Council of Arches

The **Council of Arches** is a national agency and international organization with the objective of protecting and uplifting Aerb. Originally just Fenn's informal name for Juniper Smith's Party as a democratic group, it eventually developed into its current form when they helped found the Republic of Miunun, being enshrined into its constitution as an advisory body. Juniper describes it as an equivalent to Uther's knights.

## Powers and Responsibilities

Though the roles are cosmetic and with no real responsibilities to speak of, each sitting member can vote on whatever affairs are up for consideration, with the ability to carry on executive decisions for the Republic of Miunun, though they often just decide on their next step as Juniper's party.

The Council needs four members to make a quorum and call a vote, with seven seats being its full capacity. The positions are for life, and seats cannot be refilled once emptied. It was designed to be a vestigial institution that would fade away with time as its members died or left.

The Council has prepaid legal services on eighteen major cities, allowed to do work for any of its members.

## Sitting Members

The members of the Council roughly match the members of the Party, with the exception of Oorang Solace and Raven Masters.

* Advisor on Culture: Juniper Smith
* Advisor on Industry: Amaryllis Penndraig
* Advisor on Defense: Grakhuil Leadbraids
* Advisor on Home Affairs: Bethel
* Valencia the Red
* Empty seat
* ~~Empty seat~~ *(formerly Fenn Greenglass)*

## History

While inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, upon realising that the Party didn't have a name as an organisation, Fenn came up with the "Council of Arches" name - based on the Tabletop Roleplaying game they all played together, Arches. At the time of its founding, it contained Amaryllis, Fenn, Grak and Juniper.A Portrait of the King as a Young Man

Amaryllis called the first meeting of the Council to discuss what to do with Uniquities and vote on the possibility of negotiations going forward, as well as the creation of the Republic of Miunun. By then, Bethel and Valencia had joined the council.Contract

The Council of Arches was eventually enshrined into the constitution of the Republic of Miunun as an advisory body.The One-Hand Warder

The Council met with Heshnel's group to discuss Utherian affairs after their first encounter.The Meeting of Minds

Fenn's seat was left permanently empty following her death.Breaking Loose

The Council interrogated Raven as a group after Bethel effectively captured her.Medieval Stasis

In the Doomed Timeline, Pallida Sade joined the Council and filled the last empty seat, though she eventually left it many years later. A Cypress Waits

As part of a collaboration between Uniquities and the Council, Juniper was allowed to enroll at the Athenaeum of Sound and Silence under false pretenses. Monty Haul

## References

1. ↑ “Then you understand the importance of keeping the empire as a cohesive whole,” said Alcida with a nod. “I read your letter, as you might have guessed I would. I was impressed by your intellect and vigor, more so when I learned that you were a girl of sixteen. And you were right, of course, about how Uniquities looks from the outside, how it’s meant to look.”

Amaryllis gave a faint, vulpine smile. “It does make a bit more sense now. You’re not an incompetent, or an embezzler, just running rogue. And now you’re coming to me to make a deal.”

“Not just with you,” said Alcida. “With the entire Council of Arches.”

Amaryllis stared at her, then raised an eyebrow in my direction. I shrugged.

“You very much appear to be in the same business as we are,” said Alcida.
—*Worth the Candle* Chapter 103: "Contract"
2. ↑ “The universe shaped itself around Uther Penndraig. It’s doing the same for me.” I gestured around me. “This is the Council of Arches, which I guess would be the equivalent to Uther’s Knights. I have the same Knack that Uther did. If it looks like something is going wrong with the world, it’s probably because we’re expected to fix it.”
—*Worth the Candle* Chapter 123: "Medieval Stasis"
3. ↑ Was I technically a high school dropout? Probably, right? I certainly had no credentials worth speaking of, aside from being the Advisor on Culture in the Council of Arches, which was a made up position with no actual responsibilities to speak of.
—*Worth the Candle* Chapter 124: "Fight Club"
4. ↑ “I anticipate that someone will say that we need to get to a hospital, and in the moment, it will seem like a good idea to everyone but me,” said Amaryllis.

“This is why we have the Council of Arches,” said Fenn. “Do you agree to abide by the Council’s recommendations?”
—*Worth the Candle* Chapter 100: "Immanentizing the Eschaton"
5. ↑  The Council of Arches was enshrined in the constitution of the Republic of Miunun, a seven-seat “advisory” body with broad powers. It was me, Amaryllis, Fenn, Grak, Valencia, and Bethel, with the seventh seat currently unfilled. The position was for life, and none of the seats could be refilled once emptied. It meant that as time went on, the power of the Council would gradually fade, until eventually it was no longer able to make decisions due to not being able to reach a quorum, at which point it would effectively cease to exist for the purposes of governance. The Council of Arches wasn’t a dynasty, it was designed to become a vestigial organ.
—*Worth the Candle* Chapter 106: "The One-Hand Warder"
6. ↑ “We already have one,” said Amaryllis. “We have a lawyer on retainer in the top ten cities on Aerb by population, as well as all the cities with an Athenaeum in them. I set it all up by mail shortly after Solace was born.”

“What does retainer mean, exactly?” I asked. “We have lawyers in twenty-three cities?” I stopped to think about geography for a moment. “Er, lower. Eighteen?”

“We’ve prepaid for legal services,” replied Amaryllis. “And yes, eighteen cities.”

“That’s not horrifically expensive?” I asked.

“In the scheme of things, no,” replied Amaryllis. “The retainers aren’t large, and the lawyers aren’t world class, but we need to be able to not shoot ourselves in the foot if we need to navigate the courts, especially given how different some of the legal traditions are from each other. In Li’o, our lawyers are Comb and Bācaṇige. Commit the name to memory, in case we get separated. They’re authorized to do work for the entire Council of Arches.” She glanced at Pallida. “You would likely need to find your own representation.”
—*Worth the Candle* Chapter 142: "Sound and Silence"