The Lords of Mereng

The Lords of Mereng is the collective term for the ruling class of Merengia. To be a Lord, one must be a sovereign land owner with a body of peasants large enough to call upon in times of war. Smaller landowners are not counted as a Lord of Mereng if their property is subjected to the laws of, or requires the protection of, another larger landowner.
The smallest dominion ruled by a Lord is the mountain enclave of Oberast in the Dinveer Mountains. The largest dominion is the Hereditary Lands of Agwadaine in central Merengia. The Sovereign of Atormaht rules the city of Atormaht, and all farmland and forest from the city west down the Maht River to the confluence of the Shim River. The seat of the Coastal Dominion is just east of Mahtmouth.
No one single Lord is powerful enough to conquer the entire country, so a republic of Lords was established to rule collectively. The Lord of Atormaht has been the defacto ruler for many generations, while other great hereditary houses pass down their own civic titles such as Markh and Arbiter.
The Lords of Mereng meet once every six years in Atormaht to reconfirm their own titles and secure their heirs by way of the College of Electors. A Lord may be an elector for a given year, or they might transfer their vote one year in exchange for land or favors from other Lords. There are 57 Electorals, however some of those have been absorbed into larger domains by way of marriage or conquest. The Sovereign of Atormaht has the most Electorals at 17, and the High Priest of Plaam has the second most at 9. Most other Lords have only one or two.
When a threat to the entire Kingdom arises, the Sovereign of Atormaht empowers the Markhs to wage war on behalf of the Lords of Mereng. Each Lord is expected to deliver their regiment of peasants and professional warriors to the Markhs for the defense of the kingdom. During peacetime, war must be voted upon by the Lords in order for a call to arms to be issued.