of ruling, leading to more uncertainty in their power, and thus less popularity from citizens (King Eliast himself was a fourth child, his three elder siblings having passed away in the Smokepowder Wars during Queen Delionne's rule. His rule was unsteady and uneducated, and when his death led to Queen Vircette taking power, many Infellians celebrated).

#### Bestrine Wars

The Bestrine Wars (-3742DA to -2032DA) were a series of Wars with the former southern country of Percelvine over colonial rights within the J'Ke Isles, followed by a brief scuffle over the island country of Oktolis. The wars were long and ongoing for centuries due to the long lifespans of elves (such as the Ilhestrines), and the dwarves of the south. These wars lasted until the dissolution of Percelvine, at which point, Infellus colonized the J'ke Isles once and for all, and attempted at colonizing Oktolis, unsuccessfully. However, the conquering of the J'Ke Isles failed to prove as useful as the Ilhestrines had hoped, the country only providing a very small amount of profit.

#### Uprisings

There were many uprisings under the Ilhestrines, as many, especially those spurned by suffrage rights or deeply fear-based legislation attempted to gain more favor within their system. Many remain undocumented, or any documentation created was lost during the dethroning of King Liost.

##### Halfling-Gnome Uprisings

While there were innumerable halfling-gnome collaborations to overthrow the Ilhestrines, the following were the most widely known and recorded.

###### Griggith's Battle

Under King Issine the First's rule, a halfling by the name of Griggith (last name is unknown) lead an attempted uprising against the monarchy. Due to an insider informing the high court of the planned events, Griggith and his gathered fighters were stopped and punished before they could even make their way to the high palace. During the skirmish, Griggith himself slashed an elvish official in the neck in front of a crowd of gawkers, drawing heavy press coverage when the official eventually died from bloodloss. Many gnomes and halflings expressed disgust at Griggith's inability to stage a more peaceful protest, though a select few were proud of his actions. Many of Griggith's men were jailed and executed, though what became of Griggith himself is lost to history.

###### Fezzine's Battles

Another uprising under King Issine the First was lead by Fezzine, a gnomish woman attempting to gain suffrage rights for halflings and gnomes. After seeing what happened to Griggith and his failed coup, Fezzine planned a series of attacks on the kingdom, using blackmailed or sympathetic government officials to help plan around the royal schedules to best achieve her goals. Two of her planned seven attacks were launched before an official ratted out the party to the King, leading to a long series of executions of saboteurs, including Fezzine herself. This public display of failure discouraged gnome-halfling uprisings for centuries.

###### Gnomling Paradise

'Gnomling Paradise' was a code name for a string of operations by gnome and halfling collaborators under Queen Vircette's rule to gain suffrage rights. Using complex security and swift and harsh punishment for anyone found guilty of betraying the group, the gnomlings nearly negated any chance of their plans being disrupted. Their coups were so well executed that a brief panic spread through the royal court, until one of the gnomlings, known as Zeddine, was caught sneaking through the palace. He refused to give anything up, so he was publicly executed as a warning to anyone who would dare act against the Ilhestrines. The gnomling uprisings gradually dropped off in the coming months.

##### Dwarf-Gnome Uprising

At one point during Queen Delionne's rule, dwarvish men and gnomes teamed up to gain suffrage rights for those neglected by the Ilhestrines. They planted smokepowder barrels around official buildings, and a few were ignited before messengers were quickly sent to other officials, who caught the barrels before they were ignited. This led to a string of arrests of dwarvish men who happened to be near the scenes of the crime, leading to even more upset within the dwarven community.

##### Attempted Dethroning of King Eliast

During King Eliast's rule, many citizens grew tired of his unsteady hand, and sought to assassinate the man to let his next eldest child, Vircette, through to rule. Even those with more rights under the Ilhestrines joined the group effort to end Eliast's rule, and a series of near-death events and attempted murders followed in the few years of his rule. Several men attempted to get an arrow through him in his daily outings, all failing. A few dishes were found to have been poisoned before being delivered to Eliast. People were found sneaking around the palace with weapons and poisons during the night, one woman only caught because she neglected to cover Eliast's mouth in her complexely-detailed torturous death she had envisioned. The attempts only ended with Eliast's death to a heart attack, a mere 13 years into his rule.

