Marüd, or rather, the Republic of Marüd, is an independent nation of Dwarves residing underneath the Vermilion Mesa. The nation of Marüd is the point of origin for all Dwarves and the ancestral home of the Protodwarves which mysteriously disappeared long ago.
The capital of Marüd is The First Gate which is truly just the surface hub for several interconnected cities underneath. The city is defined by mechanical and robotic wonders all operated by the Machinists, speakers of the ancient language of Vair'blix.
In eras long past, the Dwarven people had no centralized leadership, claim the Marüdian cousins to the south. For as long as Marüd's memory stretches, however, they've been a proud democracy. One Innovator, Dr. Jordon Goldbolt, is heralded as creating the first sacred voting machine but he is explicitly not remembered as the founder of democracy. Despite the state's official stance, Goldbolt is heralded as the primogenitor of democracy in Marüd. Admittedly, the Archivists do not offer an alternative theory for who founded the Republic.
Regardless of the details of it's inception, the Republic's influence predates the First Great Cataclysm and is considered by many to be functionally eternal, having always been. The Republic has two branches, the Executors and the Machinists.
The Machinists are the mighty second arm of the Republic, included first for clarity. The Machinists oversee the creation and curation of machines. As a result they are practically in charge of all Marüdian industry. While most outsiders relate the Machinists directly with the Valok, the ancient robot servants of the Marüdians, recent surveys reported that only 27% of all Marüdian machines are Valok units.
The Machinists, then, are experts in creating and maintaining these machines which the Marüdians have obsessively defended and curated for as long as the Republic has stood. These experts are divided into three departments.
Innovation - Innovator Machinists are a legacy department of self-selected Dwarves with a knack for creating new machines or upgrading existing machines. Most Innovators in the Godless Era are Valok researchers, or 'Voxers' in Vair'blix. To be admitted to the Innovators, a dwarf must prove they've contributed uniquely to their field of choice, at which point they are honored with an Ancestral Honorific Degree which persists beyond their indefinite tenure.
Industry - Industry Machinists make the majority of the Machinists in Marüd. They can be subdivided into two roles, experts and clerks. Clerks are the less honored but more numerous and they are responsible for the achingly perfect beuacracy which defines the Republic. The Experts are the standard for inspecting the machine creation and utilization of businesses throughout the Republic. Members in both are elected by their peers in the field and serve for a term of thirty-three years with the possibilty of one additional term of the same.
Archivists - Archivist Machinists are the most unique and least numerous of the three branches. They are responsible for the upkeep of the incomprehensible network of ancient machines called "The Deep". They have records from the ancient Republic and dictate which Innovations and utilization of Machines are permissible. The Archivists are selected by their predecessor and trained as aprentices, like most Marüdian vocations. This makes them remarkable for being the only department not to be elected.
Marüdians are remarkable simply of their democractic approach to government. They are innovators of this type of government and while many other nations have implemented similar versions, none have copied Marüdian legislation.
Marüdians are forbidden to labor on the last day of each month during which they will gather in their local assembly to hear and participate in the review and approval of new laws. While most Dwarves will never speak to the Republic in this manner during their life, as it is largely reserved for the elite, nearly all of them will vote.
Of the ~75% of Marüdians eligible to vote (surfacers are forbidden to participate and also alleviated their civil duty and permitted to due business at the end of the month) a staggering 90% or more are estimated to participate by vote each month. No other Initian democracy has come close to this statistic despite much effort.
The Executors are the elected government employees, most of which who trained as apprentices for that role their whole lives. They are responsible, as one may imagine, for implementing the legislation of the Republic at the dictate of the Brothers. They are represented by the President who is the Marüdian head of state and responsible for diplomatic (primarily commercial) relationships with other nations. The President is also, finally, and perhaps most importantly, the commander and chief of the Marüdian Deepguard.
The Executors are led, however, by the Prime Minister who oversees the nation in all matters of polity which are not explicitly given to the President. The Prime Minister is elected every 64 years and may serve only once whereas the President serves a term of 128 years and can be re-elected ad infinitum.