Council of Elders
Faction Overview
Halruaa’s Council of Elders—a tumultuous body of more than four hundred powerful wizards headed by the Netyarch which roughly translates as “Wizard-King,” although the role is perhaps more analogous to that of a chairperson rather than an absolute ruler. Magic is the most venerated form of power in Halruaa, and those who can wield it most effectively tend to wield political power as well. Fortunately for the rest of the world, the wizards of Halruaa seldom see eye to eye on any topic. Thus, Halruaa’s power structure consists of numerous factions of wizards, all working at cross-purposes in their quest for more magic. The Council of Elders are the founders of the nation of Halruaa but have needed to set safeguards and give up their power to various other factions to hold their nation together. The Council of Elders still wields great power and is considered the noblest pursuit path in the lands holding the hearts and minds of the common people in Halruaa.History
A group of Netherese wizards led by the archmage Raumark fled the scourge of the Phaerimms and the destruction of the empire of Netheril by skyship. Raumark had foreseen the doom approaching his native land and began planning such an escape even before Karsus’s fateful act and Mystryl’s death. Upon crossing the mountains, the Netherese found a beautiful and rich country, sparsely populated by Lapal shepherds and fisherfolk, and decided to adopt it as their new home. The two ethnic groups embraced one another rather than fighting over such a bountiful and available land, and they quickly learned to coexist. The wizards provided the simple folk of Halruaa with an organized ruling class, laws, justice, and wondrous works. Native Lapalians with a talent for magic were accepted as students with no hesitation, and the presence of so many powerful wizards soon discouraged the raiders and monsters that had once plagued the lowlands. In the years after the arrival of the Netherese, Halruaa grew and prospered as a nation of wizards in relative isolation. Halruaa’s neighbors have made numerous attempts at conquest despite the country’s fabled defenses. Envious of Halruaa’s riches and magical treasures, the Dambrathans have been the most frequent pests, invading Halruaa for brief periods on several occasions. The Council of Elders despite massive success has struggled to keep the nation at peace with several civil wars stemming from faction division over the views of magic or simply bad governance of the people due to negligence. While they have placed many self-restrictions on themselves, they are always at the command of the Council of Elders which only offers limited protections. The last Netyarch Zalathorm Kirkson began his reign rallying the Council of Elders to take radical reform that placed the power in the hands of nobility tied to the land, mercantile prosperity, and a royal monarchy. This separation of magic and state was created with the Edicts of Lumen which greatly limits wizards or anyone with magical ability from privileges of the nobility, ownership of land, and mercantile trade. In place, they gain freedom in the practice of magic as dictated by the Council of Elders and ensure those with magical talent are trained in the academies of Halruaa. This was met with a great deal of resistance by some of the Elders who did not want to give up the power, but ultimately this proved the Netyarch point of why it was needed. A vast majority agreed and the nation entered a new era that was hugely successful as it allowed the Council of Elders to focus on matters of magic exclusively and limit the ability of more corrupt wizards whose interest was power, not magic. Netyarch Zalathorm Kirkson, the legendary divination wizard and reformer of Halruaa possibly considered the greatest Netyarch in history perished in a battle with the crazed Aklhaur who gained great power after being corrupted by an evil force from the elemental plane of water. This sparked a coup attempt among several of the Elders who were determined to choose the next Netyarch instead of the historical election process due to dissatisfaction with so much of Zalathorms reformation policies. This started a council war that ended abruptly with the destruction brought by the Spellplague. The surviving Council Elders are beginning to find their footing in the post-Spellplague world and are starting to have the conversation of the next Netyarch which has not made meaningful progress but also has not spilled into violence yet.
Membership
Elder / Neytarch
The most powerful of the Council of Elders is the Elder itself. To join the Council of Elders there is a strict but clear barrier to joining. To become an Elder, one needs to become a powerful wizard in any specialization and are able to cast a spell of the 8th circle or higher. By this point, the wizard is most likely known to the Elders in some form, and assuming that the wizard is in good standing and passes a barrage of divination tests they are granted the title of Elder and given all the privileges that come with it. Not all eligible mages accept the post. Those that don't accept say they don't want the hassles of being part of the council. When the Netyarch dies or steps down, their successor is chosen from among the ranks of the Elders. A complicated system involving the level of power, ranking of specialization, and opinions expressed by the Elders, is used to determine the new leader. The last four leaders have all been divination specialists. It is thought that these are the most powerful of the wizards. "Knowledge is power, great knowledge is great power". When a wizard becomes an Elder there is a great ceremony, the Netyarch provides a specialized Crystal Orb that allows communication with the Council Elders. The Council provides a Halruaan Skyship placing it in service of their newest Elder and teaches them the magic to recharge the Skyship. Additionally, the Council ensures any financial accommodations to ensure the new member has a stronghold capable of keeping the Crystal Orb safe and housing the new Skyship. They are also provided the services of a Jordain Vizier and a series of retainers to assist in their protection as well as aid in their duties as a Council Elder. Any additional retainers or replacements are however up to the Elder. The Elder can come from any background in Halruaan society with no discrimination but most likely has graduated from one of several of the magical academies of Halruaa. The Council of Elders is paranoid about the loyalty and the candidate's use of magic but if the wizard has made it this far they have been the target of many divination and scrying spells in their lifetime so Council already knows everything about you. Wizards who have used unacceptable applications of magic were dealt with long before they qualified to become an Elder. An Elder also now has the right of being able to found a Wizard Academy they possess the means to do so but must receive a quorum vote from the Council of Elders however to achieve this position. While very prestigious and grants many advantages, it also exempts this Elder from being able to become the Netyarch to prevent arcane nepotism.Magehound
