The Council of the Belt

Having come from the Spires Ley-Lhoris and Ley-Lhyandir, controlled by dictatorship and oligarchy, the Eligni were decidedly through with unfair leadership. They needed a government that listened to its people, cared about its subjects and was keen not to stay in the past but to propel its society into a new, prosperous and free age. At first, whilst Caleb's Rest was under construction, a rough leadership was thrown together, but soon people were looking to Granny Brooks, Caleb Puff's wife, for guidance. A handful of years passed with Granny Brooks at the head of proceedings, but she was not satisfied with this idea. It was at this time, around seventeen years after Caleb's great sacrifice, that the Council of the Belt was suggested. A magitecknocracy, comprised of thirteen seats. Each seat voted in by the people, each seat holding the greatest scientist in that branch of magitecknology. And lo, the true governing body of Layman's Belt was made.
The Council of the Belt was an idea devised by Granny Brooks' son, Daedelus Puff, alongside a number of other influential scientists, magitecknologists and engineers. The theory behind it is that, by having all of the best minds in charge of the Belt, all decisions can be well-informed and expertly handled, with the Council being able to draw from all sorts of different worldly understandings. Having thirteen Council members also covered two problems, one very openly and one very subtly. First, it ensured that the Eligni would never have to be ruled over by any kind of elite group or single leader holding all of the power. Each seat would be voted in democratically, allowing poorly performing seat-holders to be swapped out for a better fit. It also helped negate some of the natural chaos that seems innate to the Elgini. Instead of a few people making a rash decision, a Council with a number of different seats would make sure that many ideas were considered and that situations and plans were well thought out. Furthermore, the Council of the Belt did not require exclusively Elignign members. Anyone voted for a seat would get one, be they Eligni, Faefolk, Dwarf or other. This method keeps ideas fresh and allows the general populace to have a heavy say on how the Belt is governed.
As detailed earlier, the Council of the Belt is made up of thirteen seats, each representing the best in a specific branch of magitecknology. The thirteen seats are thus: Crystallography, Engineering, Elemental Study, Environmental Sciences, Metaphysics, Parapsychology, Thaumic Science, Gramarye, Arcanic Study, Primal Magik, Alchemy, Botanics and Cryptozoology. Though there are many sub-branches within each of these, and some smaller branches, the thirteen branches recognised by the Council are believed to be the most essential to the development of the Belt. Each Branch is described below.

