Before the Council, there was the failing monarchy. The king was a tyrant. He taxed the peasants more than they could pay, and if they could not pay, they could be publicly whipped, enlisted in the army, or forced to work on public monuments to the king.
All the while, invasions by nomads threatened the kingdom. The king tried to get more people in his army, many of whom were mercenaries.
He tried having the magic-users of his kingdom help, and they helped, but there were magic users among the nomads as well, and it proved to be too much for them.
The conditions within the kingdom were bad enough that many people were happy to let the invaders take over.
The Origin of the Council:
The Council began as a group of ten people. They came from different walks of life. Some, like Devon Cem and his wife, were travelling mages, long having seen the suffering of the people and having endured harsh punishments themselves. Some were warlords and kings among the nomadic invaders. The rest were people of the kingdom, sick of the abuse they suffered.
Together, these people nearly had succeeded in overthrowing the monarchy when one of their number betrayed them. The remaining Nine survived and killed the dissenter, the first hint of the bloodlust that future incarnations of the Council would eventually be known for.
After a few more years of work, they overthrew the king and slaughtered all the nobles and royals they and their army could find. Some escaped, but not many.
The Council, now ruling the kingdom that would become The City, had a Wall taller than what anyone could see built around a cluster of villages (excluding the castle). However, once the Wall was built around the City, magic was lost because the City was cut off from the source of the magic.
Before the Council, there was the failing monarchy. The king was a tyrant. He taxed the peasants more than they could pay, and if they could not pay, they could be publicly whipped, enlisted in the army, or forced to work on public monuments to the king.
All the while, invasions by nomads threatened the kingdom. The king tried to get more people in his army, many of whom were mercenaries.
He tried having the magic-users of his kingdom help, and they helped, but there were magic users among the nomads as well, and it proved to be too much for them.
The conditions within the kingdom were bad enough that many people were happy to let the invaders take over.
The Origin of the Council:
The Council began as a group of ten people. They came from different walks of life. Some, like Devon Cem and his wife, were travelling mages, long having seen the suffering of the people and having endured harsh punishments themselves. Some were warlords and kings among the nomadic invaders. The rest were people of the kingdom, sick of the abuse they suffered.
Together, these people nearly had succeeded in overthrowing the monarchy when one of their number betrayed them. The remaining Nine survived and killed the dissenter, the first hint of the bloodlust that future incarnations of the Council would eventually be known for.
After a few more years of work, they overthrew the king and slaughtered all the nobles and royals they and their army could find. Some escaped, but not many.
The Council, now ruling the kingdom that would become The City, had a Wall taller than what anyone could see built around a cluster of villages (excluding the castle). However, once the Wall was built around the City, magic was lost because the City was cut off from the source of the magic.