Lords of Freeport

A council comprised roughly 20 Lords, that in the past ruled the city alongside the Orders of Marr. One member was in the past named as the Open Lord and was the diplomatic face of the council. The last open lord was Herom Emberstar before he was replaced by Lucan D'lere during the Crusade of Tears. Lucan took control of the city by claiming the title Lord Protector of Freeport. Lord Herom Emberstar role as Open Lord was reduced to a more ceremonial role to communicate with the Masked Lords and be an administrative face to the guilds and port authority. Last year Lord Herom Emberstar fled the city and soon rumors spread of various reasons why he left the city.
The Masked Lords are only seen in public when sitting in the Lord's Court or when appearing each year at the Masked Council when the Lord's Rule is reaffirmed. The identities of the Lords, other than the Lord Protector and Open Lord, are not to be known to the public, although they were known to each other. The intent of this is to ensure that the Lords were free of coercion and could be drawn from any social strata within the city. While the Masked Lords were considered to be equal to the Open Lord in authority, some executive authority was reserved for the Open Lord, including the vetting and selection of new Lords, the naming of the next Open Lord, and determining the needed number of Lords. Currently the Open Lord duties have been absorbed by the Lord Protector of Freeport. The Masked Lords are rumored to not be happy with the assumption of leadership by the Lord Protector, but have continued working alongside him to keep Freeport lucrative trade flowing.
The Masked Lords where hooded black robes and garb with a striking, featureless white mask. These items are reportedly enchanted with numerous magics to disguise their voice and frame.