Queen of Olathe
Only four have reigned as queen of Olathe in the 1700 years since the country's establishment. All have been Lathléar wood elves descended directly from the nigh-legendary Athaía, the First Queen; the reigning sovereign, Queen Fiaéain IV, is her great-great-granddaughter. This storied lineage is renowned for bearing a powerful Lunar Gift of necromancy, a blessing of sorcerous power bestowed by the The Moon Spirit itself. That power is vital to the role of queen of Olathe, not only because martial necromancy is the backbone of Olathe's military might and thus holds great symbolic importance within the nation, but also because it is a sign of ongoing favor and fortune bestowed upon the the House Uhl'Olathe, and by extension, the nation.
The Sovereign's Title
The origins of the title of Queen are bound up with the origins of the nation itself. Olathe traces its roots to the charismatic leader Athaía, who was a powerful warlord's daughter who rallied the formerly-warring Lathléar clans to unify after she was captured, slain, and then resurrected with a powerful Lunar Gift. Both the title and its duties stem directly from this history."Over the next few decades, Athaía spent her time moving ceaselessly from clan to clan, courting associations and affiliates among all those that would hear her out. Her Lunar Gift endowed her with a silver tongue, which she used to convince many other clans to fall in alongside her people for the sake of protection for all. Some that would join her had even opposed her mother in battle not more than a century prior; the power of the young leader to turn minds and hearts in her favor was ever-increasing. In time, Athaía had drawn together an alliance of almost all the clans that dwelt within the Lathléannach." — Excerpted from the Athaíannat, the mytho-historical account of the formation of Olathe.
Etymology, Style, and Form of Address
"Queen of Olathe" is a translation of the Lathléaril title Gwaenhir, which was the title bestowed upon Athaía when she was chosen as the leader of the new nation of Olathe in approximately 1000 YW. The title Gwaenhir, which like most Olathian titles is appended at the end of one's given name before the surname, literally means "chosen individual," doubly suggesting the person is chosen by the Moon Spirit as a bearer of a Lunar Gift and by the people of Olathe as their leader. While the title of Gwaenhir (Queen) remains the most common title used to reference the reigning Olathian monarch, her full style and title is Fiaéain IV, Lunar Sovereign of Olathe and the Lathléannach. That title is used to introduce her in matters of politics and ceremony, though the shorter title, Gwaenhir, is acceptable after introduction. In conversation she is addressed as "Your Majesty."History and Succession
The first queen of Olathe was Athaía, the first of the House Uhl'Olathe. At the time of her ascent to the throne, Lathléar culture was already firmly matrilineal, so the issue of succession required little discussion. Like other historical Lathléar noble titles, the throne passes via female-only primogeniture. As such, upon the death of Athaía, her only daughter Fiaéain (now known as Fiaéain I) took the throne as the second queen of Olathe. All firstborn daughters that followed in that line bore the same ceremonial name, Fiaéain, the name of Aotra's seventh-largest moon, which is symbolically associated with necromantic magic; all after Fiaéain I have also had private second names used by close family and friends, and occasionally used to distinguish them in writing. All daughters of that line that have reigned have used Fiaéain as their regnal name. After the reign of Fiaéain I, her firstborn daughter Fiaéain Roánra reigned as Fiaéain II, the third queen of Olathe. Fiaéain Gwenevír, the only child of Fiaéain II that survived into adulthood, perished before her mother and so never took the throne, though she is still commonly referred to as Fiaéain III. Her only daughter, Fiaéain Arianwen, ascended to the throne after the death of her grandmother, Fiaéain II, and presently reigns as Fiaéain IV, the fourth queen of Olathe. The heir apparent is Crown Princess Fiaéain Aerine, the second child and only daughter of the reigning queen, who is commonly referred to as Fiaéain V. The succession order changed in Sunsummer of 718 when Fiaéain IV formally adopted Aemma, who at that point became legally recognized as a daughter of the queen. As such, Princess Aemma is now second in line for the throne, following Fiaéain Aerine. As Fiaéain IV has no other female-line descendents, and neither does her mother or grandmother, the order of succession then moves to the female-line descendants of Princess Roánwen, the younger daughter of Fiaéain I and sister of Fiaéain II. Roánwen and her eldest daughter are deceased, so her granddaughter Mira, the Duchess of Kaer Area, follows in the order of succession, and her daughters Sullivan, Cerina, and Ceraithe follow her. As such, the present order of succession is: 1. Crown Princess Fiaéain Aerine Uhl'Olathe (heir apparent) 2. Princess Aemma Uhl'Olathe 3. Lady Mira Uhl'Olathe, the Duchess of Kaer Arda 4. Lady Sullivan Uhl'Olathe, Margravine of Kaer Arda 5. Lady Cerina Uhl'Olathe 6. Lady Ceraithe Uhl'Olathe A daughter of either Fiaéain IV, Fiaéain Aerine, or Aemma would supersede the descendents of Roánwen in the line of succession.Duties of the Queen
The queen of Olathe performs several essential duties: some of her responsibilities are political in nature, others diplomatic, and others ceremonial. Though hers is a role that affords significant power, the Olathian system of monarchy is not a straightforward autocracy. Rather, the queen fits into a complex society that vests great legislative and executive power in its local governments. As such, a lot of her political power is judicial in nature: the queen presides over the Royal Court of Law, a judicial body drawn from the heads of the Lathléar clans and the title-holding aristocrats, which hears civic disputes raised by Olathian citizens and determines sentences given to convicted criminals. Though she has significant honorary importance within the court, the only privilege she has over the other members of the court is that her vote counts as two during decision-making votes, and if the court's votes are evenly split on an issue, the side with which she voted will win. Her judiciary duties constitute a significant portion of the regular political responsibilities of the queen. The domain of Olathian politics in which she has the most influence is foreign policy. This is in large part because of another aspect of the queen's role: she is the Commander-in-Chief of the Sovereign Army of Olathe. In a military and executive context, she is responsible for overseeing Olathian defense and relationships with foreign nations. The most precarious part of this responsibility is management of the relationship between Olathe and Solisvar; skillful handling of relationship, and specifically the termination of it, has been a major contributing factor to the popularity of the current queen, Fiaéain IV. The final component of the queen's duties are those that are religious or ceremonial in nature. As a symbolic representation of the ongoing favor of the Moon Spirit, the queen of Olathe serves as a national symbol of magical power, prosperity, and spirituality. To that end, she presides over numerous ceremonies throughout each year, including those that celebrate the rising of the Moon Spirit, the creation of Olathe, and several important astronomical events.
Type
Nobility, Hereditary
Form of Address
Her Majesty
Alternative Naming
Lunar Sovereign of Olathe and the Lathléannach
Current Holders
Related Locations
Related Organizations
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