The Masked Council

The council was formed during the rule of the dawnspeakers, as a house of representatives, representing the people. They continue to operate today, tolerated but barely by the nobility, who sees no other way given their support among the people especially in Incantia.

Structure

Officially the council has a flat structure where all members have an equal vote. The actual power structure between members is a constant battle, with very little outside knowledge on who holds the power.
There are five seats in the council, one for each of the ancient masks.

• The Veiled Mask ; the holder of the mask typically enacts the will of Incantia's underworld.
• The Shimmering Mask ; the holder of the mask is known to be of sorcerous origin. The goals of the mask tend to change greatly when the wearer of the mask changes.
• The Golden Mask ; this is the voice of the merchants when more devious methods are required to advance trade.
• The Blooodied Mask ; a mask known to change owners by the edge of a blade, this mask inspires respect and loyalty from those who live by the sword.
• The Sanctified Mask represents the churches of Eronus. Typically the church most in favour in the time gets to hold the mask.

Additionally, there is the mask of the keeper, who holds no vote but are in some ways the head of the council keeping order.

• The Written Mask ; a lonesome mask, tasked with the keeping of history and knowledge. Often, but not always, neutral in matters of state.

Public Agenda

The organization protects the interests of the councilmembers and their followers in Incantia and the surrounding regions.

Assets

The members of The Masked Council are the most powerful in the city. Their combined assets are immense, but disagreement on how these should be used cause inefficiency and stagnation in their use.

History

The council was formed during the reign of the Dawnspeakers as a way to give the people a voice. A house of representatives, chosen by the people, to fight for their interests. Five sections were formed in the original house, still represented today: Soldiers, traders and craftsmen, religious, spellcasters, and the "free people". The latter section was a glamourous term used for servants, unemployed, and various disregarded jobs. Over time, this section has grown to represent the underworld of Eronus.

The house had no legislative power, but their democratic approach gave them a high amount of support from the people; their opinion could not easily be ignored. And it became, as it still is today, that laws signed by the authority had to also be signed by the sitting councilman. A process that not even the noblemen when they usurped the throne of Icantia dared abolish, although they do ignore the wishes of the council to a much greater extent than the Dawnspeakers did.

The masking of council

Over time, the influence and wealth often coming from being a councilman led to great turmoil within the sections. Chruches, unhappy with their representative being of another church would poison their representatives food, soldiers would lead coups against their and so on. The solution ended up becoming a much less transparent process, where only a few people know the identity of the sitting councilmen.

As this was decided in each section, masks of great power were crafted and became the symbol of each sections might. The sections became known by the name of their masks. While the dangers of having the post of councilman diminished, they did not entirely disappear; and many new problems did arise. With the removal of personal responsibility, corruption with the council soared, just as the council started working using illegal methods much more, no longer being easily arrested by the law.
How the individual section choses their next mask varies greatly. The golden mask is often purchased by the richer merchant, the bloodied still passes mostly with the murder of its prior holder, the shimmering mask goes to the most skilled spellcaster available, often proven simply by who manages to take it from the last, the sanctified mask still uses a resemblance of democracy, just limiting the electorate to priests of the recognized churches, the veiled mask has the truest form of democracy behind it, respecting a certain code of thieves

The king of the council

From 80 BP til 33 BP the council was ruled by its only ever king. The veiled mask at the time held more power and control over the underworld than those before or after him. Through genuine support, threats and bribery he managed the unanimous vote required to be appointed king of the council, an unofficial position created by the council itself as a contingency measure against the current authority. In the eyes of the council, a king appointed by them (and so by the people) outranks any monarch picked any other way; a great deal of the people of Incantia agree with the sentiment. The king of the council, eventually known as the grey king, managed to get so much support that he eventually, by unknown methods, ascended into god-hood. He is a very young god now, and as such not as detached from the world as gods often are. In addition to being the patron god of tricksters and thieves, he has become a symbol for many of the more ambitious, a symbol that a mere pickpocket can eventually become a god.

Founding Date

-643

Type

Secret, Government

Capital

Incantia

Demonym

The Masked

Head of State

King Lucius Parlent

Government System

Oligarchy

Location

Sunstone Keep

Controlled Territories

• Incantia

Related Items

• The Written Mask