>Or maybe simply the one with the most support on the group that
>selects him. Didn't the pre-norman english have a small council which
>officially selected the next king--a council which was appointed by
>the king, so most often would carry out his wishes?
Pre-Norman England is Anglo-Saxon. The council may have been formally appointed by the king but it comprised the most powerful nobles - those who's support the King needed to rule. Remember political isn't the same as in a modern state. In tribal politics the tribe picks a leader and that leader supports or opposes the ruler's policies. Supposedly in the interests of the tribe as a whole but maybe for personal gain. Those tribal leaders will all know each other, indeed they may have been chosen for the contacts they already have among the other tribal leaders.
>I'm not sure, do Heortling kingdoms have an official ring? If so, it
>would seem likely that they would officially choose the next king.
>But good parts of the ring would be appointed, presumably, by the
>previous king, so his choice of heir would have great weight (I'd
>think some seats on such a ring would not be appointed by the king, in
>Sartar they might represent the city confederations or something).
There is something called the Ring of Sartar. Judging by the entries in KoS (pages 135, 145 and 154) it consists of Sartarite leaders who recognise the current Prince. If there are enough of them the ring is created otherwise it fails. It was originally created by Sartar himself and seems to have lasted until the death of Prince Salinarg. Attempts to reform it fail until after the Dragonrise which probably ties in with lighting the Flame of Sartar. This suggests to me there is a magical element to all rings. Probably a routine ritual to replace a few members but a major Heroquest to create or reform a ring if it's broken.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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