Sovereign

The Sovereigns (also referred to informally as the Kings/Queens of the Dominion) are provincial rulers of the Province of Carath and the head of all the provincials. As such they are the ancestral rulers of the Dominion of Cor Nova. They retain the ability to speak High Sylvan, an ability originally established by Sylvanus, the first Sovereign, the beginning of whose rule marks the Cor Novan year 0.

Origins
Prior to the reign of the Sovereigns, a variety of prosperous cultures and nations lived and reigned in what is now Cor Nova. This time period is referred to colloquially as The Old World. The Old World ended with a period of terrible war known as The Scourge. According to the account in The Rule of Sylvanus, Sylvanus enabled a group of people to survive the final disastrous days of The Scourge by discovering and utilizing a language now known as High Sylvan.

What follows is a direct quote from The Rule of Sylvanus, most probably written by Sylvanus himself.

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''In the last days of the Old World, the shepherd Sylvanus lived with his herds on the Fields of Carath. He slept beneath the stars, walked with the cool grasses, guided his sheep in birth and death. Even as a young man, he was known to be wise, and people walked many roads to ask his counsel. In those days, men worked wonderful deeds, because they were young, and had not yet forgotten the words that knit the world together. For many years, all was well. ''

''Until, the ash began to fall from the sky, and the first wild-eyed refugees appeared, stumbling sick and injured to the Fields of Carath through the mountain passes, their dead left behind. One by one, as the grass withered and the streams turned black, Sylvans’s flock dwindled away. Sylvanus, with all his wisdom, could not save a single one. ''

''Sylvanus knew that the Old World was crumbling. The greed and fear of that age was spilling over. In the north, king rose up against king, lord against lord, brother against brother. They wrought evils that could not be opposed or understood, living storms that plowed down crops and destroyed cities, invisible assassins, and most horribly, phantom armies made of tortured creatures long dead. ''

''The Fields of Carath were spared these terrors, but not for long. They had been wrought from the words that made the world, twisted into weapons that rent creation anew. Sylvanus knew that only this power, the power that resided within the canvas of nature itself, that had made it, could turn back the evil that now roared toward the Fields. Sylvanus buried the last of his sheep and went off by himself. ''

''In the morning, he walked beneath the trees, and listened to their murmuring. He learned to speak to the trees, to recognize their low, sweet hum. When he asked, the trees gave him a straight staff of elm wood. ''

''With the sun high, Sylvanus bent down to the last clear stream of the Fields, a tiny trickle of clear water. He heard it whispering, and whispered back. At his lips, the waters parted. And in the stream’s tiny bed lay a smooth, green stone. ''

''That night, Sylvanus lay beneath the stars, and they glimmered with their silver light. Their speech was high and clear, the hardest of all to learn. But Sylvanus was patient and wise. And when he called, the stars sent a piece of themselves streaking over the heavens, a piece of molten silver that smote the earth a mighty blow. Sylvanus fashioned from this a clean, round ring. ''

''When Sylvanus awoke, the meager sunlight was red. Ash rained from the sky like hoarfrost, and the grass was brittle and dry beneath his feet. The far mountain ranges crackled with fire. And over the peaks of the mountains, dark shapes came. ''

''Sylvanus held the staff of elm in his hand, the river’s stone on a leather strap around his neck, the star’s ring on his head. And, gazing into that red dawn, he spoke the words that had formed the world, the words that the world have never forgotten, words that few men know. With their power, he turned the corruption of the Old World back on itself, locking it away beneath the Fields of Carath. ''

It was upon that morning that Cor Nova was born and the Rule of Sylvanus was written.

Powers
As an absolute monarch, the Sovereign retains full governmental power of the Sovereign Dominion of Cor Nova. As the provincial (governor) of Carath, they are the chief of the seven provincials, and they exercise final control over the Sovereign Fleet.

Historically, however, the Sovereign will make major decisions in council with the other six provincials and with chosen advisors. Since all of the provinces retain their own laws, codes, and customs, the Sovereign has very rarely made unilateral decisions binding upon all of the Dominion. One notable example was the establishment of the Sovereign Codex of Justice by the Sovereign Kyril, which sought to bring more consistence and unity to the various systems of criminal prosecution in the provinces.

The ruling Sovereign also retains the ability to use High Sylvan in times of need, although the use of High Sylvan appears to be a highly inconsistent and unpredictable ability, varying significantly between individuals and situations. High Sylvan will be discussed more fully elsewhere in these pages.

Symbology
The most traditional symbols of the lineage of the Sovereign are the Three Relics of Sylvanus, these being the Elm Staff, the Riverstone Amulet, and the Astral Crown.

The Sovereign is almost always depicted with the Rule of Sylvanus, a collection of stories, poetry, and other documents that is added to with each Sovereign that passes.

Lineage
The Rule of Sylvanus dictates clear conditions that Sovereigns must follow in deciding how to pass leadership from one Sovereign to another. There are two mechanisms by which a new Sovereign is established. The first and most prevalent is biological succession. The previous Sovereign may choose among his/her descendants who will inherit the throne.

In situations where no descendant exists (or the Sovereign decides not to choose from among his/her descendants, a very rare occurrence), the Sovereign may convene a council to select and approve a new Sovereign. In a case where a Sovereign dies unexpectedly and therefore cannot preside over this council, the other six provincials follow a set protocol to appoint a new Sovereign, most probably from among their number. This last scenario has occurred twice in the history of Cor Nova.