Throne of the Council
The Council of Eight rules one of the richest regions, wielding incredible power, but we rarely hear about them doing anything other than deciding whether or not one of their cities needs to share their resources. I don't understand how government can go quite so... awry. Rule the people, don't just pretend to have authority!The nation of Gilvonnaie has a unique style of leadership, due in part to how it has developed over the centuries. Rather than being a singular entity, it is a collection of city-states which have agreed to support each other against any threat significant enough to threaten the collective whole. Each city-state possesses their own varied traditions and beliefs, such that the land looks a chaotic mess. Yet while these city-states might share little in common with each other, the Council of Eight is dedicated to leading with a firm grasp on what is necessary for survival and prosperity.
It is a great matter to sit on the Council of Eight, and comes with one major issue. Accepting the responsibility means a Throne must often put the needs of the whole first before those of their city. There have been candidates who have refused the honor, believing they were more useful at a lower station. After all, it can be a great responsibility to hold the fate of so many in mind.
The Eight Thrones
There are only eight members who sit on the Council, with their seniority determining how they are addressed. The "First Throne" is the individual who has held the position for the longest time, while the "Eighth Throne" is the most junior member. Whenever a Throne dies or is removed, the numbers belonging to the rest change to reflect this before a replacement is sought. Aside from the title of address, there is little power given to those holding a specific seniority. However, it can be reflected in how citizens react to each individual.Qualifications
To sit on the Council is no simple matter, requiring an impartiality not commonly found among people of power. The Gods alone know how rare it is to find someone with the right temperament and the skills to rise to such a station.In order to be raised to the Council of Eight, there are a number of criteria which must first be met. Firstly, there must be a vacancy; there are only ever eight Thrones, no more and no less. Appointment is usually for life, but should one of the cities be destroyed it makes the person ineligible due to the second criteria. A member may voluntarily step down, but this is a rare occurrence. There have been only two cases in Gilvonnaie's history where this has happened, and both times it was due to circumstances within the Council itself.
For the second criteria, only a leader of a city-state can be raised to sit among the Eight Thrones. Only after proving their quality in bringing a city-state prosperity and safety can a candidate be expected to think similarly for the whole of Gilvonnaie. Becoming a Throne of the Council also does not absolve the individual from caring for their own city, and there is a fine balance which must be maintained by the Council members.
Lastly, candidates can only be nominated (and then seconded) by someone already on the Council. The need for a second is a measure of balance to ensure a candidate is widely known to be suitable, and to prevent any one Throne from presenting only their allies. Candidacies become debated among the Thrones remaining and must be decided by a majority vote. This vote is traditionally unanimous, as well as anonymous, yet no part of the charter lays this out to be a necessity.
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