The Small Council

The Small Council is a body which advises the Empress/Emperor of Sarkonos and institutes policy at his/her command. Members are appointed to their position by the Empress/Emperor; theoretically they can be dismissed at will, however in practice this might lead to undesirable political fallout.

The Small Council usually consists of seven non-hereditary positions. Long vacancies sometimes occur for one of these positions, i.e. during time of war, though this is considered undesirable.

• Master of War: the realm’s military commander in charge of Sarkonos’ armies (Arthur Pendragon)
• Master of Coin: the realm’s chief treasurer and bookkeeper (Turk Soren)
• Master of Whispers: the realm’s chief intelligence advisor and spymaster, supervising covert activities and information gathering, both at home and abroad (Lucius Silvertongue)
• Master of Laws: the realm’s chief legal advisor, who manages Waledon’s dungeons and supervises law enforcement (Dori Stoneheart)
• Master of Ships: the realm’s chief naval officer, supervising the Royal Fleet and coordinating the realm’s maritime defenses (Ozzy Oswin)
• Lord of Blades: protector of the Empress/Emperor and in charge of royal bodyguards known as the Blades. Once chosen, they are lifetime appointments, which cannot be legally removed.
• High Warden: Assigned Abbey of the Masses member, and thus to the realm. The High Warden is appointed by the Abbey of the Masses, not the Empress/Emperor. While he/she may be excluded at times from the Small Council, he/she cannot be replaced. This makes the High Warden unique as the only member of the council not specifically chosen by the Empress/Emperor.