Mynyw Politics

The Mynyw have a complex political system that was created through the perceived divine right of Sept of Aberffraw and Llywelyn nic Aberffraw's flight from the Heartlands in approximately -657 L.C..

Mynyw Conclave
The Conclave of the Mynyw is the final and highest ruling body of the Mynyw Heartlands. They are elected from the three largest towns of the Heartlands:


 * Ystrad in the northernmost province
 * Inisfallen in the middle province
 * Fadryn in the southernmost province

Each counselor technically is considered a lord in traditional Stromic politics, equivalent to that of a Count or a Duke. However, among the Mynyw these elected officials only rule for ten-year terms; additionally, there are no term limits. Thus, it is possible for several officials to have a stranglehold on Mynyw politics in their given provinces.

The three members of the Conclave are given the title of Counselor of their given province and it is traditional for a Counselor that is elected twice in a row to hold the title of Senior Counselor. This demonstrates for acknowledgement of the experience and authority of those who have been elected by the Mynyw more than once.

There is no counselor of the Dwarven province.

The current Counselors of the Conclave are:

Vratuli nic Swansea
Senior Counselor of Fadryn

Perhaps the longest serving Counselor in history, Vratuli holds a stranglehold on the Fadryn elections largely due to his Sept's massive wealth. As head of the Swansea Sept since his father's mysterious death, he continues to hold the most power in the province of Fadryn by having the largest group of warriors at his disposal.

Since the fall of Stromgarde and the provinces of Inisfallen and Ystrad, however, it is his warriors that largely guard the passes, fords, and bridges which lead into Fadryn that the Horde have skirmished over.

A pragmatist at heart, his decisions tend to be morally grey, much to the chagrin of the much younger Counselor of Inisfallen, Aras nic Stari. However, he too grows increasingly frustrated with the political system that the Mynyw have created and desires reform... though the reforms he desires are far less partial to the people than they are to creating an aristocratic elite.

He is a member of the Traditionalist faction.

Aras nic Stari
Counselor of Inisfallen

The newest and most recently elected Counselor having come to power just before the Third War, Aras is a young and martial minded man who holds technical power of the Inisfallen Province. His actual power is superficial, however -- since the fall of Inisfallen, most of the Septs from his province have deferred to the two Senior Counselors.

An idealistic but stubborn man, Aras attempts to maintain order within the Assembly chambers, but more often than not and grows increasingly frustrated with the lack of movement on certain political issues and the stifling pragmatism of his colleagues. He is consider broadly as a reformer, supported by Reformists and Modernists alike.

He is a member of the Reformist faction.

Radulf nic Tharingar
Senior Counselor of Ystrad

Though not the longest serving, Radulf is the oldest member on the Conclave and a veteran of the First and Second War. Having originally supported Cadair nic Angelystor in his rebellion and assertion of authority, he has broad support in his base and enjoys popular support among the commonfolk. He foresaw the threat that the Plague of Undeath caused in Lordaeron, and subsequently ordered an evacuation into Fadryn long before the first of the Undead were raised.

Despite his popularity, he is not swayed by the will of the people, his colleagues, nor anyone but his own judgement. He largely supports the political system as it is, not desiring to reform or change the way it works. He is the most likely to work for the betterment of the people with a more idealistic stint.

He is a member of the Traditionalist faction.

Assembly of Glanydd
A Glanydd is an elected local official that helps maintain and create laws that are implemented by the Conclave. A Glanydd acts as the leader for the village, controlling local politics and tending to maintain matters of civil judgement. A Glanydd's is referred to as 'Elder', though there is no technical age minimum or maximum.

The Glanydd make up an Assembly that is normally held in Inisfallen, the largest town of the Mynyw. However, with the fall of the north, the Assembly has begun to meet in Fadryn. It is here that the Glanydd of all four provinces debate and create laws that are approved by the three Counselors of the Conclave.

The Glanydd are largely divided into factions, but there are three that are most prevalent:

Reformist
The Reformist Faction is the smallest of the three factions, desiring to reform the Mynyw political system from the ground up. They tend to be idealistic in their causes, though some reformers sometimes lean towards populist and authoritarian views and support reforming the Mynyw into an aristocratic elite society. These authoritarians, though Reformists in name, tend to vote alongside the Traditionalists.

Traditionalist
The Traditionalist Faction is the oldest and likely the largest faction of the Mynyw. For the most part, the faction is made up of more conservative Glanydd who desire to maintain power or increase their own standing among the Mynyw and generally support some reforms as long as it gives them more power. Because of this, Traditionalist Glanydd and Sept leaders tend to act like aristocracy.

Modernists
The Modernist Faction is a centrist-leaning faction and has the second-most membership among the Glanydd. The popular-if-demeaning adage of the Modernists is 'compromise for safety' -- largely accusing the Modernists of making 'safe' votes in order to maintain their positions. These kind of positions tend to make the modernists an 'on-the-fence' faction between the Reformists and Traditionalists, both of which critical of the relative inaction of the faction.

Assemblies are held no less than once per month -- and can be held more if the Conclave desires to do so. The Glanydd appoints a deputy called a Beliaid, who acts as the leader while the Glanydd is indisposed.

Tanists
A Tanist is the leader of a Sept, selected by the Conclave for being considered a ‘Great Sept’. The Great Septs, typically the most powerful landowners who have built holdfasts, are required to maintain order in a given region of the Mynyw lands, ensure the defense of the citizens against threats foreign and domestic, and collect taxes for it to move upward to the Court. This system of selection is known as Tanistry. Great Septs can be passed down to an Heir Apparent, which is called a Rhiai.

Tanistry was formed from an age-old system of the chieftains of each Sept gaining more power than they should. After the Second Interregnum, the Conclave needed some way to maintain their popularity among the people in the fragile, but duly elected system that the Mynyw have created. By further dividing the provinces into regions and appointing Tanists, they divided power and skillfully pitted the Great Septs against each other, creating a political game for them to waste their resources on each other.

Tanists and Great Septs have risen and fallen over the generations at the behest of the Conclave. When one Tanist gets too powerful or popular, the Conclave unite the other Great Septs against that particular Tanist. If the Tanist doesn’t back down, they are swiftly removed from power and replaced.

This title is the closest thing to a lordship that the Mynyw currently have within their culture.

Judicator
A Judicator is a magistrate that serves as a deputy to a Tanist. Normally chosen by the Tanist, a Judicator is responsible for attending to minor petitions among the Glanydd of the region. Multiple Judicators can be selected by the Tanist, depending on how large of an area that a Tanist controls.

These magistrates wield judicial authority to sentence and carry out criminals up to exile and execution; only the Tanists have that official authority to doll out those sentences. Because of their authority and often travel, they can have up to five retainers known as Sentinels that help them carry out justice.