Adjudicator

At any one time there are always, excepting only unavoidable short gaps between appointments, eight and only eight Adjudicators on the Council of Eight and this strictly defined number gives the council its name, despite the fact that the full council is much larger.   The rules by which Adjudicators are appointed are complex and deeply connected historically to the more open predecessor to the Council of Eight which operated under the late Emperors and Empresses of the Old Pale Empire, but modified by the exigencies and necessary compromises which applied at the time of the formation of the new style Council.   In brief there are two types of Adjudicator. Four are hereditary Adjudicators, initially assigned to aristocrats for life and passed down through legally witnessed wills in perpetuity. Owing to the random chances of history, these hereditary roles sometimes pass out of the control of the original families, if for example there are no legal heirs, no recognised will or a will that actively transfers the power elsewhere.   The other four Adjudicators are roles with a limited term of ten years and are known as people's Adjudicators. The way that these are appointed differs. One is elected in a genuine plebiscite but by a limited section of the population (the owners of property above a certain value). The others are representatives of specific industries and trades, chosen according to the preferred style of the group they represent. The council as a whole can vote to change the rules for the selection of the people's Adjudicators and they are changed from time to time.   Critics of the system often observe that the Council of Eight spends more time and energy on the constant tinkering with the rules for the appointment of Adjudicators than it does on deciding matters of importance affecting the city as a whole.

The Adjudicators are the only members of the Council of Eight permitted to cast a vote. In effect they act as the leaders of other political parties, lobbies and family groups, representing their interests in the politics of Zalgurim.   Although, by tradition, Adjudicators are sometimes addressed as "Judge" this refers to the passing of judgements in the form of votes at the Council of Eight. They are in no way connected with the law courts of the city which function entirely independently.

The Adjudicators each have an amethyst broach which is the symbol of their office and is shown in the image at the head of the article.