A Council of Swords: The Role of the Small Council in Cornayan Court

When Romidor the Great first united the realm under one banner, he realized that many people in his new kingdom would not accept a ruler who ignored their ways. To tackle this issue, the new King formed the Council of Swords—a small council with one chosen representative from each county that now made up Cornay's kingdom.

Each representative was granted a title and stipend, with the expectation that they would listen to the people of their county and keep the King informed on issues that should arise—anything from an unsuccessful harvest to rumours of trouble among the common folk. The titleholders would, in turn, swear an oath of loyalty to the throne and do as the throne commanded, especially when it came to enforcing the crown's laws. The council had another purpose, though: King Romidor wished to hold himself and the high lords of his empire accountable. All would be heard, from the common folk to the high nobility.

The Titles of the Council of Swords:

The Sword of the Rivers - representing Southshire, the largest county, full of rich noble houses with mines, orchards, and vineyards.

The Sword of the Rocks - representing Rider's Ruin, the impassable and often rebellious mountains to the north.

The Sword of the Forests - representing Crosser's County, a vital valley between Cornay, Agaar, Wasnord, and Wedrobia.

The Sword of the Fields - representing Oakenshire, the breadbasket of Cornay from where much of the kingdom's food and military manpower hail.

The Sword of the Sky - representing Skyshire, the royal county that plays home to white cliffs and grand cathedrals.

When Romidor the Great first formed the Council of Swords, he looked to the preexisting rulers of the lands he had conquered to fill his small council of advisors. He invited the lords and ladies of the realm to the castle he was constructing on the cliff edge in Skyshire. What would grow into the largest city in the realm was at this point little more than a scattering of stonemasons and carpenters. There, he drew out his plans for the future of the realm.

First, he ordered the construction of a six-sided table, with slots carved before each side where a sword may be placed when the councillors were seated—ceremonial blades that would act not only as a symbol of their seat at the table but also as a promise of mutual protection from anyone who would turn their meetings hostile. These seats were quickly filled by the great nobles of their day, hand-selected by Romidor for their ability to sway the people and for their loyalty to his reign. Long had there been since peaceful conversation was an option, and the wise King knew better than to insult the powerful people who now called themselves his vassals.

The Sword of the Rivers was granted to Lord Harinor Asterland, a powerful lord based in the furthest reaches of the eastern coastline. Lord Harinor was among the last to bend the knee to King Romidor; the pride of his house was something that would die hard indeed. Lord Harinor respected the King greatly for his victory in the conquest and graciously accepted the position on his small council, hoping, no doubt, to further his family's influence to that of the highest reaches of the royal court.

The Sword of the Rocks was granted to Lady Rhonwen of House Krane, a stubborn house of horse-lords that occupied the rocky highlands of Rider's Ruin in the windswept keep of Coldcrest. The offer to Lady Rhonwen was more a matter of keeping enemies close than an offering of true alliance, but House Krane was wise enough to know when they were defeated. Lady Rhonwen took the position and its perks politely and bent the knee, something that caused a rift between House Krane and the many vocal subjects of Rider's Ruin that directly opposed the rise of the Cornayan Throne.

The Sword of the Forests was granted not to the Lords of Darlynton as many would have guessed, but instead to the lowborn knight Ser Holden Barryl. Ser Holden was the first man to be knighted by the king, creating the very idea of raising a common man to nobility. The Darlyntons, of course, took great offence to this slight; they had been kings of the valley for as long as the stones had sat there and now had to answer to the beck and call of a common sellsword. Ser Holden used almost all of his purse from sitting on the Council of Swords to construct and fortify the town of Holden's Point, raising what was once an overgrown farm into a bustling trade town that grew to rival the Darlynton's position at Aureswind.

The Sword of the Fields was granted to Lord Carnoch Longreed, one of the first to bend the knee to Romidor during his conquest. Lord Carnoch was a colossal man, as greedy with coin as he was with food, but he ruled over the imperial breadbasket and without him the nation would starve. Lord Carnoch revelled in his position on the King's small council, skimming off the top of pay like the cream of a cow's milk. Lord Carnoch would contribute but one helpful idea during his tenure: the right for the common folk to be able to petition the crown for aid themselves.

Finally, King Romidor the Great turned to his own blood to watch over the royal county—granting the position of Sword of the Sky to his sister, Lady Fenja. Lady Fenja had formed her own cadet house of the Cornayan royal line, House Starwick, and had taken residence along the cliff edge at Easthold. King Romidor had invited the household of Lady Fenja to live with him in the royal city, but the Lady of the house had other priorities: the study and crafting of the mysterious material known as Starstone.

With that, King Romidor's small council was complete—a table of the most influential figures in the realm all working together to serve the realm itself. What began as a solid attempt at holding the throne and the high lords accountable for the commonfolk and their acts had long turned into a nest of schemes and self-interest by the time Romidor's descendants took the throne. The power to whisper and influence the throne's ear was far too alluring an opportunity for many of the realm's most power-hungry to ignore. As of 1313PB, the table still sits in its chamber at the Skyhold—home to a new Queen and her newly selected councillors. The only change that was made beyond its initial creation was the addition of a chair beside the throne's seat for a new title: The Hammer of the Throne.

As of 1313PB, Queen Guinnevere's council includes Lady Bathilda Holton as Sword of the Rocks, Lord Reginald Darlynton as Sword of the Forests, Lord Harlan Longreed as Sword of the Fields, and Lord Declan Starwick as Sword of the Sky. Until his untimely death at the hands of rebel leader Garrick Ward, Lord Almeric Asterland had served as Sword of the Rivers. The Hammer of the Throne title is held by the head of House Warren: Ser Robert.