The high-elves of Amnora ('Hearth') consider themselves the heart of elvendom in Midgard. The Amnoran lands consist of a grassy plain situated on a peninsula that juts out into the Estian Sea. The peninsula is split along its length by the tall Maere Arel ('Gold-Mountains'), which are rich in precious ores.
The princes of Amnora lead an extravagant lifestyle that revolves around a calendar of social occasions, with each house expected to host several functions each year. Many political deals have been reached late at night at these functions after a few bottles of expensive wine. The members of each house wear clothes in their house colors to social functions, making them very colorful affairs.
The Amnoran coat of arms is a golden flame on a white field with a gold border.
History
Since its founding, Amnora grew to become the second richest province in the Teccan Empire, after the Heartlands. The process to create runeglass was invented here, and it is the source of some of the finest wines and silks. Unlike other provinces, it maintained some semblance of home rule under the Empire, a concession given to one of the oldest provinces.
When the Teccan Empire fell, life in Amnora continued much like before, only now with a foreign policy to match their internal politics. Amnoran diplomacy relies on trade deals, mostly expensive luxury goods in exchange for labor and basic materials.
Economy
The city of Tel Amnora is home to several industries, primarily the runeglass furnaces of House Isneril, and the silk refining of House Eriliex. The city is also home to several arcane scriptoria that produce scrolls and other magical goods.
The waters outside Amnora are rich with fish, but several coral reefs makes navigation difficult.
Politics
The seven princely houses of Amnora all vie for power in an elective monarchy. The High Prince or Princess (Yanolvar or Yanolwyn, lit 'first-prince' or 'first-princess') is elected for a 15-year term, and wields incredible power over Amnoran affairs. There are no term limits, only shifting alliances. The longest ruling High Princess, Melwyn Silroth, ruled for eleven full terms from 1047 to 1212 AUC, retiring at the age of 313. Since her rule, no High Prince has ruled for more than two consecutive terms. The current High Prince is Sirath Adhonin, who has almost served one full term.
Duties of the High Prince
The office of High Prince comes with several benefits. The first, and most obvious one, is the power to issue decrees that carry the full power of law. Secondly, the High Prince gains the usage of Ambar Araeril for whatever purposes they want. They also control several resources that are nominally owned by the state of Amnora itself, most importantly several mines in the Maere Arel that provide vast resources for their agenda.
Being High Prince is also a lot of work. Everyone in the city will have something they want you to decide in their favor. A new High Prince must also appoint hundreds of officials to their court, everything from the Master of Mint, Captain of the Prince-Guard, to their council of advisors.
Checks and balances
The High Prince's decrees can only be vetoed if all other houses unanimously votes against them - as long as the High Prince has at least one house supporting them, their word is law. When issuing such a veto, it can be made with or without prejudice. If a veto is made with unanimous prejudice, a new election is immediately called. This has only happened once, during the fall of the the Teccan Empire when the sitting High Prince wanted to mobilize Amnora and march to the defense of the crumbling Empire.
When electing a new High Prince, the seven houses gather and cast public votes for any house but themselves. Each vote is accompanied by a speech that explains their reasoning. If the first vote results in a tie, a new round of voting is performed between the houses with the most votes. In such a run-off, the houses in question are forced to vote for their opponent, a peculiar detail which forces them to make eloquent speeches on their opponents behalf. Not doing so would be considered an extreme breach of etiquette.
The winning house is technically not elected, but rather they are allowed to choose who is to be named High Prince. This is in a vast majority of cases the most senior member of the house that won the election, but exceptions have been made due to age, infirmity, or political aptitude.
Other houses
The number of princely houses has fluctuated slightly since the founding of the city, and currently stands at seven. A new house could be established by unanimous decree of the other houses, but this is unlikely to happen since no house wants their share of power diminished.
There are also a few dozen families who socialize with the nobles, but are not part of it. These include retired adventurers, rich merchants, and others who can sustain an aristocratic lifestyle. These families are not powerful enough to challenge any of the princes, but together they do need to be reckoned with in the politics of the city. Most of these families have hitched their wagon behind a princely house. They are kept loyal through a combination of rewards for their services and fear of reprisal should they do anything perceived as disloyal.
Military
Each princely house is allowed to keep its own retinue of soldiers, with each force loyal to its house. If a major threat should present itself, the High Prince can issue a decree to call the banners, assuming command of all retinues. The last time this happened was in 1391 AUC, when the FTC blockaded the city in an effort to force them to sign an unfavorable trade deal. This effort failed after the FTC flagship was boarded and sunk by a combined force of all the princely houses.
Each retinue guards the manor of their house and serve as bodyguards. Each house also maintains its own justice system for minor crimes, with only major crimes or crimes involving nobility going before the High Prince.
Joining a retinue of a princely house and advancing through the ranks is one of few ways for the lowborn of the city to socially climb. This faint hope keeps all houses with a steady supply of fresh recruits.
Each house also employs squads of adventurers, especially when the task at hand requires special skills - or plausible deniability. Adventurers who prove themselves reliable and loyal problem solvers are rare and their services fetch a high price. It is not uncommon for younger nobles to join adventurers on missions - perhaps out of boredom, or to have deeds to point to.
Religion
The elves of Amnora revere Aegir above the other gods, and have built several temples in his honor. Other gods are also represented, especially Idun and Balder by the winemaking House Adhonin and Odin among the magically gifted House Silroth.