##### Human Women's Murders

Under King Liost, many human women banded together to attempt to get their point across through violent means. A series of murders of government officials, all men (elvish and dwarven women were allowed to live as a message), led to a panic spreading through the government until the pattern was recognized. Sentries were posted outside the living quarters of the assumed text targets, and a human woman was found sneaking in through the window of an elvish councilor's window, and executed. The murders continued however, as the sentries had to retire their positions to deal with the *other* widespread uprisings under Liost's rule.

##### Dethroning of King Liost

By the time of King Liost, many citizens had gone through generations of oppression, and even government officials were widely starting to act on behalf of the citizens with whom they were sympathetic (assisted by the Women's Murders). A series of smokepowder explosions and murders narrowed the amount of officials and guards down considerably, until a group of mercenaries were found assassinating the king and several of his guards by a rogue chef loose in the palace. These mercenaries handed power over to their leader, Mercenary Guild leader, dwarven man Rosen Thilein, who was given the role of First Premier of the Republic of Infellus after the writing of the constitution amongst the other Infellian guilds, political philosophers, and council leaders who joined the cause against the Ilhestrines.

#### Smokepowder Wars

The Smokepowder Wars were a series of naval battles fought during Queen Delionne's rule, in which Infellus fought the country of Ukaidsu over their creation and use of smokepowder. The Ilhestrines argued that using such a substance was 'unfair,' if you will; arguing that it only be used for industrial purposes, such as mining, as the effects on the living were quite adverse. In reality, the Ilhestrines were uncertain how to create such a powder, and spent many a researcher overseas to figure out the formula, using it as soon as they got their hands on it.

Even though Infellus is no longer ruled by the Ilhestrines, Ukaidsu and Infellus have a rocky relationship with one another to this day.

### Suffrage Laws

Voting rights were far from universal under the Ilhestrines. Racism, xenophobia, and sexism fueled many of the restrictions against groups, for instance, gnomes and halflings were deemed deeply unfit to vote due to their vastly different cultures, and dwarven men and human women were deemed far too emotional to vote. It is thought that fey folk were only given suffrage rights due to the possible fear of magic held by the Ilhestrines, though this is debated.

Voting and elections did not consider the head of state in the slightest, only covering smaller committees concerning public works and local legislation, though voter turnout was never very high under the Ilhestrines.

### Magical Prohibition and Divine Rights

Magic was nearly outlawed under the Ilhestrines. The select few who could practice magic were the Ilhestrines themselves, magical physikers and instructors approved by the King or Queen themself, and those to whom magic was of religious importance, but only those religions approved by the King or Queen. Magic as entertainment was strictly forbidden (except for spiritual means), and was only to be used during times of great urgency, such as for healing or weaponry during times of war.

Magus physikers, while certainly not nonexistent, were far from widespread under the Ilhestrines. There were rarely more than twenty, due to the fact that the monarchy and their smaller institutions were to keep track of all maguc physikers, their whereabouts and activities, as well as the patients they saw and the ailments they attended to. Records were religiously kept and searched, and at times, physikers could be jailed for infringing the preferrences of the King or Queen.

Rulers and their children were raised in the ways of weilding Milûk's power for use in battle; all Ilhestrine children were Paladins, Clerics, or Warlocks (or the odd Padlock!) wielding their gods' power during times of great need.

Wizardry was unheard of in Ilhestrine, other than in fairy tales, myth, and legend; warlocks and sorcerers found to be practicing magic were jailed and punished severely or, more rarely, exiled from the kingdom (these laws applied just as strictly to foreign magic-users visiting the nation, many of whom had to go through the long and arduous process of getting a local embassy to help with their sentencing and charges, which could take months to years! It was thus well-known amongst other nations to either not visit Infellus as a magic user, or to simply keep it under wraps as much as possible. No silly dancing lights tricks!)

