Sunday, October 09, 2005
Tower Critique: Obsidian Council
10/09/2005
The Obsidian Council is composed of 5 members: The Emissary (Temple Caste), The Essence (Warlock Caste), the Warlord (Warrior Caste), the Balance (a chair open to any Caste) and the Obsidian Highlord (the Highlord chairs the Council, and may be of any Caste). Each chair on the Council receives a vote on all matters, except the Highlord, who only votes in a tie. Each Council position has no set duration. If a Dhe’nar wishes a seat on the Council, he/she makes their wishes known, then if the Council approves the challenge, a time is set forth for the Decision of Fate. During this ritual, both the challenger and the chairholder are locked inside a special room used only for the purpose of the Deciding. No one knows what goes on inside the chamber. What is known is that there is no disagreement when the Deciding is over. The one who leaves the chamber alive is granted the seat.
Please… Again, I beg you. Stop it with the million deadly pointless rituals. Dhe’nar can’t go five minutes without risking death, it seems.
The only seat that is not gained by this ritual is the Obsidian Highlord’s, the only difference being that the challenger must first hold one of the other seats on the Council.
The Obsidian Council also acts as a tribunal for legal matters. Both plaintiff and defendant will appear before the assembled Council to plead their case. The accused is considered guilty unless proven innocent.
Why? What in their society would demand they treat the accused this way? How does this emulate the Arkati?
Oh, never mind… It’s more eeeeeevil and spoooooooky this way.
If you’re 10.
Once a decision has been reached as to the guilt of the defendant, the Highlord will pass sentence upon them, which often ranges from a public lashing to banishment to death.
Regardless of the crime? Do they just draw random punishments from a hat?
“I find the accused guilty of jaywalking… let’s see what he gets.”
::rummages around::
“Whipped with a badger. Guards, take him away!”
The position and power of the chairholder differs with each Caste. In some cases, the chairholder is merely a spokesperson for their Caste. It is not unheard of for the chairholder to be the “leader” of the Caste, although this is infrequent at best. You should discuss the current leadership and structure of your Caste with your trainer or chairholder, as they will be able to point you in the right direction for information.
Regardless of the various leaders within each Caste, the Obsidian Council is the foremost ruling party in Dhe’nar society. All decisions descending from this panel are as law, and are respected by the Dhe’nar society as a whole.
Even though they’re assumed to be guilty when placed in front of it. If they exist at the whim of the people, and all the people are supposedly so massively powerful, don’t you think the people would demand better treatment?