The Lotus Council

The Lotus Council is a major faction operating within the continent of Ahlus.

## Description

Despite holding one of the smallest territories of all the major regions of Ahlus, the Lotus Council controls the most heavily populated of all of the newly founded settlements of the continent, Whittengrove. Bounded by the Aethelwald to the west, the Hollow Concord to the north and Atralran to the east, the Lotus Basin from which the Council derives their name is a major trade hub on the southern coast that attracts all manner of individuals passing through and seeking to reside within its borders.

The Lotus Council was the first of the regimes set up by the new colonists of the continent, as guided by the wizard Nelenet, and so the basis upon which many subsequent governments were based. Originally linked to the settlements of Viridell, Howell Town and Rydoon by means of the Waymarks, the Lotus Council's influence has not waned with their faltering, and so remains a major player on the continental stage to this day.

## Goals

The primary purpose of the Lotus Council is to maintain and support its burgeoning population in all their aspirations and endeavours by ensuring their continued safety and sanctity through securing of political borders, provisioning production and trade of day-to-day goods and enacting just and fair rulership for all. To this purpose, the Justiciar, Proviciar, Archiciar, Magniciar and Devoiciar lead sprawling bureaucratic hierarchies to ensure all facets of life are accounted for during Council meetings.

## Tenets of the Lotus Council

* Diversity is not a concept that divides, instead it is a celebration of the variations that bring excitement to each and every day.
* From the smallest of seeds, the mightiest of trees may grow given enough time, focus and attention.
* A moment spent enjoying the finer details is never a moment wasted.

## Relationships

Whittengrove's commanding position on the southern coast of the continent at the mouth of the Lotus Run river means that it serves as a nexus for trade for businesses operating across the continent. Likewise, there are those within the settlement of Viridell and Howell Town that see Whittengrove as their progenitor state, with many possessing familial ties to the settlement. Whittengrove remains a strong ally of Atralran, its primary neighbour, as well as maintaining steady links to the Velenthir Estate in the territory of the Aethelwald.

There are growing rumours that the Archons of the Hollow Concord to the north see the unwavering growth and popularity of Whittengrove as a direct threat to their own economic might, though thus far there has been little more than occasional tensions at diplomatic meetings.

## Characters

Perhaps more so than any other settlement in Ahlus, the residents of Whittengrove are defined by their diversity. While humans make up much of the population, most every race can be found within its walls, including a sizeable number of more exotic races originating from the parties of adventurers that established the settlement over one hundred years ago.

Whether grizzled fisherfolk, devious inventors, guild artisans or anything in between, all manner of individuals call the lands of the Lotus Council home.

 2
 3
 4
 5
 6