Dread Election

The Dread Election is a bi-annual event in the domain of Conquista, which normally falls on midsummer night, known locally as Darkest Night.

During the Dread Election, the domain's Darklord candidates (currently Cliffton Willgoat, Euphonia Root, Sandra Williamson and Fredewulf van Slecht) provide self-brewed potions to a gathering of the domain's witches. Whichever potion earns the witches' greatest approval nets its concoctor the mantle of Darklord or Darklady over the domain for the next two years. In effect, the candidates are directly buying votes.

In the rare event that no decision is made, as when Ciska interrupted the proceedings by sedating the gathered witches with a drugged brew, the mantle of Darklord remains with whoever held it previously.

The Dread Election's closing is typically heralded by mild to severe earth tremors - which may tear open the divide between Conquista and Obissol - and flashes of lightning, even if there are no clouds in the sky.