The Council of Niole Dra

The Council of Niole Dra, referred to colloquially as the Court of the Land, is a gathering of the chief independent nobles of the realm, along with the heads of certain long-established guilds and secret societies. It is the Council, which gathers year round in the capital (save during the four festival weeks), that approves royal succession, administers final disputes between independent nobles, levies taxes on the provinces, and ratifies changes to the Founding Charter of the Kingdom.
This ancient document is a binding agreement on the conduct of both the nobility and citizenry of Keoland, ascribing both rights and obligations to all. It has been amended only on two occasions in nine centuries (requiring near total unanimity of the Council) and its provisions are generally considered sacrosanct. Most decisions are made based on the vote of a simple majority. The most important passages of the Founding Charter concern the election of a monarch. This occasion remains the most momentous and contentious in the land. While the royalty of the kingdom has been dominantly chosen from the amongst the small number of original Suel houses, Oeridian noblemen dominate the membership of the approximately 100 member Court of the Land. Therefore, these lords enjoy a privileged role as kingmakers, providing further check and balance to the power of the rulers of Keoland.