Accord of Worlds

A governing council made up of representatives of each of the Imbricate Cities, the Great Houses of Liminal and those organizations that answer to the Accord itself. There are twenty seats on the Council.

The House Seats

Three Seats are given to the Great Houses of Liminal. These Seats are held by nobles from the acknowledged Great Houses, who jockey amongst themselves for the positions. House Seats are held for five years. They are currently held by:

• Rhaedra Taldiress: A sorceress of House Taldiress, Rhaedra has held her Seat for three terms. Her wisdom and charisma ensures that she remains sought-after for advice and favors from the Houses and Councilors, and she is a canny politician. She does have a standing dislike for the Keepers of Accord, although she maintains a friendly enough relationship with Morgauth, who sits the Elder's Seat.
• Obarsyn Desiram: The son of the Obarsyn heir and his Redmoon bride, this young half-elf is in good standing among his peers. Although he has a reputation for somewhat fickle and unreliable, he is well-liked and can be counted on. There is some scandal attached to his name, for he refuses to take a bride, instead maintaining a handsome young man as his lover in the Councilor Chamber-Halls of Accord.
• Ilditziss the Argent: A silver-scaled dragonborn scion of House Bloodwing, Iditziss is the youngest of those who sit House Seats. He listens far more than he speaks, though it is known that he keeps himself busy with private appointments with various city officials. It is generally agreed that he works his statescraft in quiet, from behind the scenes, while maintaining a placid front.

The Elder's Seat

One Seat is given to the Elder of the Keepers of Accord. This Seat is held for as long as the Keeper in question remains the Elder of the order.

• Morgauth: The Elder of the Keepers is an old shadar-kai, his stark white hair done up in elaborate fixtures atop his head. His face is deeply lined and clean-shaven, and he wears the robes of the Keepers, with his black mantle of Eldership over them constantly. His gait is strong, although he is clearly weakening. He is arch and does not tolerate fools gladly, treating them to the weapon-like quality of his words. Nonetheless, he has proven time and again that his loyalty is with the Keepers and Liminal itself, despite his time as headmaster of the Fallen House in Blackstreets.

The Guild Seats

Two Seats are given to the Merchant Guilds. These Seats are held by Guildsfolk of at least Master rank, and they are maintained for five years. Masters and journeymen may vote when a Guild Seat comes up for transition. They are currently held by:

• Arigun Farwheel: A dwarven member of the Guilds, Arigun is quite old, his beard gone steely grey and his face lined with wrinkles. Despite this, he is a favored Councilor in the Accord, always ready to inject practical wisdom into any situation. He has served no less than eight terms in his Guild Seat.
• Yldriss: The younger of the Guild Councilors, Yldriss is a githzerai merchant. It is clear that his understanding of the many cultures of the planes is won first-hand, through travel to those places, and he is a talented polyglot, speaking an absurd number of languages both practical and obscure. He is clearly proud of his intellect, though he grudgingly defers to Arigun in most things.

The Temple Seats

Two Seats are given to the Temples of Liminal, one to the temples of Empyros and one to the temples of the Hellsward. These Seats are held for five years, and each acknowledged temple is given a single vote in both Seats; as a result, those who hold these Seats are often individuals deemed acceptable by both Empyrean and Talion temples of Liminal. They are currently held by:

• Kherudlan dysAevo: A proud deva from a long line of Aevo's servants, Kherudlan is next in line as Skymother, matriarch of the faith of Aevo. In the meantime, she serves as the Councilor of the Empyrean temples. Kherudlan is quick to remind folk of their responsibilities to the gods, and dislikes those who do not hold their worship to the gods. Unlike many Empyrean priests, she would rather ally himself with a faithful Talionite than one who disdains the gods entirely.
• Ademiskar Verutha: Ademiskara is the Warlord of the Palace of the Bloodied Sword, the human high priest of Liminal's temple to the Red Lady. An older man whose hair is worn pulled away from his face, his muscled body thin like a sword blade, Ademiskar is old friends with Kherudlan, and the two are a devastatingly powerful political force to be reckoned with.

The Speaker's Seat

One Seat is traditionally given to the Speaker of the People, a position chosen by vote among the peoples of Liminal's quintans. This position is held for five years, with new elections being held in the last three months of a Speaker's term. Those elected must not qualify for any of the other Seats in any way, preventing nobles, Guildsfolk, Keepers and religious officiants from qualifying. This is currently held by:

• Ardyn the Harper: An older, grizzle-bearded rake, Ardyn is an old wandering bard who settled down in Liminal a handful of years ago. He found that the very trait that had forced him to never set down roots - that is, his keen insights into the failings of leaders and his wicked eye for public opinion - got him elected to the Speaker's Seat. Charming and witty, with an eye for the ladies, Ardyn is nonetheless perhaps the finest Speaker of the People the Accord has seen in decades. Those who sat the Seat before him usually found themselves the pawns of one faction or another in the Accord, but thus far, no one seems to have managed to secure any kind of control over him. In fact, the reverse sometimes seems to be true. It is well-known that he and Morgauth of the Keepers are fast friends.

