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Council of Magi

There are multiple organizations throghout the ages which have served to organize and lead supernatural society, but the most influential active today is San Gabriel's Council of Magi. Consisting of powerful representatives from four supernatural nations, the Order of Wizards, the Houses of Blood, the Elementals, and the Courts of Faerie, this council shapes global policy regarding the supernatural community and its interactions with the mundane world. These policies are backed by the collected power of the council member nations, particularly that of the wizards and vampires who between them control most of the developed world, but all member nations are expected to contribute to peacekeeping and enforcement responbilities. In return, their respective elites hold positions of priviledge and power in both mortal and supernatural society with a degree of security not seen in a thousand years.

 

Given the neutral status of San Gabriel, some smaller nations have been able to build connections to the council with the apparent goal of joining as member nations, most notably a confederation of mostly Anthropomorphs and Morloks, but the council has frustrated any meaningful steps to expand true membership. Many are frustrated by the consolidation of power in the hands of the council nations and their leading representatives in particular, but see little recourse outside ongoing attempts at reform.

 

This is compounded by the growing numbers of psychics and hybrids being documented, which most councilors view as an incursion of mortal humans into supernatural spaces. While they've yet to take direct action against such communities growing in major cities, there is a systemically reinforced stigma against such folk which make their lives increasingly difficult as their populations increase both literally and in visibility.

 

The council also maintains formal relations with both the angelic hosts and demonic hordes, which largely focus on their own conflict and consider the "earthly" concerns of the council as unworthy of their attention. Given the power these respective groups can bring to bear the council is happy to keep things that way. As part of this relationship, posessions are limited for both sides under the pretense that mortal notice would unbalance the conflict in unpredictable ways.

 

Perhaps the most vital role of the council though is quietly managing the relationship between the supernatural and mortal worlds. For the most part, this consists of keeping the scope of supernatural affairs separated from those of the various human governments and organizations, but there are exceptions. Business relationships, for example, are essential to maintain trade networks and the economic power of the member nations, leading to a number of human-controlled businesses with supernatural interests, whether they're entirely aware of it or not. Likewise both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches have long-standing relationships with the supernatural community going back centuries which is managed by the council.

 

The council also maintains records of supernatural occurences. This encompasses such simple things as demographic information and the interactions of various groups to the study of magical phenomena and large scale supernatural events. They map known access points to the places between wherein reside the courts of faerie and do their best to ensure mortals do not wander haphazardly between realms, a duty largely under the purview of the faeries themselves and with varying degrees of success and even less transparency.

 

Indeed, while it may seem to many that the council is simply a group of self-serving autocrats they also serve as a lynchpin maintaining the stability of the supernatural world and many fear what would happen should the only true superpower slip from its high seat. Ultimately this fear of the aftermath of a fallen council is their greatest strength on the global stage and has so far ensured their position remains despite the many who could benefit in a more balanced world.

History

The council was originally established on the 13th of April, 1622 as a peace accord between the wizardly Order of NAME and the native elementals of the great lakes region. This treaty was then expanded in multiple addendums throughout the next two centuries to include a number of faerie courts, the remaining wizardly orders present in the Americas, and the first arrivals from the houses of blood to come over from Europe. With the founding of San Gabriel, Michigan on the 29th of September, 1851 the council formally moved its operations to the newly established city with its powerful network of magical leylines, and on the 16th of February, 1878 the city had been formally declared a neutral territory.

 

With the decline of the larger European organizations between the 1910's and 40's the Council rose to its current station as de facto international governing body of the supernatural world. While smaller organizations remain throughout the world, none have the combined magical and military force necessary to openly defy the will of the council. Council leadership of course defines their position a benevolent guardians of all members of the supernatural community, but the authority of their station does little to comfort those in the global south and underrepresented communities.

Territories

The council exercises direct control over the supernatural communities of North and Central America and Greenland. Beyond this, its member nations hold established power bases in all areas of Europe and northern Asia, as well as vassal states across the remaining nations of the world. The wizardly orders hold power over western and northern Europe and south into the African coast, while the houses of blood control the majority of eastern Europe, Russia, and India. Much of eastern Asia remains independent, insluated from the west by the Chinese who maintain an amicable relationship with the council, but the council still moves about the region uncontested when it chooses to. The global south otherwise exists under indirect imperial control orchestrated by the council and to the benefit of the member nations.

Military

While the council has no formal military, each nation provides forces in times of conflict which bring to bear their respective supernatural and economic strengths. This typically takes the form of order battlemages and diviners, various paramilitary organizations under the employ of the houses of blood, the standing armies of the various faerie courts, and individual, powerful elementals who bring strength akin to an army each. Of course there's been no call for such forces to be martialled en masse since the end of World War 2, but the capacity exists nonetheless, serving as both deterrent and threat to the larger supernatural world.

Founding Date
13 April, 1622
Type
Political, International
Capital
Alternative Names
The Council, The Authorities
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Transnational government
Economic System
Mixed economy


Cover image: by Pexels

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