King's Council

## Information

### Founded

Founded in 181 CE by King Theon TalmarRefounded in 208 CE by King Thomas II Talmar

### Clergy

Lord Councilors

The **King's Council** is a body which advises the King of the Seven Kingdoms and institutes policy at his command. It is the inner council of the king, essentially forming the "government cabinet" of the Seven Kingdoms. Members are appointed to their position by the King; theoretically they can be dismissed at will by the king but in practice this can lead to undesirable political fallout. Based on the policies of the former royal advisory body, the Royal Council, some policies were changed however, such as the King can in practice dismiss anyone and appoint anyone at will despite objections of the council.

The King serves as the Head of the Council and takes note of its recommendations, but only the king can make the council's decisions into law. The Lord Regent is the leading advisor on the council and serves as the king's proxy when he is not present, in which case the Lord Regent chairs the meeting. If the king is a minor, then by default the appointed Crown Regent will act in place of the king on the council.

The King's Council meets at the Royal Chambers in the the Capital of the Seven Kingdoms in Castle Belgium.

## Composition

Members of the **King's Council** are appointed and dismissed by the king. In theory as the king wills, in practice, the appointments or dismissals may play undesired political consequences which the king must consider, but this all changed when the King's Council was appointed by King Theon Talmar in 181 CE following the Dismissal of the Royal Council.

The King's Council consists of eight non-hereditary positions. Long vacancies sometimes also occurred for one or more than one of these positions, i.e. during time of war, though this is considered undesirable.

* Lord Protector: the seat of the head of the state, which is the position of the king.
* Lord Regent: chairs the King's Council, serves as the King's proxy during his absences. The title was invented by King Theon Talmar in 181 CE following the dismissal of the Royal Council and the invention of the King's Council, suggested as a rather fancy title of the council.
* Lord of Coins: the realm's chief treasurer and bookkeeper.
* Lord of Spies: the realm's chief intelligence advisor and spymaster, supervising covert activities and information gathering, both at home and abroad. The title was invented by King Regent Reginald Westernling for the Royal Council following the King's Two Failed Assassination Attempts in 169 and 170 CE respectively.
* Lord of Laws: the realm's chief legal advisor, who also manages the Castle Belgium's dungeons, and supervises law enforcement.
* Lord of Ships: the realm's chief sea captain, supervising the Royal Fleet and coordinating the realm's maritime defenses.
* Lord Commander of the Crownsguard: the realm's chief military advisor, particularly in regards to land-based warfare. While the king personally appoints knights to the Crownsguard at his whim, once chosen they are lifetime appointments, which cannot legally be removed. In theory, however, a king may demote the Lord Commander back to being a regular member, and elevate one of the other six Crownsguard to Lord Commander.
* Lord Commander of the Capital's City Guard: the title was invented by King Oliver Talmar following the invention of the King's Council. The Lord Commander serves as the City Guard Commander of the Capital and attends the royal council meetings to report on conditions in the capital city. Ser Jason Casewell is given an official seat on the council as one of his rewards for the role he played in the betrayal and arrest of Lord Archer, a Loyalist to the Crown and the late king's brother by law.
* Mistress of Spies: The title was invented by King Theon as he mistrusted the Lord of Spies Lord Piero of Oldstones, a fancy title of the council. However, the seat was removed following the Succession of the Throne in 188 CE.
* Crown Advisor: The title was invented by King Thomas in 209 CE, after his Succession to the Throne in 206 CE. The Crown Advisor acted as the King's secret advisor in governing the council firmly.

If the regent of an underage King does not already possess one of these positions, then they are included in the King's Council as the King's proxy.

During the Reign of King Justin, the City Guard Captain of the Capital, Ser Jason Casewell was given an official seat on the council, who also acted as the Castellan of the Royal Garrison in the Capital.

The council may on occasion extend invitations to other lords to occupy a seat on the council, despite there being no actual "office" for them to fill (serving as advisors who function as ministers without portfolio).

## Members

### Under King Theon Talmar

The positions and members of the king's royal council under Theon Talmar included:

* Lord Protector: King Theon Talmar.
* Lord Regent: Lord Thaddeus Fossoway.

* Lord of Coins: Lord Lyman Clark.
* Lord of Spies: Lord Piero of Oldstones.
* Lord of Laws:
	+ Lord Osmund Valmore.
	+ Lord Leonard Ivanstar.
* Lord of Ships:
	+ Lady Admiral Albertine II Blount.
	+ Lord Edmure Fossoway.
* Lord Commander of the Crownsguard:
	+ Ser Rhydian Fords.
	+ Ser Jonothor Stockwell.
* Lord Commander of the Capital's City Guard:
	+ Ser Tedmund Westernling.
	+ Ser Jacob Rivers.
* Mistress of Spies: Lady Shireen.
* Lord of the Capital: Lord Albert Royne.

To Be Continued...