The Wise Council

"On this day we, the men of the Wise Council, proclaim and end to the monarchy. A new age for our great city begins."
— Merchant Prince Caecid

Formed by the Dynasty King Ophiliad, the Wise Council for years acted as an advisory body to the monarchy. However, during the People's Uprising, they worked together with the guilds and the Cabal of the Black to overthrow the rulers of Thripia after decades of corruption and oppression. Since, they have ruled the city and the Empire of Thripia as a merchant oligarchy, adhering to an Obligation to the People which ensures they act in the interests of citizens.

Organisation

The Wise Council has, in total, ten seats. Each seat can be held, on a technical basis, by anyone in the city. However, due to the influence of the guilds, positions are normally always occupied by Merchant Lords. The election process is conducted whenever a councilman dies, is removed from power or steps down, whereupon the remaining nine will propose a candidate each, or suggest the same candidate as another, and vote on them one pair at a time, deciding, finally, upon one out of the last remaining two. The Wise Council also has an eleventh member known as the Merchant Prince. Usually not elected from among the Council, the Merchant Prince is chosen from another Merchant Lord in the city to act as the spokesperson of the Council. In practice, the Merchant Prince has very little power and is only able to vote on issues when there is an even split between the votes of the rest of the Council. Finally, there is the Black Hand. Chosen from among the Cabal of the Black, the Black Hand oversees the decisions of the Council determining, if necessary, whether or not the Cabal should intervene. This, however, is a rare occurrence and it is not uncommon for the Black Hand itself to be corrupt.

Agenda

Since its conception, the Wise Council has been devised to make the city of Thripia great and prosperous. Under the rule of the monarchy, they represented the interests of the guilds and other organisations, providing insight where necessary for the Dynasty King to make decisions. It was not uncommon for their input to be the determinant factor of a debate. Following the People's Uprising, however, it was necessary for it to take on further values. They adhere to what is known as their Obligation to the People; a set of moral and ethical rules. They uphold the values of free trade, free speech and free conduct, the last of which relates to equality and anti-corruption. The Wise Council's following of these obligations is enforced by the Cabal of the Black who may, when justified, impose punitive measures upon individual councilmen or the group as a whole. As such, the Wise Council often acts in the best interests of the people in order to maintain its power. Nevertheless, they have agendas of their own. Being comprised of Merchant Lords, the Council largely seek to enable the strength of the guilds, particularly the ones they are lords over, and thus benefit themselves. This is kept in check by their Obligation to the People as well as other councilmen who may expose such poor conduct in order to disparage rivals.

Type

Geopolitical, City council

Location

Thripia

Related Ranks & Titles

Controlled Territories