Your guess at secret power/mantles of the Council

[groinkick]

Are we saying that each SC seat has its own power boost.  Or are we saying that each SC wizard may have their own things?

wizard.  Look at Harry...  He's at most in his 40's right now, and he's Warden, and Winter Knight.  The Senior Council members are not only much older, but also much more powerful experienced.  Chances are good that each of them have picked up some forms over power over the centuries.

[peregrine]

Also, the Senior Council is a geritocracy.  That does not lend itself to having specific jobs on the Senior Council, because just the fact that someone is old doesn't mean they'd be competent at whatever job has opened up. 

[groinkick]

Also, the Senior Council is a geritocracy.  That does not lend itself to having specific jobs on the Senior Council, because just the fact that someone is old doesn't mean they'd be competent at whatever job has opened up.

People on the Senior Council are there because of their power, not age. 

[Quantus]

Eb was Blackstaff before he joined the Senior Council.

Not true. He became blackstaff "in 1884-1885 somewhere in there" but was the Captain of the Wardens prior to that (during the events of Fistful of Warlocks)

Yeah, but Captain of the Wardens is not a member of the Senior Council.

Sorry, my brain completely blanked over the word "Senior" this morning, thought they were saying he was Blackstaff before joining the Council (as a whole) in the first place.   There just wasnt enough blood in my Caffeine System.... 

[Quantus]

Also, the Senior Council is a geritocracy.  That does not lend itself to having specific jobs on the Senior Council, because just the fact that someone is old doesn't mean they'd be competent at whatever job has opened up.

Not a rigid one; there is age-based seniority, but for example McCoy was waaay down the list (took them a 1.2 hour of reading to get far enough down the list to reach him). And not only is he on the SC, he's the same age as the current Merlin.

[Griffyn612]

Rashid has displayed playing around with Time...  Perhaps he's more than just the Gatekeeper.

Perhaps.  But I'd imagine they all have only so much space in their buckets.  Harry's a warden, the Warden, and the Winter Knight.  Rashid is a Senior Council Member and the Gatekeeper.      The latter is a full time on-call job that wouldn't allow for much in the way of other demanding positions.

Are we saying that each SC seat has its own power boost.  Or are we saying that each SC wizard may have their own things?

I think there's a WoJ that the Senior Council title doesn't come with a power boost.  You have to have the power yourself, via blood or bargain, to even be realistically considered.

But I like the idea of seven roles of the original Merlin being divvied up to seven others on the Council, with the original intention of it being the seven Seniors, but over time it became less structured.

How I'd imagine it:
MERLIN [title]: Leader of the Council, with no power bonus, but plenty of authority.  Langtry
ANCIENT [mantle]: Living repository of magical knowledge passed down only a couple times due to the bearers' extended lifespan.  Mai
GATEKEEPER [object of power]: Eye-bearer in charge of the Gates.  Rashid
WARDEN [mantle]: Authority over the Well.  Also in charge of punishment for law-breakers.  None, then Harry
BLACKSTAFF [object of power]: Bearer of Mother Winter's staff, Council assassin.  McCoy
WAR LEADER [title]: In charge of the Council's war efforts.  Petrovich, then Luccio, then Morgan.
CAPTAIN [title]: Captain of the Council's police force.  Perhaps run by the WARDEN at some point, leading to an overlap in name convention.  Luccio.

I imagine the structure would have been cleaner and more divided originally, but over a thousand years of politics an imperfect choices lead to changes.

[Quantus]

Perhaps.  But I'd imagine they all have only so much space in their buckets.  Harry's a warden, the Warden, and the Winter Knight.  Rashid is a Senior Council Member and the Gatekeeper.      The latter is a full time on-call job that wouldn't allow for much in the way of other demanding positions.
I think there's a WoJ that the Senior Council title doesn't come with a power boost.  You have to have the power yourself, via blood or bargain, to even be realistically considered.

But I like the idea of seven roles of the original Merlin being divvied up to seven others on the Council, with the original intention of it being the seven Seniors, but over time it became less structured.

