The Haseti vote of Succession

Gathering / Conference

The vote by Warren the Steward's haseti to determine his succession.

After the death of Ersa Helgaard, the Steward's intended heir, there were countless claims of foul play by each of the potential ruling families. Seeing as Warren III had no brothers, nor living uncles, aunts, etc., options were limited. He was not related to anyone in his haseti and each of its original members was now in their old age.   the Helgaards said it couldn't be determined if the Lograttes or Vanars killed Ersa, so they should both be outlawed from a ruling position for the safety of the nation. The Vanars said that Their oldest son had been the closest to their father, so he would have learned the most about leadership next to Ersa. The Lograttes claimed that their youngest son had been the most devoted to their religion and traditions, which would make him the best choice for maintaining a unified people.   Some members of the haseti even recommended one of Warren's bastards. Narfi Whitefinger was born out of wedlock. One of Warren's confidants had a daughter, Jere Whitefinger, who was born into the haseti's service. Around the age of twenty, Warren had a son with her: Narfi. His position as a bastard was all but ignored by the haseti. Most assumed it was Warren III who sired him, so they didn't speak out against Narfi, fearing consequences. He was well-liked for his jovial demeanor and hand-to-hand fighting skills.   The families thought that they should get to vote, but the haseti hated seeing everyone bicker over their late friend's throne. Given that the haseti held all of the professional military power in the region, they forced the families to comply with their system of voting. The haseti held the three families hostage for weeks until a decision was made. The few stories say that it was mostly nonaggressive, but being forced to stay in a longhouse for a month could hardly be seen as kind.   Each member of the haseti would write down any person they thought was best out of the entire Snow Rock population. The names would be tallied up at the end, and the most frequent would be elected. The families made efforts to put their own selections forward for consideration, bringing gifts in many forms to the men counting the votes (not all tasteful). Some of these individuals received many votes, but Narfi was ultimately selected. His rule would cause strife but was not put directly into question.