The Council in Game Play (CWS)

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In most cases, the Council of Wyrms serves as a tool for Dungeon Masters. It can be used to initiate adventures, reprimand recalcitrant dragon characters, provide motivations and clues, give training and advice, and to pass along magical items needed to complete some quest of vital importance. The Council is an ever-present background element. Everyone in the isles knows of the Council and offers it at least a modicum of respect. 
The Grand Custodian and her attendants have their own agenda for the Council and the isles of Io's Blood. The custodians, through the agency of the Council, seek to unite all of dragonkind, duplicating the internal harmony of the Ninefold Dragon himself. Often, the members of the Council, whether they be wyrms or dominates, are not aware of the machinations going on behind the scenes. For game purposes, what this means is that the Council provides DMs with adventure hooks, goals to achieve, allies for their player character dragons to turn to, a ready-made set of villains to oppose, and situations to deal with. 
The Council and the custodians watch everything that occurs on the isles. Don't overuse the Council and its agents, but feel free to send an ancient dragon to direct confused PCs or control unruly ones. The times of greatest contact between the Council and player characters is early in their careers and later, when they have achieved the age and prestige necessary to take a voting position in the Council Aerie. 
From the moment new dragon PCs are created to the time they reach juvenile age, they fall under the jurisdiction of the Council custodians. During this period, most of the adventures they participate in are connected with the Council in some manner. Once a dragon PC reaches juvenile age, it usually goes off to further its personal goals or those of its clan or clutch-mates. The Council still comes into play, but far less frequently than during the earlier ages. If a PC reaches wyrm level, then the focus of the campaign should change to accommodate the greater age, power, and responsibility inherent in the achievement. Now the dragon PC can take its rightful place on the Council of Wyrms, voting on the issues that shape dragon society and participating in the full decision-making process. 
==The Council and PCs==
The Council of Wyrms casts a long shadow that falls over every action dragon player characters take or contemplate as they strive to advance in age and power. If the PCs falter, an agent of the Council may appear to encourage, chastise, or inspire them. If the PCs become too bold, too greedy in their pursuit of wealth and prestige, or too careless of the consequences of their actions, the Council quickly takes action, keeping them from straying too far from their current station. 
This is not to say that PCs cannot strive to become the best in the isles, just that they cannot do so at the expense of the Council and what it stands for. To the PCs, the Council of Wyrms should be both a measuring stick and a balancing rod. The Council shows them how far to reach while reminding them not to stray from the teachings of Great Io and his avatar. 
When a dragon PC is first created, it starts as a hatchling of moderate strength and power. It emerges from its shell in the aerie hatchery, hungry to learn all it can from the Council custodians. In turn, the custodians are eager to pass along their knowledge to these newborn dragons. The Council custodians can provide most of the training that dragons require in their first 25 years of life. Of course, every bit of training comes with its own lessons and tests-nothing is easy or handed over freely by the custodians. 
From hatchling to very young to young to juvenile, each dragon must work to gain the knowledge and experience the custodians offer. Every game they teach, every discussion they initiate, every mission they assign-every interaction between young dragons and the custodians has hidden levels of meaning and multiple layers of teachings, all designed to promote the concepts of dragon harmony. 
Young dragon PCs learn about their clans and dragon types, as well as about the other dragons of the Io's Blood isles. They learn of dragon histories and legends, the cultures of the various domains, and the lofty purpose and ideals of the Council of Wyrms. The custodians teach the combat and non-combat proficiencies all dragons need to master, as well as how to activate innate powers and how to use the natural tools Great Io has bestowed upon their particular dragon type. 
From the moment they emerge from the shell, dragon PCs receive instruction about how to advance in power. They learn about the intimate connection of age, experience, and treasure that all dragons must carefully weave together to grow and change. Most lessons have an attached charge, some task that the Council or the custodians need accomplished. Some of these tasks are of minor significance. Others are of extreme importance. The dragon PCs never know the severity of a given task, for the custodians approach each one as though it was a quest of dire proportions. 
All hatchlings are introduced to kindred demihumans selected by their clan lord shortly after their eggs were laid. The kindred are sent to All Clans Isle along with the dragon eggs, where they undergo training to prepare for the bonding that will come when their hatchling master reaches 1st level. From that point, kindred and dragon receive separate instruction on matters pertaining to their social status and dragon type. They also spend much time together, learning to meld telepathically through the kindredbond and to work in harmony with one another. 
During these early years of life, dragons who have been placed in the care of the Council custodian have very little contact with their clans. They are permitted a brief visit near the end of their very young age period, but that is all. As part of the visit, a very young dragon meets its clan, its parents, its siblings, and its clan lord. It gets to explore its home domain and find out what life is like within its borders. Then the dragon returns to All Clans Isle to complete its time with the custodians. 
When dragon PCs achieve juvenile age, their service to the Council of Wyrms comes to an end. Some may select to stay on at the Aerie, hoping to gain a permanent position among the custodians. Others pref er to join their clans and take their places in domain hierarchies. From this point until the dragon PC reaches the age category of wyrm, the Council and its custodians will fall into the background of everyday life. The concerns of carving a base of power in dragon society become paramount, and the lofty ideals of the Council recede before the immediate concerns of building a hoard and gaining personal power. 
That is not to say that the Council disappears completely from a given campaign. There will be times when the PCs will want to attend Council meetings that concern them or their domains, or when they will want to bring a problem to the Council to find a solution. There will also be times when the Council comes to them. The ties of earlier years remain strong, and the Council or its custodians will seek favors from their former charges. This will be especially true in times of crises, when more powerful agents than young dragons are needed to save the day. 
Eventually, if a campaign progresses for any length of time, some PCs will achieve the grand age category of wyrm. Now the Council takes on a new meaning. Instead of working for the Council, the PCs can lead and direct the august body to new heights of power and authority. They will become the movers and shakers of dragon society, the ancient dragons that decide the future course of the island chain. Adventures may become more political in nature, and the consequences of player character actions become more far-reaching. These characters become rulers of domains, receiving great power and responsibility-as well as dangerous enemies seeking to depose them. This can be not only a rewarding time for a Council of Wyrms campaign but a challenging and difficult one as well. It is up to players and DMs alike to make a high-level campaign (in an already high-level setting!) work smoothly and to best advantage.