The Council
The Nameless
Within the Judges Guild are the Council, members comprised of all races and Guilds. the fine arts from Blacksmiths to Woodworkers. The creations they make add the details to every part of this world and their talents and apprenticeships are prized. Artisans achieve a high standing among the other Guilds as the work they create are selected for receiving magical endowments, to be created for instruments of good or evil, to be the chosen among the nobility across the races. They are the stone cutters that shape the dungeons, the woodworkers that create wands, the glass blowers that make potion bottles, the leather workers that bind spell books…as only true craftsmen can do.
“A Society Without Laws, Is No Society At All”
~ Grand Arbiter Grom’tal, 1st order of the Spoken
We’ll get back to you on this…
©Geoffrey Schumann. Not for resale. Permission is granted to print this document for personal use only.
We’ll get back to you on this…
Guild of
You going to need a ruling on that
Arbiters
Tell me again how it happened.
Star Chamber
We’ll get back to you on this shortly
Lore of the Council
History of the Council
As the second age was upon everyone, the great houses were putting aside their differences and coming together to form the foundations of the Guild houses. Each house had agreed that the Arbiters were the keepers of the laws and would be a force that would be called upon to handle all disputes between the guilds, members, and the houses. Every house recognized the Arbiters were the force that turned the tide to end the Great War of the first age and bring peace for a time. The other house unanimously bestowed the Arbiters with keeping peace and installing them as the merciful and merciless law in the lands. The Judges Guild, the house of the Holy Rollers extended itself to create and include house Oona-Caloofid, where the initial twenty-four Arbiters were given residence, though the original nine that comprised the Oblivion Star are rarely ever seen outside of their Guildhalls. They have become the teachers and mentors to members that are charged with restoring peace and meeting justice to the lands.
Forming the Council
In the 3rd age of The Realm, the Council was formed. Each tribe’s leaders felt that the Guild Rules were suitable for the guilds; however, they were not good for everyday people. The Council agreed to be formed. The concept was that this group of individuals was infallible and would work from the same core laws the Arbiters enforce.
Sufficient members of each tribe, people who the houses and guilds acknowledged as valid, level-headed individuals to be allowed to form and maintain the Council. Ultimate power corrupts eventually, as the saying goes. The Council is no different as corruption is set in at the highest level.
The Council is your entry point into the Justice System if the issue is between houses. Should the case falls into the gray, or even because of extenuating circumstances, it will always go to the Council. The Council works in the gray areas of the balance of justice and the three-sided Sword of Truth. The truth is a relative concept in the end. There is your Truth, their Truth, and the Truth!
Three individuals can see different angles of the same accident. Depending on who saw what and how they interpreted what they saw, you potentially can get three different versions of the same accident… The Council looks at the world not with a Arbiters black and white view, but more understanding of the gray, the spaces between the two points of the harsh judgment.
Dealings within the Realm can, at times, not quite go the way you expected. If you were smart and hoped for a better outcome, you would take your problem to The Council to be heard instead of summoning an Arbiter. If the effect isn’t to your liking, and you have evidence that supports a different result to what The Council has deemed, then you can call forth an Arbiter to hear your case and make a judgment.
Council of Nine
There is a rogue faction within the Council. None wish to come out and report to the House of the Holy Rollers, but there’s an issue. Their reach goes far and wide into crucial guilds and houses. The rogue faction is known as the Council of Nine.
Ultimate power corrupts eventually, as the saying goes. The Council is no different as corruption is set in at the highest level. Nobody knows who the members are; however, the Council’s will is known, as there’s a mark left behind, a black rose, and two silver coins. Everyone that has seen this mark, their silence is guaranteed to avoid a similar fate.
Since the Arbiters have not received an official report, there are no facts for them to work from to find the truth. Some say this is a weakness within the Arbiters, that they only work in absolute and not the grays.
In the end, the Council was created to work in the areas that the Arbiters do not.
Care To Revise That?
Challenging the council can cost you fingers, toes, and relatives. Dealings within the Realm can, at times, not quite go the way you expected. If you were smart and hoped for a better outcome, you would take your problem to The Council to be heard. If the effect isn’t to your liking, and you have evidence that supports a different result to what The Council has deemed, then you can call forth an Arbiter to hear your case and make a judgment.
