The Council of Nine

Dassen has trouble remaining unified. Originally an alliance of eight kings, for three centuries the nation was bound by the rule of the Book of Eight Lands. A lesser artifact that traced the lineage of each of the nobles in charge of the different lands, and kept clear who was the rightful ruler of the overall nation, by bloodlines. The book, heavily guarded by whoever was the current king, also provided magical protection to those nobles, to ensure that each ruler was free of compulsions and ensorcellment.

Five decades ago, the king was slain by the next in line, which set off a civil war that purged many bloodlines, as the nobles used the book as a sort of to-do list of who to kill to gain power. Twice Dassen stabilized, but twice more it fell again into civil war again. While it was a chaotic time, it kept the Ragesians from conquering the land, since keeping control of it would not have been worth the effort. Fifteen years ago a new king, Steppengard, came to power. He had no siblings, and had formed alliances to keep the nation stable, but to further ensure that there would be no more wars he established the Council of Nine.

All major matters of policy must be voted on by the council (often by proxy), which gathers at Steppengard’s castle in Bresk. Each Lord and Lady has one vote and the King’s vote counts as three. Cooperation is ensured by an agreement that the rest of the Lords will combine forces to march on a Lord who breaks faith with the Council