Record of why the Ilhestrines kept this strong fear of magic deeply ingrained into their citizens are not known, though many speculate that the Ilhestrines themselves were deeply fearful of magic, or that they believed that magic users could somehow overthrow their rule...(?). Theories vary, but many political philosophers find this fact extremely interesting, with some devoting their lives to uncovering the truth of *why* the Ilhestrines kept this law.

This fear of magic is still deeply ingrained into Silastine high elvish culture, and in some wood elves as well.

## Political Makeup

### Parties

Infellus Republican Party (IRP), Monarchical Constitution Party (MCP), Magus/Magic-Influenced Peoples' Party (MMIPP), Absolute Divine Right of Kings Party (ADRKP), People's Republic of Infellus Party (PRIP), Fellowship of Engaging in Direct Democracy (FoEDD), Philosopical Peace Party (3P)

## Demographics

### Supporting Parties

Infellus Republican Party (IRP), People's Republic of Infellus Party (PRIP), Magus/Magic-Influenced Peoples' Party (MMIPP)\*\*, Philosopical Peace Party (3P)

### Oppositional Parties

Monarchical Constitution Party (MCP), Absolute Divine Right of Kings Party (ADRKP), Fellowship of Engaging in Direct Democracy (FoEDD)

### Neutral Parties

Magus/Magic-Influenced Peoples' Party (MMIPP)\*\*

### Party by Percentage

IRP: 53%; MCP: 24%\*\*\*; MMIPP: 3%; ADRKP: 1%\*\*\*; PRIP: 2%; FoEDD: 15%; 3P: 2%

Founded shortly after the dissolution of the Ilhestrine throne, the Republic of Infellus was created by the united Guildmasters of Infellus. The Mercenary Guild Leader, Rosen Thilein was the first Premier of the newly formed country, founding the Infellus Republican Party in the doing. The collected guildmasters came to write the constitution and form the various government agencies, allowing the system to become much more education-based and bureaucratic in nature. The country is now a representative democracy, in which elected officials act on behalf of their constituents.

### Distribution of Power

Executive power is held solely by the Premier of the country, legislative held by the Infellus Council and Treasury, and judicial power is held by various judges and courts across the country, with varying degrees of power and reach.

#### Executive

The Premier of Infellus has total executive power, acting as head of state and head of government. However, there are several committees and boards that act as advisors to the Premier, bringing him information and advice, as well as collecting surveys of the population. The party majority within the council does not have to match the party of the Premier, but in the 25 elections held, the Premier has *not* matched the council party only 13 times.

#### Legislative

Legislative power is held by the Infellus Council and Treasury, which controls written legislation and government spending. The council is made up of 42 members, each representing a region of Infellus. In order for legislation to be passed, the councilors for the law must have a 2/3 majority. In order for a constitutional amendment to be passed, the council must have near consensus, with 40 of 42 having to agree to the proposition. The Council has committees and sub-committees on a variety of topics, though voter turnout rates for these smaller elections have waned since the country's beginning.

Knowledge of the law is not extremely wide-spread through Infellus, with many citizens simply following their own perception of 'common law,' in which due respect and personal morality rule superior. Vigilantes and ending personal vendettas is extremely normalized within Infellus, and while not super common and somewhat frowned-upon, many wardens and watch will turn their back on the serving of revenge.

#### Judicial

The highest court in Infellus is the constitutional court, where cases concerning constitutional laws are discerned and ruled upon. Nearly every large town or city in Infellus has a court, with smaller towns making use of neighboring towns' courts. Each judge may act differently from others, making rulings on a case-by-case basis, though many watch officials and policing agencies do not give citizens a right to trial, as allowed by the Infellus constitution. Trials are only held for nobility and those whom have a large enough following as to amass the funding for a trial, leading to an imperfect system in which criminals of any kind can be punished without conflict. The constitutional court's main role is to provide aid to the Infellus Council and Treasury on legislation.

