Council Representative of the Gods

The Council of Elderia is a theocratic oligarchy, made up of a group of 15 members. Each of these members are the heads of one of the 15 noble Families. The title of Representative has been in effect for as long as written history has existed, at least 1000 years.  It is said that when Elderia was founded, the pantheon of 15 Gods each chose a family to represent them in the mortal world. These 15 families would go on to lead Elderia all the way into the present times.  Each representative must come from the House of their God, and must be of the same gender identity as the God they are representing. The title of Representative may not leave these 15 families under any circumstance, as this would be in direct opposition to the will of the Gods. 
Each Representative has a different role in the governing of Elderia, that is, whatever domain(s) their God is associated with, that Representative is in charge of maintaining. For example, the Representative of Navarin, the Goddess of Knowledge, Wisdom and Arcana, would be in charge of maintaining education, libraries and the preservation of history. The Representative of Althar, the God of Justice, Authority and the Law, would control the justice system, while the representative of Tibus, the God of War, Duty and Bravery, would head the military forces and enforcement of the law.
The pantheon of Gods is split into 4 different levels of importance, meaning there are also 4 different tiers of Representative. Right at the top is the Representative of the God of Royalty, Monarchy and the Right to Rule, who is well established as the most important and powerful of the Gods. Below him are the Representatives of the Goddesses of Life and Death. There is some debate in scholarly circles as to whether or not Life and Death themselves should hold more importance than Royalty and Leadership, however no one intends this debate to lead to any change, as there must be a reason for the hierarchy that mortals are not aware of. The third tier contains the Representatives of the four Gods and Goddesses of the four elements, Fire, Water, Air and Earth. The seven Representatives of these three tiers live full-time in Verdere, the capital region of Elderia. The bottom tier contains the Representatives of the remaining eight Minor Gods. These Representatives rule over the four regions of Elderia, two Representatives per region. 
The structure of the Council and the effectiveness of the Representatives has been extremely successful throughout time, until the year 742, when King Fabian, the representative of Adeus, the God of Royalty, Monarchy and the Right to Rule dies of a mysterious illness, and the title of King is claimed by his brother Tyrr, instead of the rightful heir, Fabian's son Danail.

Requirements

In order to become a Representative, an individual must belong to the House of the God(dess) that they represent. There may only be one (1) Representative of each God active at any one time.  Any potential Representatives must also be of the same gender identity as their Deity.

Appointment

Upon death of a Representative, the title is inherited by their first-born child of the same gender identity. If this is not possible, the title will instead go to the eldest of the Representative's siblings of the appropriate gender. To ensure that there is always an heir to the title, Representatives are required to birth at least 2 children of the appropriate gender by the time they are 30.  The new Representative will then be officially sworn into the Council within a couple of days of the death, as soon as the funeral proceedings are complete and the deceased is properly laid to rest.

Responsibilities

Each Representative is tasked with the maintenance of the parts of society that their Deity is associated with. This allows for an even distribution of responsibilities across the Council, meaning that each Representative is able to put the appropriate time and effort into each sitatuion.

Benefits

Being a Representative means living a life of luxury. Only Representatives and Council staff are allowed to live in or even visit Verdere. Minor Representatives, who do not live in Verdere, are allowed to come and go as they please. Anyone else requires a direct invite or permission from a Representative to enter. Representatives and their families have a lot of wealth, built up over hundreds of years. This level of wealth means that they never struggle to get anything they desire. The driving principle behind this is that this allows them to focus more on their duties. Additionally, most Representatives feel that they deserve the extra wealth for everything they do for Elderia, though they would never voice this out loud in fear of sounding greedy.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

A representative cannot be removed from their position outside of their death.

Type

Nobility, Hereditary

Status

Active from at least 250 BM (Before Magic) until current day, 750 PO (Post Outbreak)

Form of Address

Lord/Lady

Alternative Naming

Council member, Representative

Source of Authority

The authority that a Representative holds is given directly to that House by the God(dess) that they represent

Length of Term

A Representative will inherit this title from the previous family member upon their death. The new Representative will then hold this role until their own death, when it will then be passed on again.

Related Locations

• Verdere