• Crystallography: The study of the science behind crystals and gems. This branch is most prevalent thanks to the discovery of spectrocryst, the magical crystal that helps power Eligni industry. Crystallography is mostly dedicated to discovering and understanding every different variation of spectrocryst, as well as finding out how they can be best refined and used throughout the Belt.
• Engineering: The use of Mechanical Elignign Kinetic Assistants and Sky Chariots are vital to the continued expansion and running of the Belt. This is where Engineering comes in, focused on pushing the barriers of what is and is not possible. Powered by all kinds of new inventions from all sorts of eccentric minds, whoever holds the Engineering seat has a lot to keep track of.
• Elemental Study: By this point, it is well known that there are sixteen elemental influences on the Eligni. Elemental theory indicates that there may be two more "elements", the element of creation and of destruction. The branch of Elemental Study focuses on this theory and explores how it can be used to explain many of the strange goings-on throughout Layman's Belt and the Planet below. Furthermore, the branch also keeps an eye out for any new kinds of Eligni that may pop up. There haven't been any yet, but scientists stay vigilant for any potential exceptions.
• Environmental Sciences: The Planet, being covered in a thick blanket of trees across most of its surface, has very few biomes to speak of. This does not extend to the Belt, however, especially when considering the strange landscapes that can emerge from a crashed Blinker bringing through odd new plants from somewhere unknown. The branch of Elemental Sciences looks to catalogue and understand the many strange new environments that have sprung up across the Belt in an effort to discover new, useful resources and stop the spread of any biome that may bring unwanted and dangerous effects.
• Metaphysics: The existence of Blinkers, as well as the Ark Event , has provided irrefutable proof that there must exist something past the world that we can see. Planar theory and study is the primary concern of the branch of Metaphysics, with its scientists currently focused on studying the Blinkers in an attempt to understand where they come from, as well as attempting to recreate the spectacular stunt performed by Jasper Inanis.
• Parapsychology: A branch split into two areas of concern, Parapsychology focuses on the mind and the powers confined within. One half looks into mental illnesses and care, focused on helping treat the myriad of difficulties people regularly face, as well as the many mental conditions that can exist. The other half looks at what the mind is capable of, things like telepathy and telekinesis, as well as psionic ability found in a limited number of the population.
• Thaumic Science: Though the Eligni believe in no gods, the existence of the Divine Magic tradition is undeniable. Therefore, it must be studied. The Thaumic Science branch is dedicated to this research, studying not only the Clerics and Champions of the Elves, Dwarves and Faekind, as well as those who receive blessings of magic from the Eligni Pantheon. This is a major focus, as the Eligni Saints are not revered as divine, though appear to be able to grant similar powers as gods do.
• Gramarye: Occasionally, eldritch, aberrant magic snakes its way into the world through the portal of Occult Magic. Though incredibly hard to explain, let alone categorise, the branch of Gramarye seeks to study and, one day, understand what this magic is and where it comes from, as well as finding ways to help its practitioners control the flow of unknowable power that worms its way into mind and body.
• Arcanic Study: Another of the magical traditions, Arcane Magic is an area that also needs thorough study. Arcane Magic is the most scientific tradition of the four, taught through the logic and reasoning of the magic inherent to the world, learning to shape it into a desired form. Many spells already exist in this field, though Arcane Magic appears to be an untapped well of new spells and rituals, so many magitecknologists are focused on spell creation and cataloguing.
• Primal Magik: A tradition better known to the Faekind and Wild Elves, the Primal Magik branch is dedicated to understanding the rhythm and rhyme of nature. Despite being treated as a science, Primal Magic is a lot more about asking for power rather than taking it, leading many Faekind and Gnomes to be chief magitecknologists in this area.
• Alchemy: Potions and elixirs have proven themselves invaluable time after time during the exploration and expansion of Layman's Belt. But with all sorts of new ingredients and brave taste-testers ready for trial, the branch of Alchemy looks to create a complete dictionary of every possible effect that can be drawn from exotic components. Alchemists often find themselves in new, strange and sometimes terrifying environments looking for new plants, animals and minerals to be ground up and mixed into a new formula, as well as finding themselves fixing the effects of a poor concoction, scraping soot from walls and ceilings and keeping newly transfigured, confused frogs to safety until they can turn back.
• Botanics: In the early days of settling on Layman's Belt, food had to be preserved down on the Planet below and brought up on Sky Chariots alongside construction materials. It was realised rather rapidly that intense study would have to be performed in order to learn how to grow crops and vegetation up on the floating, barren corpse of the Moon. Born, then, was the branch of Botanics, which has been conjuring forth innovation after innovation ever since. Botanics have found new ways of growing plants up on the Belt, as well as learning to crossbreed and domesticate some of the strange new ones that have tagged along inside of Blinkers.
• Cryptozoology: A hobby consisting of telling spooky stories on the Planet below, the branch of Cryptozoology was, at first, passed over as a suggested seat. However, what with the Belt still not being fully explored, a number of reports of all kinds of strange and scary creatures, and the Blinkers bringing through untold, unseen horror, it was rapidly approved and added to the ranks. Cryptozoologists frequently find themselves on hunts, seeking creatures that sound like myth but, in some cases, prove to be terrifyingly real. In addition, Cryptozoology looks into the theory of belief: that given enough belief, a creature can manifest new abilities, much like a children's tale.

The thirteen seat-holders are the ones who vote on and pass major decisions, as well as keep tabs on all important events occurring throughout the Belt. They convene once a week, as well as meet in emergencies where quick decisions matter. Though seat-holders are the only ones allowed to vote on any matter, Granny Brooks frequently attends meetings and offers her counsel, whether requested or not. As potentially the most senior of all Elgini, she is always well-heeded, though the council doesn't always do as she suggests. Also often in attendance is Lancelot Puff, leader of the Defenders of the Rest. Whilst not allowed a vote, he attends to give essential information gathered from every town and city on the Belt, as well as to give military advice and to hear what is needed of the Defenders by the Council.

Structure

The Council of the Belt is a magitecknocracy, made up of thirteen equal seats. Each seat-holder must be voted in.

Public Agenda

The Council's only goal is to fairly govern Layman's Belt, ensuring that it develops effectively and remains a safe place for every citizen, no matter their ancestry. They seek to ensure comfort for all people and make sure none go hungry.

History

First suggested and founded in the Fourth Era in the Seventeenth Year, the Council of the Belt originally only had twelve seats. This lasted only for two years, as it was quickly discovered that, with twelve seats, many decisions could end up in a tie, leading to nothing happening. After these two years, Cryptozoology was added to the ranks, both to become a tie-breaker and to counter the increasingly concerning number of reports of strange creatures on the fringes of society.

Territories

The Council of the Belt holds all of Layman's Belt as its territory, though there are a number of bandits and sky pirates that have something to say about this claim.

Military

A military has, so far, proven to be unnecessary. However, the Moth's Watch is always ready in case of a serious issue, ready to spring to action should the Council ever have need of them.

Founding Date

4E Y17

Type

Geopolitical, Technocracy

Capital

Caleb's Rest

Demonym

Council Member

Founders

• Daedalus Puff
• Granny Brooks

Government System

Technocracy

Judicial Body

The Council of the Belt uses the Defenders of the Rest to carry out the laws put in place. The Defenders, mostly made up of volunteers, follow the laws carefully, focusing on treating all people the way they would hope to be treated. This helps the Council's goal of a fair and kind society.

Location

Layman's Belt