### Suffrage Rights\*

Suffrage is near universal in the Republic of Infellus, with all races having access to voting privileges. Laws are found to be biased for or against some races more than others, as seen with the early voting access laws for elves, humans, and dwarves, with many areas that are inhabited by gnomes and halflings have much less access to voting, and some age restrictions in place for races, in addition to some occupations being deemed unworthy of voter-status. These issues are greatly debated within the Council and restrictions are starting to lessen, though voting is commonly seen as a noble activity in some areas.

### Parties

#### Major Parties

These are the most widely recognized political parties within Infellian politics.

##### Infellus Republican Party (IRP)

With the highest voter turnout by far, the IRP has reigned supreme over the other major parties for nearly it's entire span. The current Premier and majority of the Council and Treasury are held by IRP members (26 council members, including Sir Anthric Deliannis, who is currently incumbent). The IRP push for conservative spending of government funding, safeguards in place during times of war and hardship (especially for nobility) and education access. Though the party does have its more profit-over-people leanings at times, some IRP members are very community-oriented.

##### Monarchical Constitution Party (MCP)

A party created by the high elven administrators and guards scorned by the fall of the Ilhestrines, the MCP push for the reinstitution of the monarchy with a new constitution, a better legislature, and more suffrage amongst the citizens of Infellus. Silastine high elves and a fair amount of wood elves make up this party, though they rarely get any legislation passed in the Council due to the excess of IRP members. This party is headed by Cllr. Silvrien Salien.

##### Magus/Magic-Influenced People's Party (MMIPP)\*\*

While a deep-seated fear of magic-users is common amongst the elder high elves of Silastine, magic-users have become much more widely accepted and have formed enough of a community to form a political party. The MMIPP are very anti-monarchy in nature, even more-so than the IRP, often pushing for criminalization of Monarchy-forward groups such as the MCP and ADRKP. The MMIPP do not perfectly submit to the IRP's ideals as a republic either, often pushing for a less powerful government, higher access to education, more universal suffrage, and more direct democracy.

##### Absolute Divine Right of Kings Party (ADRKP)\*\*\*

The ADRKP is a much harsher right-wing version of the MCP. They push for violent overthrow of the Republic of Infellus, mirroring the dethroning of Liost, taking the government by force. While no seats in the council are held by this party, and even fewer citizens admit to subscribing to its ideology, a fair amount of MCP members do, in fact, engage in ADRKP events, as reported by press coverage.

##### People's Republic of Infellus Party (PRIP)

The PRIP is very similar to the IRP, though they have different goals for the country's legislature and judicial branches. Tired of vigilante actors, the PRIP push for more all-encompassing legislature, more policing of citizens and a longer judicial process reserved for all criminals. A bit of a single-issue party, the PRIP are not very popular amongst Infellians.

##### Fellowship of Engaging in Direct Democracy (FoEDD)

Pushing for more direct democracy within Infellus, the FoEDD are mainly made up of the more-educated members of Infellian society. They push for higher voting access, especially amongst commoner society, as well as higher access to education. The FoEDD resent the IRP's image of representational democracy, and push for more direct citizen access to the government, as it is often closed-off.

##### Philosophical Peace Party (3P)

A rather romantic-belief based party, 3P push for a more hands-off style society, in which citizens are allowed to live in harmony with one another, with community-centric laws and administrative systems being small groups of trusted community leaders. They usually push for legislation concerning access to civil rights and public access to goods and services.

#### Minor Groups

While not in active political parties, there are a few smaller groups centered around political ideologies within Infellus: a collection of anarchist groups litter the country, two communist-adjacent groups live in the major cities, and a smattering of pro-monarchy, anti-democracy groups live within elven-centric societies.