Maigira
Qualifications
- Must be female
- Must be a member of the royal family
Appointment
Historically, ascension to the Maigirate has happened in two ways.
By far the most common means of succession is that the previous Maigira names her successor. In some cases, however, where either no successor was named (exceedingly rare), or another claimant has sufficient following, ritual combat, called the Yiyan, is arranged between the aspirants.
Yiyan is to the death. If one combatant yields, they must be executed at the hand of the other. Should the winner Yiyan be unwilling to slay their opponent, the Abagari will carry out that duty. The Abagari will then take the winner into custody and stone them to death, for they have proven they are not strong enough to carry out the difficult duties of one who would rule. At this point, the Abagari will hold a conclave and select another member of the royal family to rule and put to death all other living female members of the royal family.
While the rituals and customs surrounding succession are harsh, they have successfully prevented wars of succession from splintering the realm for nearly a millennium, which is nearly unheard of in human realms.
Grounds for Removal/Dismissal
The only means of removing a Maigira from office is through ritual combat. A challenger comes forward and declares why the Maigira must be removed and challenges her to combat in Yiyan. Regardless of age or infirmity, the Maigira must accept the challenge and may not make use of a champion; they must fight the Yiyan, themselves. If the challenger wins the combat, they are ritually and humanely executed. This ensures that any challenge to the throne comes from one not motivated to seize the throne for themselves. (It is notable, however, that another claimant might use a fanatical follower for this purpose, as a proxy.)
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