The Brazen Seats

Two Seats are given to the emissaries of Brazenvale. They are assigned as ambassadors and bureaucrats by the Burning Lords of Brazenvale. They are currently held by:

• Amorata Hagaz: A fiery genasi woman of unknown age, Amorata has the blood of ifriti in her lineage somewhere. She has a reputation as haughty, though she enjoys her pleasures well. Her first concern is for the good of Brazenvale, and is rumored to have a ring that will summon one of her ifriti family immediately should it be needful.
• Khilid: A human janissary of the Burning Lords, Khilid's presence on the Accord is extremely controversial. Despite his winning ways, tactical mind and handsome tattooed face, many of the Council object to the fact that he is technically a slave, considering it an insult from the Burning Lords that they would appoint a slave to be the equal of the revered Councilors. The Burning Lords themselves have never commented on it themselves, however.

The Sidhe Seats

Three Seats are given to Sidhe lords of Arilan Atrin. The exact process by which these Sidhe lords choose among themselves is unknown, but they are wholly in control of who sits those Seats. They are currently held by:

• Silmindo Tirnalle: A scion of House Valeguard, a Sidhe house who have long made the defense of the Arilan Vale their responsibility, Silmindo (whose name means "Silver-hearted") is a dashing eladrin nobleman with long flowing silver hair and eyes of deep-water blue. Silmindo has sat his Seat for more than fifty years, and is generally accorded the prestige of a senior statesman by everyone on the Accord, especially the others who sit Sidhe Seats. He is calm and well-spoken, and his words seem faintly tinged with a slight amusement.
• Aiwe Elenrusse: An enchantress of House Starblade, a Sidhe house who maintain a near-fanatical devotion to the archfey and eschew the gods as unwelcome interlopers in the Feywild, Aiwe (whose name means "Finch") is tall and ethereal, with eyes that flash of stars reflected off a mithral blade. Aiwe's temper is cold and sharp, always seeming to be the very cutting edge of logic and forethought, without a hint of passion. Despite her reputation, however, she is an extremely effective diplomat, providing a sharp, calculating voice for the Sidhe when Silmindo's calm wisdom is insufficient.
• Raakirisee Ringwealin: A young elf of House Frostmorn, a Sidhe house of elven lineage with close associations to the Winter Court of archfey, Raakirisee (whose name means "Skylion") is impetuous and sharp-spoken, proud in the way many of the Sidhe can be and unapologetic for it. He is also devilishly handsome, with deep black hair streaked with silver and silvery eyes the color of a rising sun on ice. He often draws attention to himself with his sneering contempt and harsh criticisms, for which Silmindo often reproves him.

The Raven Seats

Three Seats are given to the Councilors of Gauntpeak, emissaries from their Raven Queen mistress. They are currently held by:

• Vaucorda: Called the Lady of Crows, the human Vaudorda's painted face is a rare sight in the chambers of the Accord. She spends most of her time in Gauntpeak itself, content to allow the other two Councilors (who are clearly her subordinates) to speak on their behalf, save when it is needful. She is known to possess the power to turn into a murder of crows, and to summon the beasts to aid her.
• Defender Elomroh: A mighty shadar-kai warrior and master of the Raven Queen's armies, Elomroh is missing one eye and wears in its place an orb of obsidian. He is thinly muscled, but his every movement communicates how dangerous he is to those with eyes to see. Elomroh is sometimes mistaken for Vaucorda's bodyguard. Where she oversees the interests of the Raven Queen's government, Elomroh's first concern is the defense of Gauntpeak.
• Beldin Darrowkin: An older halfling, Beldin acts as the voice of the citizenry of Gauntpeak. A respected innkeep and civic speaker who lives in Blackstreets, Beldin tends to sit and simply listen to what goes on a great deal in the Accord. When he does speak up, he seems embarrassed to draw attention to himself at all. It is clear that Elomroh has little patience for the little halfling, but Vaucorda seems strangely fond of the little fellow.

The Grey Seats

Two Seats are given to ambassadors from Xanastyr. They are currently held by:

• Ilik: Of the two ambassadors from Xanastyr, Ilik is the most affable. He is given to exchanges of pleasantries and the subtle sweet politics so beloved by many nations. He is quick to explain (but never apologize for) the stances of his people and queen. He is also a powerful empath.
• Xorotanyra: A warlock in sacred service to the lich-queen Eternal Xana, Xorotanyra is the "bad cop" to Ilik's "good". She is harsh and critical, and does not hesitate to speak her mind. She is also more than a little feared for her power, though she would never actually use it unless her life were threatened. It is clear from the dynamic between the two of them that Xorotanyra is Ilik's superior.

The Gruenmar Seat

One Seat is held by the First, the commander of the Gruenmar Levy. It is held for as long as that individual holds the position of First of the Levy. It is currently held by:

• First Oltha: A combat-grizzled human warrior who bears the demon-fighting scars from flame and fang, Oltha rarely has much time for politics and the like. She is usually seen with her aide, a politically savvy young woman named Maritha, who rumor says is related to her in some way.