## Name: The Council of Shadows **Type:** Secretive governing body of [[Zirith’Morra]] **Location:** Hidden chambers beneath the Veiled Abyss, [[Zirith’Morra]] **Alignment:** Varies; collectively Neutral Evil **Purpose:** Manipulation, arcane governance, and preservation of Drow dominion --- ## Overview The **Council of Shadows** is the clandestine ruling force of [[Zirith’Morra]], operating behind the veil of the Matron’s throne. While the city was publicly ruled by **Matron [[Xalyth Drezz'Vhun]]**, the Council ensured that the city’s long-term magical defenses, assassinations, intelligence operations, and external diplomacy remained tightly controlled. The Council consists of **five to seven powerful Drow figures**, drawn from a mix of noble houses, master assassins, arcane strategists, and shadowbinders. Their identities are masked, even from one another, and their rituals are performed in pitch-black silence—only shadows and whispered intentions guide their meetings. --- ## Structure and Methods - **Anonymous Membership:** No official roster is known; they wear enchanted masks or cloaks that shield their identity and aura. - **Shadow Proxies:** Most dealings are conducted via illusions, projected whispers, or possessed intermediaries. - **Scrylock Vault:** A sealed chamber beneath the city where their records, visions, and pacts are stored—locked by time-bound runes and sentient shadows. - **Counterbalance Role:** Their goal is not open control but balance—ensuring no single Matron or House becomes too powerful without Council consent. --- ## Relationship with Xalyth - Though **[[Xalyth Drezz'Vhun]] was aware of the Council**, she viewed them as a necessary evil—tools for guiding the city while she focused on prophecy and external threats. - Some believe **at least one Council member betrayed her** or manipulated Pot’Rot’s arrival for political or divine reasons. - With her death, the Council is now either **fractured or more active than ever**, moving quickly to fill the power vacuum. --- ## Reputation and Influence - **Feared by most Houses**, even those that do not acknowledge their existence. - Known to **strike down rising power** in subtle ways—sudden madness, assassinations made to look like divine judgment, or political erasure. - Some believe the Council possesses **forbidden relics**, including dark fragments of lost gods, or early knowledge of [[Vhun’Ziriss]]’s origin. --- ## Plot Hooks - One of the Council members may seek to recruit, manipulate, or test the party. - A **Council vault** could contain secrets on the [[Shield of the Gods]] or the corruption spreading toward [[Sylrathis]]. - A disguised Council agent may be tailing the party already, evaluating them as potential allies—or threats.