Privy Council
The Privy Council of Val Royeaux, formally His Most Honorable Privy Council, is a governmental body that presides over all matters of city-specific legislation. Its members, known as privy councilors, have historically mainly been senior male heads of noble families.
The Privy Council holds the formal power to enact laws within Val Royeaux, something granted to them as an interim power long ago that has never been taken away. The intention is for this body to create regulation, exert authority over public institutions, and elect judges all in accordance with the sitting emperor or empresses' prerogatives for the empire. This body may also exert pressure onto the sitting leader of the empire by enacting Mandates of Council, which are formal notices that suggest certain courses of action.
Composition
Members of the Privy Council are appointed and dismissed by the reigning emperor or empress, in theory as they will. In practice, appointments and dismissals are deeply political and thus rare. These designations often become dynastic, sitting with particular noble families from father to son for generations. It is also considered traditional for men to hold these roles, as in Orlesian culture they are considered the head of house. The Council's number and exact structure has changed in seven substantial ways throughout history. The original structure was four noble dignitaries, each of whom was sent from across the empire to represent the interests and culture of the most "significant" regions: Val Chevin, Verchiel, Lydes, and Val Fontaine. This was because Val Royeaux was intended, at this time, to represent the diverse majesty of Orlais. One substantial change spawned from the notion that, for the majority of the Council's history, it was tradition for one member to be the Master-in-Council. Their vote was considered the tie-breaker, in such events. After a coup attempt occurred due to a schism sparked by this power, the Privy Council was modified to include a fifth seat and this power became obsolete for the time. Vacancies occur, sometimes for a long time, though they are considered undesirable.Modern Restructuring
Today, the Council's charter has been modified to support ten members and — more significantly — allows non-noble foreigners living within the city as permanent residents to hold seats. There is a Master-in-Council seat. This restructuring was enacted as a Mandate of Council by the Good Knight Arno, who was appointed to Master-in-Council by Celene Valmont I, following House Guilhem's collapse. The head of House Guilhem sat on the Privy Council, as a condition of his wealthy family sponsoring the city's banking institutions. When he passed, his wife attempted to bring him back from the dead using occult magic and damned her whole family to demons in failing to do so. To prevent a crisis due to the family's fortune now not able to sponsor the city, Arno brought in the wealthy Amrita Devasi from Starkhaven to take House Guilhem's place both on the Council in exchange for helping prevent any potential financial collapse. This required the aforementioned charter modification, and in a desire to extend the reach of the Privy Council to include the interests of the common person, the Good Knight made several subsequent moves which ultimately led to four more guildmasters being inducted to the Council.Significant Members
Under Empress Celene Valmont I
- Master-in-Council: the Good Knight Arno
- Head of House Ampère: Lord Rüdiger Ampère
- Head of House Mantillon: Duke Maslin Mantillon
- Head of House de Chalons: Grand Duke Gaspard de Chalons
- Head of House Vauloze: Lord Casteria Vauloze
- Guildmaster of the Fulcrum: Margrave Amrita Devasi
- Guildmaster of the Writ: Lady Lavinia de Salle
- Guildmaster of the Rasp: Beneke, Head of House Durran
- Guildmaster of the Birds: Vaquelin du Savbois
- Guildmaster of the Chain: Princep Octavian Calogerus
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