Mage Council

It's fascinating that the Mage Council gets anything done, considering half its members are multiply employed, and that most of them don't come from any background in politics. It's a testament to... something, I suppose.

— Üükabwi-adhayo citizen

The Mage Council is the supreme governing body in Üükabwi-adh, responsible for writing legislation. While not technically an executive body, some of its members are employed in the office of the Grand Mage to handle executive powers on their behalf.

History

At Üükabwi-adh's founding in 11 Plenty, the Mage Council did not exist as an official body. At this time, it was simply a group of powerful mages brought on by the first Grand Mage to advise her, and to whom she could delegate her duties of statecraft. Her successor would be hand picked by her from this small group, and similar informal arrangements would continue for the reigns of the first Grand Mages.
The need for an officially defined body and process of succession became necessary in early Reconciliation, as the abrupt death of the Grand Mage left the group to bicker among themselves. The winner of that conflict, Ainaike Dhilvarrz, used her new power to create the Mage Council in 11 Reconciliation, and defined her successor as being whichever member had been on the council the longest. As all the members had been on this new council for the same amount of time, she manually defined an order of succession among the ministers, with the tenure-based system to kick in once all the council's founding members had retired.
The council at this time was still a manually assembled body, requiring the Grand Mage to nominate people to the position. Rather than institute the democratic elections which were beginning to appear in neighbouring countries at that time, Grand Mage Thenaiyü Biiyangoibän instead chose to bolster their council's ranks with military and educational personnel, trusting that they would collectively have the knowledge to pass suitable legislation. They would additionally permit the family's of past and present Grand Mages to send a single representative.
Manual nominations remained vital for the Council long after its pool was extended through these means, particularly in the wake of The Collision and during the Era of Famine, with both disasters dramatically thinning the ranks of the Council. In both instances, the Grand Mage and their Council would nominate individuals en-masse to refill empty seats, as well as instituting many changes to how ministers were added.
In the former, the eligibility of descendants of Grand Mages was extended, allowing for more generations of descent to seek to represent their family. In the latter, changes were made to allow for the holders of certain military and civilian awards of heroism to sit on the council. During the Famine, "hereditary" eligibility was extended to include the descendants of both Grand Mages and those who served under them directly as part of their executive office, however this expanded eligibility would later be renounced under Grand Mage Yuvakiib Guldthaapuk.
There have been calls in recent years to re-expand this eligibility, or else to introduce limited elections to both better bolster the Council against future population shocks, as well as to diversify the fields and knowledge of its members. Those asking for elections have particularly cited the short and "pointless" Mage War of 12 Return as a reason to introduce them, as the un-democratic Council started the conflict and resulted in Üükabwi-adh's ejection from the North West Pact.

Composition

The Mage Council comprises 90 ministers as of 39 Return. There are multiple ways in which to become a minister, none of which are directly responsible to the public. These methods include:

Attaining the rank of Lieutenant General in the Üükabwi-adhayo military. This rank must be held for at least a year, unless there are exceptional circumstances

Being descended, to the third generation, from any Grand Mage. Only one member of the family may take this position at a given time, unless eligible through other means

Holding a significant position, such as President or CEO, at an institution like a college or medical facility. This position must be held for at least a year

Being granted an award of service, either through the military or as a civilian, for heroic deeds

Have an invitation to the Mage Council agreed upon by a majority of sitting Ministers

Regardless of route onto the council, each prospective member is expected to meet a minimum level of magical ability to assume their position. At any time, a minister can be called upon to redemonstrate this capability, and if they fail to meet this standard they will be expelled.
Ministers can also be removed by majority vote of the Council, as well as being made to retire when they reach the age of 65. Additionally, whichever minister succeeds to the position of Grand Mage must renounce their membership on the Council, preventing them from voting on legislation.

Type

Governmental, Senate/Parliament

Parent Organization

Üükabwi-adh

Terrestrial Magic by Isaac Thompson

Grand Magic

Once chosen by their predecessors, Grand Mages now largely ascend in an automatic process. The criteria is simple - whoever in the Council has served the longest shall take the position upon the death or resignation of their predecessor.
While a very simple process, it rarely plays out so easily. When the departure of the Grand Mage is known in advance, there will often be a spate of retirements and resignations on the Council, as its older and tenured members all but refuse the position. Sometimes done because an individual simply does not want the job, these have also sometimes been arranged so that a specific minister will take the role.
It is also possible, though highly unusual, for the Mage Council to take a majority vote to nominate a new Grand Mage, who need not even be a member of the Council at the time. This has only succeeded once, to allow for Saxako Chre'aubäman to regain the position of Grand Mage that he had been forced to abdicate due to a curse.
Due to his lack of magic he had been unable to rejoin the Council upon his resignation, and it was argued he would no longer have been eligible for the position based on tenure due to the hypothetical discontinuity of service, necessitating the extraordinary vote.

Planar Magic by Isaac Thompson