The Southern Consilium

The Councilors of the South

Like all the Consilii of Britannia, the Consilium of the South upholds the common Precepts of Secrecy, Recognition, Protectorate, Hubris and War within and in addition to the region's Lex Magicus. Unlike the others, the Southern Consilium has always maintained a tradition of five Councilors, each representing their Path, and a Hierarch presiding over Consilium judgments and decisions.

Until the Cataclysm, the Consilium of the South was the strongest and most stable Consilium outside of the magical stronghold of Anglesey, with a deep sense of history and tradition. The Awakened of the South have always been staunch defenders of their land, and in many conflicts, both magical and of concern to the Sleeping world, mages of the South have made up much of Britannia's Awakened defenses.

The Cataclysm changed much, though, and now the Consilium of the South is held in some doubt and fear by those within its territory, many of whom are concerned by the Hierarch's increasing stranglehold on the region.

The Lex Magicus of the South has always been regarded as the most severe in Britannia, and perhaps this harshness is due to the Consilium's roots in the highly legalized Roman age. Justice has always been important to the Awakened of the South, and there is a tradition within the region of strict and uncompromising Hierarchs.

The current Hierarch, Laddon of the Guardians of the Veil, is no exception to this rule; but rumor has it that more liberal factions are attempting to seize control from within, led by Mastigos Councilor Yossarian, of the Free Council.

Over the last few months (November 2005-February 2006), the Consilium of the South has been oddly absent from public view, with Yossarian seeming to be the only emissary retaining regular communication with the region's Awakened and seen outside of the Council's ancient demesne in Colchester.

Some say that a great secret is being concealed from the mages of the South by the Consilium; and others, perhaps hopefully, rumor that the Hierarch is dead...

The Councilors of the South are well-known across the region, and even across Britannia.

Laddon is rumored to have strong connections with the Sleeper police, as well as being a powerful enforcer within his Order. He is said to have once served as an Interfector for the Guardians, and many hold him in some degree of fear.

Laddon took the role of Hierarch of the South in mid-1999, not long before the Cataclysm, and over the years there has been some rumor in the South that he knew that disaster was looming, seizing the opportunity to rule what would soon become an unstable Consilium.

He is a man of great personal charisma, and a fearless and stern educator to the Awakened of the South. He is known to have a short temper and a lack of tolerance for innovation, but his strong sense of duty - and the weight of his Order in maintaining the Accord of 2001 - keep him secure as Hierarch, at least for now.

Yossarian of the Free Council is also an older man, who appears to be somewhere in his late fifties. He is a popular Councilor with Awakened of all ages and Paths, an easy going and friendly man who is very much a product of 1960s culture and attitudes.

Yossarian has been a member of the Free Council since his Awakening over three decades ago, and he is a well-liked mage, known to be open-minded and sympathetic in his dealings with the Awakened of the South.

He has a genuine interest in the Awakened of the region, although he can perhaps seem a little paternalistic at times, many younger mages find this attitude reassuring. He is a deeply charismatic man with a warmth and openness that makes him an easy and accessible point of contact for the Consilium of the South.

Even Yossarian's enemies, within the Consilium and beyond, find it impossible not to respect him.

Rex Sanguine, the King in Red, is known to be a fiercely intelligent and talented mage; a young academic with a great interest in Sleeper religions and cults who came to power after most of his peers were lost to the Cataclysm.

He is rumored to have links within many Sleeper groups, and to be a skilled politician and manipulator. There are some who rumor that he is a part of the Daksha legacy, and certainly, the sense of superiority he radiates seems to back this up. Many more rumor that the King in Red seeks to seize the seat of Hierarch for the South, and almost none seem to think that this would be a good thing.

Midir of the Moros was the last of the Southern Consilium to be appointed after the Cataclysm, replacing her lost mentor, Nightshade, and she is also the youngest Councilor in the South. She is reclusive, and when she does venture to gathering her manner is cold and distant. Midir is said to have suffered terribly in her Awakening, and perhaps more than many even of her Path, she seems marked by Stygia, by death.

Midir is known to have a strong interest in the past, and she is known to travel widely seeking the ancient artifacts and magics rumored to have been lost with Romanization. She is wise, though, and willing to teach young and newly Awakened mages brave enough to take her tutelage, and her knowledge of places and lines of power has often been of use to the Awakened of the South.

She is known to dislike Laddon and his style of leadership, and to resent Laddon's failure to restrict the Silver Ladder - and the King in Red - from seizing locations and assets gained found by mages of her Order, in the chaotic wake of the Cataclysm.

Perviglios, the Watcher, is known for having been one of the youngest mages ever to Awaken within Britannia. Only eight years old when he was called to the Watchtower of the Golden Key, he is now a man of twenty-five with a powerful sense of right and wrong and a warrior's ethics and heart.

Many within the South believe Perviglios to be one of the region's most powerful weapons against the enemies of Awakened society, and his magical talent is rumored to be unmatched by any of his age.

Perviglios does not much enjoy his role as Councilor, forced upon him after the Cataclysm, and there are some within his Order who doubt that he has the political skills necessary for the role. He does not engage in the internal politicking of the Consilium when he can avoid it, as his true commitment is to the protection of the South. He is said to be close to Midir, and he provides a likable and passionate balance to her coldness.

Thyme, of the Thyrsus, is often considered an unusual representative of her Order; though she is certainly a just and fair representative of her Path. Thyme appears to be in her late sixties, a stately-looking older woman with a sharp tongue and a kind heart.

Thyme is known to hail from Glastonbury, and there are rumors of her being one of the guardians of that place of power - certainly, she has been a mentor to many young mages of her Path who have visited the Tor and the villages surrounding it, and she seems far better known amongst the mages of the Primal Wild than amongst her own Order.

Thyme's relationship with the King in Red is said to be rocky, and she has often spoken out publicly against the younger mage. She has long been a member of the Southern Consilium, since the early 1990s, and is seen by many Awakened of the South as a voice of reason in a tempestuous group.

There are also other well-known mages connected to the Consilium of the South. Provosts are key to ensuring that the will of the Consilium is actioned, and perhaps the most famous Provost to the Southern Consilium in recent years has been Dr Sir Martin Blackhall (Status: Free Council 4, Fame 2), known to the Sleeping world as a renowned astrophysicist. Dr Blackhall, also known to the Awakened as Kepler of the Free Council, served as Provost to Obrimos Councilor Firefly from 1985 until Firefly's death in the Cataclysm. Dr Blackhall himself is said to have somehow survived the Cataclysm, but to have suffered mysterious damage to his magical powers.

A trusted Obrimos, Dr Blackhall continued as Provost in the service of Perviglios after the Cataclysm and through the troubles that led to the Accord of 2001, only leaving the post in the autumn of 2005 with his emigration to Canada.

The very elderly mage known as Christian (Status: Silver Ladder 2, Consilium 4), hailing from Reading, has been Provost to the King in Red for the last few years, and seems now well established in his role serving the young Acanthus.

In recent months (December 2005), Talks-With-City of the Free Council (Status: Consilium 4, Free Council 1) has been appointed as Provost by Councilor Yossarian, although the other Provost posts remain in question.

The Lex Magicus of the South (c. 2001 AD)

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