Council of Ten
The Council consists of ten members who are elected annually from among those eligible members of the Founding Families. Members are rotating through the families to ensure no one family can dominate the council. They are technically magistrates, and also run the courts.
The Ten have wide ranging authority in the city government, including security, diplomacy, and even industry.
The Three is a tribunal of three judges drawn from the Ten who have investigative powers to respond to threats to state security and can issue irrevocable verdicts, which can only be overturned by the full council of Ten. These verdicts are not even reviewable by the duke.
Structure
The Council is led by three Captains, each carrying out a particular portfolio which must be authorized by the total council, who regularly oversees their activities.
Culture
The relatively short annual term of Council Members, along with the rotation of eligibility through the Founding Families prevents consolidation of power to a great extent. There are no rules preventing previous members from serving, but it is considered rude to attempt to stand for a seat more than three times in a decade. Magistrates tend to be very single minded during their tenures, spending much of their time engaged in city business, as opposed to the College of Electors, who advise the Duke and conduct some city business and who typically spend no more than a few hours a week on official business, and then only during the winter interequinoctial period.
Public Agenda
The Council has near-absolute power to act swiftly and secretly in its areas of authority. It's portfolio is the security of the city, and by extension the Founding Families who rule it.
Concerned citizens who wish to communicate security concerns to the Council of Ten can useAssets
For all intents and purposes the Ten control a large percentage of the budget of the city government. A budget that is provided by tariffs and taxes on the commerce that travels through the city or is transported on Torestan hulls. Much of this budget is used to support the Depot, which is under the control of the Ten. Docking fees and repair fees help support this facility. Other parts of the budget support the multiple police forces controlled by the Ten, as well as extenal staffs.
The civil police force (the City Watch) reports to one of the Ten Captains.
There is also a security police force, which do not wear uniforms, and are more concerned with security, espionage and treason than petty crime.
The Ten also appoint Junior Magistrates, to adjudicate minor crimes below the level of state security matters.
History
The Council of Ten was originally formed to deal with matters of internal security in response to threats to the power of the Founding Families. Over the centuries its power has grown to encompass state security, foreign policy, espionage and military operations.
Military
Foreign Relations