One of the first creations of the Council of Elders to weed out the corruption of wizards tempted by dark practices was the Magehound. Magehounds are Halruaa’s inquisitors. Conceived in the country’s earliest days as a means of preventing the kind of tragedy Karsus brought upon the Netherese, Magehounds are tasked with keeping renegade practitioners in check. They test the Jordaini for magical ability, track down criminal wizards, and enforce Halruaa’s most important laws—those governing the use of magic. Everyone fears Magehounds to some degree, for they are considered above the normal laws of the land. They answer only to the Council of Elders, and even those wizards are not immune to a Magehound’s wrath. Any profession can serve as a Magehound though typically, wizards or clerics have the insight and dedication to become a Halruaan Magehound. Wizards who choose this path are often very politically minded seeing this as an opportunity to fast-track their training to join the ranks of the Elders themselves. But sorcerers who become Magehounds, are in some ways, considered more appropriate for the task because of their perverse (by Halruaan standards) arcane nature and inability to ever become a Halruaan Elder. Halruaan Magehounds were the inquisitors of Halruaa who enforced its paramount magic laws and regulated the use of magic therein. Magehounds were responsible for some of the most important tasks involved in the regulation of Halruaan magic laws. Among these were testing the Jordaini caste for magical abilities, and hunting down renegade or criminal magic users. No wizards were beyond their authority or reach, including the Council who oversaw their actions. Because of this authority, Magehounds lived a solitary and lonely lifestyle, being feared and shunned by their arcane brethren. Despite this, Magehounds would keep some associates with complementary skills to assist in their hunts. Arcane spellcasters shun their company and rarely do these inquisitors gather in force unless their prey is particularly powerful or difficult to capture.Jordain Vizier
The Jordaini are a special servitor caste, though still upper class, in the magocracy of Halruaa. They are bred and trained at a young age to understand magic, schooled in a wide range of academic disciplines, and taught to be imperturbable in the face of the wondrous. The Jordain are very knowledgeable in Arcana and develops their minds into incredibly sharp tools that perceive their surroundings and recall information in perfect detail with little time absorbing it. They however are not permitted to practice the magical arts in any form and are even forbidden to handle magical items since this corrupts their most potent weapon. The Jordain has developed a specially high degree of resistance to magic and magical effects as its rolls off them like water. The most skilled of them can engage a caster at close range and twist their spell into harmless magical energies, the magical outcome of the spell, or even its target(s). They easily can bring down a skilled wizard with ease if they are foolish enough to let an enemy Jordain get close to them. Following their graduation from House Jordain, they are assigned to one of Halruaa’s ruling class of wizards, where their special skills make them important advisors and guardians of their new masters. Most Jordain Viziers begin their training as experts in a set of skills that make them useful advisors and then apply their abilities as warrior monks until qualifying as a Jordain Vizier. They are absolutely forbidden to wield magic or develop it and those who ignore sudden developments of magical prowess are found to be guilty of a serious crime and so inevitably makes them hunted by the Magehounds. Jordain viziers approach adventures as unflappably as they approach everything else as they are dedicated to the pursuit of the "truth" and the elevation of Halruaa. While most Jordain Viziers are found away from their homes only when they accompany their masters on important missions, a few flee Halruaa due to a breach of their ethical code or to find freedom. Such renegades are hunted persons, likely to surround themselves with like-minded allies and be always on the move. The Spellplague with its wide range of destruction has broken down the ranks of several Jordains and even destroyed their ancestral home while they have since relocated there are many who found themselves not bound to service and have taken the reigns of their own life back. The most known case is the "Dispution Table", or "Disputors" who have entered the ranks of Five Companies and serve as a backbone and enforce their honor law. House Jordain despises the Disputor Jordain that has joined ranks of Five Companies.
(Heraldry - Coat of Arms for Halruaa)
The Council of Elders has a wide range of personalities and goals amongst them, but all are dedicated to the preservation of Halruaan society and the importance of magic that sustains it. They are ever vigilant in balancing the problems that stem from the advancement of magical practices and the corruption of power that magic can bring. The lands of Halruaan in the past were often targets of foreign raids considering the riches to be plundered and while Halruaa has a military that protects the lands, the Council of Elders is quick to respond to threats and effectively eliminate them. Now with the destruction brought by the Spellplague, the goal is to get back to where they once were as foreign powers and monsters overrun the lands.
Goals
- Safeguard the importance of the mageocracy within Halruaa
- Advance the understanding of magical development
- Prevent magical corruption in their ranks
- Prevent the loss of magical secrets to foreign powers
Beliefs
- Magic is everything - practice it wisely
- Halruaa is the greatest nation ever - it must be preserved
- Law and tradition bind us as one people
- Isolation protects our people's superiority
Members Traits
Members who are Halruaan Elders or serve the Elders are very dedicated to the well-being of the nation, its people, and of course the pursuit of magic. As some cultures might view financial success as the driving factor of their people Halruaans view magic as the measurement of success. The Council of Elders is dedicated to their purpose of protecting the Halruaan way of life and elevating the overall magical knowledge possessed by their people.Ranks
- Elder Retainer (rank 1)
- Jordain Vizier (rank 2)
- Mage Hound (rank 3)
- Council Elder (rank 4)
- Netyarch (rank 5)
Homeland
Location
Comments