Home of the Council of Wizardry, the Council
States is a federation of states dedicated to the preservation of
knowledge, the responsible use of wizardry, and free trade.
There are actually two Councils that work in coordination to ensure
these ideals.
The Council of Magistrates is made up of representatives elected
by the ruling body of each of the member states. The Council of
Magistrates is responsible for ensuring free trade and the upholding of
economic treaties between the member states.
The Council of Wizardry is made up of the preeminent wizards of
the land as selected by the Council Roster. The Council Roster is an
organization consisting of all duly recognized wizards in Norelon (and in
much of Eton). Membership is incumbent upon presentation of
credentials, abiding by the Code of Wizardry and payment of dues.
The Council has foremost authority on wizardry in the land and is
empowered to take action against members and non-members who violate the
Code of Wizardry. Further, because many of the members are also
ruling lords the council carries considerable political weight, in and of
itself, beyond that of ruling committees.
Government of the Council States is handled by applicable
committees made up jointly and equally from members and/or appointees of both
Councils. The Ruling Committees are each responsible for their
designated area of authority and these bodies make applicable laws and
rulings for their sphere of influence. Individuals requesting an
appeal of the decisions of the committees may petition the independent
Committee on Appeal. If their arguments are found to be of merit,
the appeal may be forwarded on to the two Councils.
Committees typically formed of 13 members (with the exception of Arms
and Justice which are 27 members each), the chair of each council appoints
one member to each committee and six other members of each council get one
appointee each. Which committees a councilor appoint to is
determined by seniority and the relative importance of the
committee. In theory a council member can appoint him or herself to
a committee, but this is almost never done due to time constraints and
workload, and appearances.
The 5 most influential Committees are the following:
- Committee on Trade: Handles trade disputes between merchants
and each other as well as merchants and member states.
- Committee on Arms: Controls the militia of the Council States.
Includes the Subcommittee on Domestic Safety which ensures the safety
of the roads and highways and the Subcommittee on Defense which
oversees military operations at the direction of the two Councils.
This is actually a 27 member committee, with a chair and half of the
remaining 26 on one subcommittee or the other.
- Committee on Justice: The judiciary arm of the Councils, the
Committee on Justice provides criminal and civil justice through its
two subcommittees on civil and criminal justice. The civil
justice committee works on the individual level and often coordinates
with the Committee on Trade for merchant-consumer justice.
Further, member states have magisterial domain within their own
jurisdiction on all matters not directly in violation of Council Law.
Like the Committee on Arms, the Committee on Justice is actually a 27
member committee, with a chair and half the remaining 26 on once
subcommittee or the other.
- Committee on Foreign Relations: Handles ambassadorial and
foreign relations.
- Committee on Appeal: Handles the appellate process for
committee decisions and laws.
Other committees include:
- Committee on Religion: Traditionally made up of appointees from the
clerical ranks of the major religions.
- Committee on the Arts: Provides patronage for the arts.
- Committee on Racial Relations: Arbitrates and protects the
rights of various races, in particular those sentient races outside
the body politic.
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