Parliament of Peers
The Parliament of Peers is a collection of of 11 Lords, known simply as the Council (Or the council of 11, the council of Lords or the Lords council). There's an additional body known as the congress (more officially the Noble Congress, or the Congress of Nobility), made up of hundreds of representatives from all the citizens, but it is rarely called.
"The Parliament of Peers, whose duty it is to steer this leaking vessel, is packed with liars and schemers. Some may be loyal, some are certainly not, and each is intent on pulling the city their own way." - Joseph Whitkeep
The Lord Justice, (High Justice) Varamir Bradshaw (A high elf, In charge of the courts and local justice)
The Lord Ambassador, Consul Adrian Cerric (A half elf, In charge of diplomacy) The Lords of Defence:
The Lord General, Commander Galvyn Fairfax (A human, In charge of the land army and the Royal Guard)
The Lord Admiral, Commodore Dara Leshanna (A sea elf, In charge of the navy) The Lords of the Exchange:
The Lord Cofferer, Dillard Portyr (A dragonborn, in charge of the treasury, mints and expenditures)
The Lord Collector, Richard Caldwell (A human, in charge of the collection of taxes, also co-owns the largest bank) The Lords of the King:
The Lord Herald, Felicity Lakshmi House (A human, in charge of representing the Queen and issuing her proclamations. They're the second highest ranked lord in the council, and take the role of Open Lord if necessary)
The Lord Enquirer, Gerrit Ravenshade (A shadar-kai, Runs the Queens intelligence agency) The Lords of Wisdom:
The Lord Spiritual, Father Cereham Atlavas (A human, Represents the church, is also the bishop at the cathedral of light)
The Lord Academic, Professor Fablen Wiggins (A gnome, Represents the interests of academics and engineers, and runs the education system. Is also the head of the Guild of Machinists) The Open Lord also sits on the council, which meets within Castle Never, and their job is to assign the positions within the council, as well as to mediate and act as a tiebreaker (as a simple majority decides most matters, and the Open Lord makes the 11th member of the council). There's a dedicated room in the parliament of peers known as the Grand Audience Chamber, where the Lords can announce legislation to the public. A seating gallery above the room allows hundreds to witness these announcements.
The Council of 11:
Neverwinter is part of the Lords Alliance, and is thus under the sovereignty of their Queen; Queen Seraphania Alagondar I. The Queen appoints the Lords of the council, but the Open Lord (currently Lord Thalmara Neverember, descendant of Dagult Neverember) is decided by popular vote. The city is then further controlled by 10 Lords, split into 5 sets of 2. These lords are appointed by a meeting between the High Queen (or one of her representatives) and the Open Lord.
The Lords of Law:
The Lord Justice, (High Justice) Varamir Bradshaw (A high elf, In charge of the courts and local justice)
The Lord Ambassador, Consul Adrian Cerric (A half elf, In charge of diplomacy) The Lords of Defence:
The Lord General, Commander Galvyn Fairfax (A human, In charge of the land army and the Royal Guard)
The Lord Admiral, Commodore Dara Leshanna (A sea elf, In charge of the navy) The Lords of the Exchange:
The Lord Cofferer, Dillard Portyr (A dragonborn, in charge of the treasury, mints and expenditures)
The Lord Collector, Richard Caldwell (A human, in charge of the collection of taxes, also co-owns the largest bank) The Lords of the King:
The Lord Herald, Felicity Lakshmi House (A human, in charge of representing the Queen and issuing her proclamations. They're the second highest ranked lord in the council, and take the role of Open Lord if necessary)
The Lord Enquirer, Gerrit Ravenshade (A shadar-kai, Runs the Queens intelligence agency) The Lords of Wisdom:
The Lord Spiritual, Father Cereham Atlavas (A human, Represents the church, is also the bishop at the cathedral of light)
The Lord Academic, Professor Fablen Wiggins (A gnome, Represents the interests of academics and engineers, and runs the education system. Is also the head of the Guild of Machinists) The Open Lord also sits on the council, which meets within Castle Never, and their job is to assign the positions within the council, as well as to mediate and act as a tiebreaker (as a simple majority decides most matters, and the Open Lord makes the 11th member of the council). There's a dedicated room in the parliament of peers known as the Grand Audience Chamber, where the Lords can announce legislation to the public. A seating gallery above the room allows hundreds to witness these announcements.
The Congress of Nobility:
The congress is desgined to balance the theoretically massive power of the monarchy and the council, by apporving or vetoing their proposed laws. The aristocrats of the council rule their lands in a somewhat feudal manner, can collect taxes from commoners on their lands (as per orders from the Lord Collector), and must provide levies to the crown in times of war (as per the orders of the Lord Commander).
These nobles are from across the Lords Alliances north-western territories (as Neverwinter is the capital of Northwest Faerun).
Founding Date
1493
Type
Geopolitical, City council
Alternative Names
The Council
Demonym
Lord/Peer
Leader
Ruling Organization
Location
Notable Members
Comments