Crown Contest

The Succession to the Crown Act established the Crown Contest, a competition held between candidates for the throne. A Crown Contest can be initiated either by the Monarch or by a unanimous vote amongst the The Ennead; if it is initiated by the Monarch it is typically seen as an abdication of the throne, but if it is initiated by the The Ennead it is generally seen as a vote of no confidence with the current Monarch.

At its core, the Crown Contest is always an intense, multi-faceted test of Zarthurian values: power, leadership, grace, elegance, and conviction. A true Zarthurian is said to be equally at home on the battlefield and the ballroom, and the Crown Contest is meant to ensure that their future leader can excel in all arenas and faithfully represent their people.

During the Crown Contest, it is customary for each of the The Ennead to issue a trial to the candidates-- either to prove or to challenge their worthiness. While the trials are intended to be designed to evaluate the candidate's suitability as a leader, there are no formal regulations on what the trial should or should not be. Therefore, if the candidate is highly favored by the Senator, they are free to decree an extraordinarily simple task-- or the inverse, should the Senator wish to see the candidate fail. Even so, the trials are also meant to serve as an opportunity for the candidate to show off and earn public favor, so setting too easy of a task can backfire as it may imply that the candidate is incapable of greater accomplishment or needs assistance, or that the Senator is undemanding and easy to impress. Likewise, it is a risk for a Senator to appoint a highly challenging task that they intend for the candidate to fail, because if the candidate manages to overcome the odds they are far more likely to gain public support and the Senator will then have a great deal of pressure on them to support the candidate regardless of their personal feelings-- not to mention these kinds of rigged trials are often seen for what they are and strongly disliked by the public, which may result in the Senator either resigning or being forcibly replaced once the candidate has ascended to the throne.

Since the particulars of each challenge within the Crown Contest are decided by the sitting members of the The Ennead, each one is different from the next. This also means that sometimes the Contest can be completed rather quickly (in, say, a matter of weeks) while others can take significantly longer. Once the Crown Contest has been completed, the victor (also known as the Crown Candidate) is confirmed by and for their public in an elaborate ceremony that marks the official start of their rule. In Vergehen, this final step of confirmation is called "ascension".