Sunday, October 09, 2005

Obsidian Council

10/09/2005

A Council seat is not a position of power or prestige, but one of responsibility. There can be little progress on the path to enlightenment while caught up in the demands of government and bureaucracy. Therefore, Council seats are not highly sought, nor are they positions held for long.

Serving on the council is a matter of duty, a responsibility owed to Dhe’nar society. When the term of a council member is up, lots are drawn to determine his replacement. Eligibility for council seats are determined by age, skill, and experience. Bureaucrats from the Worker caste are responsible for gathering the data necessary to determine eligibility.

Before the Great Fire, the system was different. Council seats were held for lifetimes. Individuals accrued immense authority, even as their search for enlightenment stagnated, and then was abandoned altogether. The folly of such a top-heavy system of authority became evident in the tyranny that developed, and its ensuing divine punishment that crippled the Dhe’nar population. The Dhe’nar have since developed a severe distrust of any figure who might claim authority over them, and the current Council are public servants in the truest sense of the word. While chosen from the best and brightest of Dhe’nar society, there is no reward to sitting on the council, other than the knowledge that one is helping guide the Dhe’nar along the proper path, and enforcing their laws. Wealth and power are better accumulated through private endeavor, so there is little in the way of selfish incentive for serving.

Obsidian can be extremely sharp, sharper than steel in fact. Yet it is extremely fragile. Such symbolism serves as a reminder of the nature of authority to the Dhe’nar.

The Obsidian Council is not to be confused with the Obsidian Tower, which is a sect of Dhe’nar, not its ruling council.