How I'd imagine it:
MERLIN [title]: Leader of the Council, with no power bonus, but plenty of authority.  Langtry
ANCIENT [mantle]: Living repository of magical knowledge passed down only a couple times due to the bearers' extended lifespan.  Mai
GATEKEEPER [object of power]: Eye-bearer in charge of the Gates.  Rashid
WARDEN [mantle]: Authority over the Well.  Also in charge of punishment for law-breakers.  None, then Harry
BLACKSTAFF [object of power]: Bearer of Mother Winter's staff, Council assassin.  McCoy
WAR LEADER [title]: In charge of the Council's war efforts.  Petrovich, then Luccio, then Morgan.
CAPTAIN [title]: Captain of the Council's police force.  Perhaps run by the WARDEN at some point, leading to an overlap in name convention.  Luccio.

I imagine the structure would have been cleaner and more divided originally, but over a thousand years of politics an imperfect choices lead to changes.

I think Id argue that McCoy seems to have taken over Petrovich's War-Leader role more than Luccio or Morgan directly, once he made the SC he seemed to act as the SC leadership for the majority of Wardens.

[peregrine]

Not a rigid one; there is age-based seniority, but for example McCoy was waaay down the list (took them a 1.2 hour of reading to get far enough down the list to reach him). And not only is he on the SC, he's the same age as the current Merlin.

Yeah, but the reasons we saw were entirely of the "not available" variety, and none were of the "Can't hack it" variety.

[Griffyn612]

I think Id argue that McCoy seems to have taken over Petrovich's War-Leader role more than Luccio or Morgan directly, once he made the SC he seemed to act as the SC leadership for the majority of Wardens.

I think it was explicitly said at one point that Luccio was in charge of the war effort.  Eb was clearly involved, and took over the brute squad, but I think Luccio was in charge.  I thought there was also a mention of Morgan doing things for Luccio after DB, but I can't recall if that was just the Wardens or not.

But yeah, Eb was neck deep in it.

[Griffyn612]

Also, I'm going to find it infinitely amusing if the "Warden" has an official place on the Council, and is supposed to participate in high level decisions and discussions with the Senior Council.

I mean, Eb knew a lot in SK before he joined the SC.  Maybe that was due to being so close to the others, or maybe it was just experience.  Or maybe certain positions carry a secret rank, and Langtry is going to have to work with Harry almost as a peer.

[peregrine]

He hasn't done so yet, and granted, the most recent books haven't really involved the Council much, being more fae-centric, if the Warden is supposed to be in all these high level discussions, he'd have had a seat at the table during Changes.

[Griffyn612]

He hasn't done so yet, and granted, the most recent books haven't really involved the Council much, being more fae-centric, if the Warden is supposed to be in all these high level discussions, he'd have had a seat at the table during Changes.

I think Changes would be the exception, seeing as he was the one that started the war they were trying to peacefully end.  That wouldn't be a good time to call him in for his first session.

Not that I'm saying it's likely or anything.  But I could see it being some obsolete rule that gets used in a desperate political situation.

[Snark Knight]

and there is strong implication that Arianna knew about it given she connected the dots from the satellite attack to McCoy specifically. 
But the whole concept of the Blackstaff would undermine the crap out of the Council if it were common knowledge, just as it nearly did to harry when he found out.  It would very much be a guarded state secret, if not a 100% perfectly kept one.

Arianna knew. The Eebs said her plan was to avenge her husband who was "slain by the wizard of the black stick".

BLACKSTAFF [object of power]: Bearer of Mother Winter's staff, Council assassin.  McCoy

I'm not sure the Blackstaff position started with Merlin. He may not have even still been in the picture when MW's walking stick was taken to found the office. That seems to have probably happened around Hastings too.

[Griffyn612]

I'm not sure the Blackstaff position started with Merlin. He may not have even still been in the picture when MW's walking stick was taken to found the office. That seems to have probably happened around Hastings too.

Depends on how the Council got it.  If Merlin had it, and Mother Winter expected it back from Merlin, but he found a loophole that kept it with the Council, it might not have been until Hastings that she "lost" it.

But yeah, probably not.

[groinkick]

Depends on how the Council got it.  If Merlin had it, and Mother Winter expected it back from Merlin, but he found a loophole that kept it with the Council, it might not have been until Hastings that she "lost" it.

But yeah, probably not.

You know one of my theories is the "Walking Stick" is actually He Who Walks Beside...  Harry said that it appeared alive, and the fact that it seems to consume negative energy, and killing is an inherit part of it's power increases that belief.