Who are the White Council?
They are the governing body of the wizard community, although not all wizards cede them authority. Those that don't tend to be hunted by the Council, however, if they break the Laws of Magic.
More to come on this subject.
What are the Laws of Magic?
They are the Rules Which Shall Not Be Broken Under Pain of Death, set forth by the White Council. For the first several books, we only hear about a few of them, although in Blood Rites, Ebenzer appears to list them all:
"Quote from: paperback, p.296
1) To kill.
2) To enthrall.
3) To invade the thoughts of another mortal.
4) To seek knowledge and power from beyond the Outer Gates.
5) To transform others.
6) To reach beyond the borders of life.
7) To swim against the currents of time.
I don't know if these are the correct order of the laws, just the order Ebenezar said the sentences in." (Thanks to Blitz for the transcription. Please note that in the actual text, these are not numbered, just listed in the dialogue.)
