Elder Council

The **Elder Council**, or **Council of Elders**, is the collective council and authority known as the Head of State of the Free Lands of the Selkie. Their seat is Elder Castle in Fortham.

While not composed of the Eldest of each Tribe anymore, the Elder Council's average age tends to be high.

## History

### Pre-History

The History of the Elder Council is long, and the further back one goes, it gets more and more complicated and muddled between myth, legend, actual history and conclusions based on what is known.

What is known, is, that each Tribe during the times of the Tribal Kingdoms (between ca. 2,500 and 509 BCE) had a council of wise elders giving advice to the Kings. It is remarked on List of Kings of Riverwood, that the three different kings had wives, which were related to "Wise Elder[s] and Councilm[e]n", so this institution existed well before 2,231 BCE.

There are also several myths and accounts of these Tribal Kingdoms sending one or more of the Elders and Councilmen with their King to other Tribes for various purposes. The first mention of a Council of Elders spanning several Tribes can also be found on the List of Kings of Riverwood, when it is remarked, that several of the Kings met to discuss matters in the neighbourhood and took a councilman with them, who sat together as a council to the whole assembly. Unfortunately, this section is damaged and no date could be recovered, so Selkie-Historiography usually says, that the first Elder Council was established in the Middle of the 3rd Millenium BCE.

It is known, that during the Selkie Bronze Age (ca. 2,000 BCE and 800 BCE), when the Tribal Kingdoms formed into the Tribes of the Selkie, several cities, towns and villages named one or more of their eldest and wisest to represent them in front of the local king as their envoy. It is also described, that these village elders advised the local king and his government on occasions pertaining their particular areas.

When in 509 BCE the High Kingdom was founded by High King Nuada the Founder, he specifically requested each of the Tribes to send him one of their eldest and wisest to advise him - the Elder Council was formally established in 503 BCE.

## Current Members

* Galway: Liliane Crionna.
* Sligo: Ciaran Céilli.
* Laois: Niall Sean.
* Louth: Lynn Aosta.
* Cork: Fiona Cailin.
* Tipperary: Lyra Ceol.
* Waterford: Cecilia Uisce.
* Fingal: Eithne Deas.
* Antrim: Sullivan Tarra.
* Cavan: Finnegan Mór.
* Fermanagh: Ronan Socair.
* Kildare: Fianna Leath.
* Wicklow: Laigh Feirmeoir.
* Monaghan: Raidri Saighdiúir.
* Westmeath: Cormac Crua.

### Cúramóiri

The Cúramóiri, freely translated caretakers, are the caretakers and secretaries of the Elders, one per Elder. Usually, they are close female relatives, Granddaughters or Nieces, but male Cúramóiri are not unheard of. In the absence of an older relative of the Elder, they can act as Mistresses or Masters of the House, like Quinn Tarra did during the 2020 State Visit of President Flemming of Lillorainen to the Free Lands at Cnockan House.

These days, Cúramóiri also serve as sort-of bodyguards, trained in defending and protecting the Elders as last line of defence after the Council Guard Regiment.

Two of the most well-known Cúramóiri are Asteria Socair of the Tribe of Fermanagh and Quinn Tarra of the Tribe of Antrim.

## Responsibilities

Responsibilities of this council are the moral and general guidance of the Selkie as well as the Free Lands and representation to foreign visitors. They also decide on matters partaining foreign politics. In case one of the Elders dies, the affairs of the Council rest until a new one was elected.