A List of the Kings
"It is not mine to carry the burden of full leadership, but someday my sons and theirs will rule all of Meron, and the people will think it was ordained for them by the Creator."
-Tanel Myrelyris
Historically, Meron has not been united. Seven and a half centuries ago, however, the Myrelyris family drove the Etanan overlords out and seized power.
This transition was not initially smooth. The Myrelyris’ took up reign in their traditional seat of power, Kassen, which was their ancestral home. Few felt this was fair. While the first King, Tanel Myrelyris, continued to show marked favor towards his own central people, in order to appease his enemies he also established a law stating that the king must spend one-quarter of the calendar year in cities beyond Kassen.
In practice, this has meant that most kings take interspersed vacations throughout the year. However, it established the precedent for the reliance of the kings on the nobility and was the base for the Council of Lords (Zal a debedo) that exists today.
The role of the king, as in many monarchies, is largely dependent on the individual’s strength of personality. Some kings, such as Tanel, were a powerful force for change and led the country. While Tanel had little control over the outer regions of Meron, his heirs solidified his rule.
In the years following King Tanel’s victory over the Etanans, Meron was divided into three separate kingdoms. Tanel reigned in the central area, where the south was under control of Pafey, a man who touted himself as Tanel’s aunt’s cousin (the source of the later expression “zhewem muny”, literally “aunt’s cousin”—a reference to the later revealed deception that existed in Pafey’s rule). His given name became slang for “liar” and eventually replaced the older “jago” entirely. The north was under control of a genuine relative of Tanel, who died within the first ten years of Myrelyris control and passed his lands to Tanel.
Within twenty years of the establishment of the monarchy, Nitel, Tanel’s son, had solidified Meron into one kingdom. So it remains after seven and a half centuries.
Some kings rule the zal a debedo and have almost absolute control; some allow a more democratic process. In the present day, there is a balance between the two which, while delicate, has so far remained stable.
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