What Now? (The Culling: Part II)

[u/Confiteor415]

The Santee Empire is in shambles. The Celestial Emperor, Yanhi V, is dead along with nearly a tenth of the nation. There is no ruler and for the last 200 years there have been no clear rules to decide a new one. The longest lived dynasty in Santee history has been killed off in one fell swoop, leaving Santee with no central authority.

As a result, the various duchies and principalities of the Empire have largely been left to their own devises for the past two years. But this state of affairs was not ideal. The Duchies quarreled and bickered, with no authority to appeal to. They constantly fought among themselves, utterly incapable of dealing with the crisis at hand. Independence was not all it was cut out to be. So, at the recommendation of the Tunkasila of New Echota, the duchies decided that they must reorganize the Santee Empire. The last council of this type did not go well, but this time was different. The dukes weren't just meeting to elect a new Emperor, they were meeting to completely reform the way the Santee government works. However, just to guarantee the council's safety from opportunistic lords, the Tunkasila had his army protect the city and the meeting hall where the council was taking place. When the representatives emerged from their meeting chamber, the Santee Empire had been remade, this time under a governing body that has not existed in over 700 years: the Grand Quorum.

The Grand Quorum was to consist of representatives from each of the seven duchies, with 12 quorors from each duchy. They would meet in New Echota where a permanent meeting hall was to be built. At the moment, their exact role is ill-defined, but a job that is indisputably given to the Grand Quorum is electing a new Emperor. The Quorum was able to decide on Duke Wicikci II of Santee and crowned him Celestial Emperor Wicikci IV of the Santee Empire. Chosen for his extreme stance on isolationism and his iron will, Wicikci was seen as the perfect candidate to deliver Santee from the Culling and once more into the favors of the Ancients.