Council of the West

The Council of the West is a gathering of human nations to the west of The Great Jura Forest.

Background
The Council of the West was originally founded as a cooperative effort to deal with the threat of monsters, before growing into a force devised to keep the Eastern Empire in check.

It has become an organization of great absolute power, ruling on international matters between members.

The Kingdom of Ingracia lay at the core of this Council. Geographically, Ingracia was the easiest central point for Council members to assemble at. It naturally followed that the Free Guild would set up its headquarters here as well. You could say that the most powerful Council member nation was the Kingdom of Farmus, but in order to prevent any one nation from having too much clout over the assembly, the nations agreed to set up in Ingracia for logistical reasons. Ingracia was the only Council member nation that didn’t share a border with the Jura Forest giving it an extra measure of stability and protection from monsters. That was another factor that led to its selection as Council HQ.

Abilities
The Council acted as a mediator between nations, weighing each member’s interests against the others’ and managing them to prevent conflict. It held power in both economic and political circles, making it a strikingly influential group in the region.

The Council had no standing military force as it didn’t need one. That’s because, in a way, the Council formed the higher bureaucracy of the Free Guild itself. The money paid to adventurers for slaying monsters came from Council funding—and in exchange, the Council had the right to give orders to the guild.

This funding came from contributions provided by each member nation, which varied depending on how much speaking rights each one had. Refusing to pay these meant leaving the Council. It was a way for the Council to gain a louder voice in local affairs, using the shield of security it offered members. Many nations relied almost wholly upon the guild for monster management, and that meant there was no choice for them but to support the Council.

War
Western Nations countries that were members of the so-called Council of the West generally didn’t fight one another. Even if they did, it’d have to involve formal declarations of war and a litany of strict rules. Failure to adhere to those would put the full weight of the Council against the rule breaker.

For cases where the nations are not involved with the Council, they will not interfere no matter who won or lost. If one side engaged in behavior that was cruel and inhumane beyond reason, however, it would certainly torpedo that nation’s reputation within the Council.

If the council's member nations were invaded by another nation, that was a different story. Members had the right to request rescue support from the Council, and that was one major reason why the Council had so many small kingdoms represented among its ranks.

Notable Members

 * Kingdom of Ingracia
 * Kingdom of Farmus
 * Kingdom of Blumund
 * Kingdom of Siltrosso
 * Various western nations
 * Jura Tempest Federation

Trivia

 * The Council of the West parallels the United Nations from the real world, albeit with much more power.