Dwarven King

The King of Dwarves, called 'King' by Dwarves, is the all-powerful ruler of the Kingdom of the Infernal Forge. Once chosen, he stays King until he has ruled for exactly 729 fortnights, after which he passes and a next King needs to be chosen.

### Election

Each time a new King needs to be chosen, every Clan convenes in a meeting called Crownsmoot. They each send two Clan Elders to represent their Clan in the Crownsmoot.

Once the Clan Elders have each travelled to Moradin's Pride, the High Priests of Moradin ask him for three candidates. These candidates are always Male Dwarves, but could be from any subrace. Once Moradin provides the three candidates, the Crownsmoot convenes (without breaks) until they unanimously pick one of the three candidates. This candidate is then presented to Moradin, for his final approval. If he approves, the Dwarf gains the title of future-King. It is important to note that the Dwarf has no right to reject their election as Future-King.

### From Future-King to King

Once a Dwarf has become the Future-King, he is prepared by the High Priests for the Ritual of Moradin. This Ritual consists out of two steps: first, the Dwarf's soul is set loose from its vassal on the Mortal Plane. Then the High Priests call for Moradin to lead their Kingdom, and he sends part of his spirit down to the Temple of Moradin, located in the center of Moradin's Pride. His spirit then takes control over the body of the Future-King, transforming slightly as to reflect it now being the Avatar of Moradin. Once this has occured, the Ritual is complete and exactly 729 minutes later, the Future-King is crowned King.

### Artifacts of the King

The King is more powerful than any Dwarf in existence, due to it being the Avatar of Moradin. But, the body of the King once belonged to an ordinary Dwarf, so it is not as powerful as a true Avatar of Moradin would be. To aid the King in its rule, the King is handed four artifacts (each representing a part of Dwarf society) as a sign of his power:

* The Platinum Pickaxe: symbol of the mining the Duergar do, this Pickaxe gives the carrier the ability to mine through solid rock with little to no effort.
* The Amulet of Brass: symbol of the farming the Hill Dwarves do, this amulet protects the wearer like the Hill Dwarves protect their crops. The amulet gives the wearer resistance to all damage, and immunity to all non-magical damage.
* The Scepter of Ideas: symbol of the crafting the Mountain Dwarves do, this scepter allows the wearer to craft any magical item, provided he has the resources required for the item.
* The Crown of Fire: eternally ablaze, this crown is a symbol for the mighty Azers that serve the King. The wearer of the crown has the loyalty of any Azer created by the Dwarves, ensuring that every command of the King is followed without question (but with caution).

### Holy Guard Clan

The Holy Guard clan, consisting entirely out of the Azers constructed in Highwall, serves the King and only the King. It controls Moradin's Pride and the leader of the clan serves as the right hand to the King.

### The tasks of the King

The King is the all-powerful ruler of the Kingdom, but no King can be everywhere at once. That is why there are Twelve Clans, each running one of the Twelve Provinces.

If a King disagrees with the local rule of one of the Clans, he can decide to strip the leader of the Clan of his position. The rest of the Clan then has to convene to pick a new leader, in a meeting called the Call of Destiny. This meeting can take several fortnights to complete, so the King takes control over the Clan until a new leader can resume the rule of the Clan.

The King also sets foreign policy and has to sign every treaty agreed upon by the Clans.

But, the King does not decide the laws of the Kingdom on his own. Each Clan sends three Clan Earls to represent each Clan in the Council of Clans. The Council votes in new laws, and the King can only intervene if a law is passed with a majority, but not with a majority of more than 24 votes. The King can always present a new law to the Council to vote upon, unlike the Clans themselves. For more information on this process, see the earlier linked page. The Council passes laws, while the King decides on how to enforce them, making him all-powerful regardless.