Council of Astra

The Executive

Ghale Anthwun Amalo (The King)

• The Father. He remembers every name of the First Nine. He rules not by force, but because he is the only one who remembers everything.

The Elven Delegation (10 Seats)

Status: Mostly Original Founders (Year 2). Perspective: The Long View. They see the city as a fragile garden that must be tended for millennia, not just for the current season.

The Five Duchesses:

Duchess Nephine Nimrodel (Original)

1. • Role: Education & Magic.

   • Note: She personally taught the first generation of wizards how to control their magic so they wouldn't burn the refugee tents down.

Duchess Valanthe Xiloscient (Original)

1. • Role: The Historian. She keeps the records of the "Lost Worlds" so that the mistakes of the past are never repeated in Astra.

Duchess Quillathe Meliamne (Original)

1. • Role: Agriculture (Heartwood). She sang the first crops out of the barren earth in Year 3. She protects the food supply with a druidic fierceness.

Duchess Hatae Siannodel (Original)

1. • Role: Borders & Wilds. She negotiated the first treaties with the indigenous fey spirits so the city wouldn't be swallowed by the forest.

Duchess Meriele Amastacia (Successor - Year 100)

1. • Role: Culture. The only successor, she reminds the elders that mere survival is not enough; the city must have a soul.

The Five Dukes:

Duke Paelias Galanodel (Original)

1. • Role: Treasury. He hoards gold not for greed, but because he remembers the winter of Year 5 when the city nearly starved for lack of coin to buy grain.

Duke Thamior Holimion (Original)

1. • Role: High Justice. He wrote the laws to ensure fairness, haunted by the memory of the lawless anarchy of the first landings.

Duke Ivellios Liadon (Original)

1. • Role: Internal Defense. The former Ranger-General who patrolled the perimeter when there were no walls. He sleeps with one eye open so the city can rest.

Duke Soveliss Naïlo (Original)

1. • Role: Diplomacy. He views all outsiders with caution, always assessing: "Will they help Astra survive, or will they bring ruin?"

Duke Aust Nolo (Original)

1. • Role: City Planning. He ensures the city remains beautiful, believing that beauty inspires hope, and hope is a survival mechanic.

The Dwarven Delegation (10 Seats)

Status: Original Founders. Perspective: The Foundation. They literally built the city. To them, Astra is not a place; it is a fortress that keeps their families alive.

The Five Duchesses:

Duchess Helja Ironhew (Original)

1. • Role: The Architect.

   • Note: She laid the cornerstone. When she votes, she asks one question: "Will this keep the walls standing?" She loves the city with a grandmother's ferocious devotion.

Duchess Diesa Moltenbraid (Original)

1. • Role: Economy. She manages the macro-economy to ensure there is always a reserve for disasters.

Duchess Vistra Loderr (Original)

1. • Role: Public Health. She dug the first latrines with her own hands. She ensures the city is clean because she remembers the plagues of the early years.

Duchess Mardred Rockseeker (Original)

1. • Role: Resources. She negotiates with the deep earth to provide the stone and iron that keeps Astra armored.

Duchess Torbera Deepdelve (Original)

1. • Role: Spiritual Counsel. She tends to the souls of the builders, reminding them that stone without faith is just rocks.

The Five Dukes:

Duke Balin Fireforge (Original)

1. • Role: Armaments. He ensures every guard has a shield that won't break. He takes personal offense if a guard dies due to poor equipment.

Duke Orsik Ironfist (Original)

1. • Role: Fortifications. He constantly tests the defenses, running drills not to annoy the populace, but to save them.

Duke Gardain Battlehammer (Original)

1. • Role: Labor. He ensures the workers are treated with the dignity of "Founders," not serfs.

Duke Rangrim Torunn (Original)

1. • Role: Trade Goods. He brings in the luxuries that make life worth living, arguing that "Survival is not enough."

Duke Tordek Frostbeard (Original)

1. • Role: Provisions. He stockpiles food. He is the reason Astra has never suffered a famine since the founding.

The Human Delegation (10 Seats)

Status: 3rd or 4th Generation. Perspective: The Energy. They honor their ancestors (The First Nine) by pushing the city forward. They bring the urgency of mortality to the table.

The Five Duchesses:

Duchess Elara Swift (4th Generation)

1. • Ancestor: Kaelen Swift (The First Nine).

   • Role: Social Welfare. She channels Kaelen's spirit, walking the streets and listening to the commoners, ensuring the Council doesn't become too detached in their high towers.

Duchess Isolda Murnyeth (3rd Generation)

1. • Role: Naval Trade. She pushes the boundaries of exploration, wanting to connect Astra to the wider world.

Duchess Rowena Kincaid (3rd Generation)

1. • Role: Judiciary. She interprets the ancient laws for modern times, ensuring justice evolves.

Duchess Lysandra Peth (3rd Generation)

1. • Role: The Arcane. She represents the new breed of magic users, those born in this world, pushing for innovation over tradition.

Duchess Mara Wyrmsbane (3rd Generation)

1. • Role: Exploration. She sponsors the adventurers who go into the Gap, believing that Astra must understand its threats to defeat them.

The Five Dukes:

Duke Darien Trax (3rd Generation)

1. • Role: Taxation & Infrastructure. He is ambitious, yes, but he believes the city needs gold to maintain the Founders' vision. He argues that the Elves' memory of "poverty" holds the city back from prosperity.

Duke Kaelen Blackwood (4th Generation)

1. • Role: Agriculture (Plains). He fights for the farmers outside the walls, reminding the Council that the "Bark" (The Plains) is just as vital as the "Heartwood."

Duke Oricus Vane (3rd Generation)

1. • Role: Industry. He champions new technologies (mills, printing presses) that the older races view with skepticism.

Duke Garrick Stone (4th Generation)

1. • Role: The Masonry Guilds. He works closely with Duchess Helja, bridging the gap between Dwarven tradition and Human innovation in construction.

Duke Joren Hightower (3rd Generation)

1. • Role: The Scribe. He records the current history, ensuring that the Human contribution—short though it may be in years—is not forgotten in the shadow of the immortals.

The Special Seats

Duke Aedan Illykur (The 31st Seat)

• • • The Outsider. Though he bought his way in, he did so to serve the forgotten people of the Outer Plains. In this way, he mirrors the spirit of the original founders more than some of the 3rd generation humans do.

Arch Duchess Saeline Ilphelstacia Amalo (The Queen & the 32nd Seat)

• • • The Divine Mother. Her presence is the bridge between the mortal struggle of the founders and the divine mandate of the Gods.