Councilmaster

The nation of Tsuji is ruled by ministerial councils, each focusing on a different aspect of life and governance. The position of a council member, especially a member of a national council, is therefore one of significant influence, and most people who attain such a position do their best to hold onto it for life, or at least until they are ready to retire. There are some, however, who after serving on one council decide to seek membership in a different council from the one they originally served on. While no one person can be seated on two different ministerial councils simultaneously, nothing prevents them from serving on two different councils at different times. It is not often done, because few people have the expertise to serve on more than one council, and because it means risking losing one's council membership—to seek a seat on a different council necessarily means abdicating, or at least not running again for, the seat one already has.

Still, while serving on multiple councils is difficult and chancy, there are those who try to do it—either simply for the experience, or because they have grown tired of the council they currently serve on (or the fellow members they serve on it with), or just for the honor of doing so. For there is honor in serving on multiple councils; those who do so are recognized as unusually capable and versatile. And those who have served on at least three different councils—a rare feat indeed—are honored with the title of "councilmaster".

To become a councilmaster, one must have served on at least three different ministerial councils. Serving on different levels of the same council doesn't count—someone who serves on the Mercantile Council on the national, municipal, and provincial levels does not qualify, but someone who serves on the Clerical, Legal, and Goetic councils—even if only on the local level—does.

Formally, councilmasters have no more power on the council than anyone else. In practice, because of the respect they are accorded, they do tend to have an outsize influence on the council, as other council members often defer to them or at least take their counsel seriously. Councilmasters are also frequently honored by the Tsujian general populace; many establishments give known councilmasters discounts on services, or even free goods, in an attempt to curry their favor or just recognize their accomplishments. Within reason, a councilmaster can often get anything they want just by asking.

Naturally, not all councilmasters are equal. While anyone who successfully attains seats on three different councils is respected, serving on multiple national councils is far more difficult and more impressive than serving on three ''local'' councils, and is an even more unusual feat. Likewise, serving on multiple broad councils is more impressive than serving on multiple narrow councils, especially related narrow councils; someone who has served on the Agricultural, Fabrile, and Goetic councils will be far more respected than one who has served on the Acremans, Herders, and Orchardists councils, even if both can technically be considered councilmasters. One person, Wuji Moro, four hundred years ago served at least one term on every national broad council of Tsuji, but no one since has repeated their feat—though some have come close.