The Free Marches of Arborea
The wild nature of both Arborea and its native citizens resists formal government. Arboreans are self-governing, with most citizens being each responsible for their own welfare, but organized communities are not unheard-of.
At inter-realm deliberations and during times of internal turmoil, Arborea turns to the Seven Spiritors to guide their way forward.
Structure
Arboreans are not ruled by any centralized or decentralized government, but they are not without rulership. Leadership in Arborea can be split into three groups:
Nature Spirits
Nature spirits are plentiful in Arborea, and powerful. Their wills shape the physical landscape, weather, and even influence the Realm Magic. Many communities in Arbore cooperate to ensure the safety and happiness of important Nature Spirits in their area. These spirits do not advise or give orders to the community, but are nontheless crucial in that community's decisionmaking.Seladrine Powers
A family of Powers known as the Seladrine live in Arborea, and due to the enigmatic nature of the Powers as well as the Seladrine's role in the creation of the Eladrin and Elvish species, many Arboreans rally under them. These Powers are generally treated as revered ancestors, and the degree to which they directly inform a community's decisions varies greatly.Mortal Leaders
A mortal citizen of Arborea who rises to prominence may found a community around themselves in much the same way a great hero might command a following on Primus. These leaderships are shorter-lived, however, as the whims of fate and public interest are equally ephemeral.The Seven Spiritors
The closest thing to Realm Leadership, and yet too utterly alien to negotiate with. The Circle is composed of seven members, who are said to be chosen by the will of Arborea itself in times of need. These members are inhabited by spirits of emotion: Despair, Joy, Terror, Rage, Shock, and Revulsion. The Spiritors are generally referred to by these names, but specific incarnations are usually more specific—for example, Despair manifesting as Grief, or Joy as Excitement. The Spiritors lead from the heart, and reflect the emotional needs of the Realm. They communicate these needs to each other, or to neighbouring Realms, as the situation may require, in order to reach a solution to pressing, Realm-wide problems.Culture
The most important thing to note about leadership structures in Arborea is that no citizen is compelled to follow a leader by any force other than their own will. If a citizen disagrees with a mandate or dislikes their area's leader, they simply ignore them or leave. Arborean culture embraces these outliers, and they are not ostracized or punished for refusing to follow.
The problem is further reduced by the rarity of Arborean settlements. Most Arboreans endure a permanent wanderlust, and so permanent settlements are rare, and leaving a community as soon as it or its leader becomes unpalatable is an expected, natural, and even encouraged phenomenon.
Public Agenda
No leadership in Arborea has expressed any particular agenda toward the other Realms, other than their insistence that the Giants were invaders and not the original inhabitants of the realm—a tale that the Jotunn of Ysgaard dispute.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Demonym
Arborean
Location
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities