Council entrance exams and becoming a warden...or not

[babel2uk]

I always got the impression that joining the White Council is more a matter of necessity for survival than anything else. There are a lot of other factions out there that would be only too happy to gain the use of a spellcaster of White Council level power - willing or not. Remember, being a member of the White Council means that you are protected by the Accords. Not being a member basically means that you're powerful enough to attract the notice of other factions, but completely unprotected against them going after you. So, sooner or later you'll end up either in the White Council (when you go running to them tail between your legs begging for their protection) or under the control of one of the other factions. Nobody is going to let a White Council power level spellcaster run around loose for long, and the likelihood is that the various factions will take the long view of "Well, if I can't control them, I'm not letting them be used against me."

The White Council may not actively pursue a character but I do get the impression that they might just drop a few words in the right places to make sure that a threat arises to force a person to beg for membership.

The council has always been presented as a faction that may have it's internal bickering, but always bands together against an external threat. So joining doesn't necessarily mean that a character has to compromise their beliefs if they were going to follow the laws of magic anyway. Yes it puts certain obligations on you, but it doesn't mean that Council business will be rammed down your throat at every opportunity - and game-wise you can buy off a compel if you really don't want council business wrapped up in what you're doing.

[Bruce Coulson]

The problem with killing people who don't join you when there's other options is that eventually that gets out.

I can easily see the current White Council manipulating events to try and convince reluctant prospects to join.  But they'd have to be very subtle about it.  Because.....someone who IS capable finds out, and joins another group out of spite.  Now what?  They're protected, and they start spilling the beans about how the White Council manipulated them, killed their dog, threatened their family...you get the idea.

"Join us or Die."  And then that nice guy with a spare coin goes, "Wow, that's pretty rude.  Now, here's our offer.  You don't have to take it; just hear me out, and if you want to walk away afterwards, no problem.  WE don't kill people who say no." 

"Join Us or Die."  And then this Faerie Princess ambles by, contract in hand, which would guarantee your safety.  (At least from the White Council...)

"Join Us or Die." And then...but you see my point.  This could work for a while; but eventually, someone is going to get mad enough, stubborn enough, cantankerous enough, and last just long enough to join another group.  And then they're going to talk...a lot.  And maybe start offering their own rewards for joining them...

For that matter, this COULD be the origin of

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The Black Council...maybe they weren't always the bad guys.

  Perhaps the White Council has already created their nemesis...

[babel2uk]

I can easily see the current White Council manipulating events to try and convince reluctant prospects to join.  But they'd have to be very subtle about it.  Because.....someone who IS capable finds out, and joins another group out of spite.  Now what?  They're protected, and they start spilling the beans about how the White Council manipulated them, killed their dog, threatened their family...you get the idea.

They wouldn't need to do all that. All it needs is for word to get out that there's a rogue white-council power level spell caster running around, and that's probably achievable by the council simply not performing the protective duties it does for people who are members. The other supernatural factions in the area would circle that like sharks round a drowning sailor. If the person joins another faction they'll likely find that their freedom is stripped from them wholesale at a multitude of levels - and it's unlikely they'll get Accords level protection out of the bargain unless they become something like the Faerie Knights, or are turned into a Vampire. If they are killed in the crossfire, well, it's a sad loss, but they didn't want the protection... If they join up with the White Council - which is the most likely course once they see the sharks circling - then great.

[Bruce Coulson]

Actually, it would be stupid for the other group NOT to grant at least Accord-level protection.  If they don't, then the White Council can just whack the rogue mage whenever they wish, no consequences.

[babel2uk]

Actually, it would be stupid for the other group NOT to grant at least Accord-level protection.  If they don't, then the White Council can just whack the rogue mage whenever they wish, no consequences.

That's a fair point, sorry, that was badly phrased. My point is that the price for that protection is probably going to be far higher than just joining the White Council. After all the White Council will pretty much leave you alone most of the time (in peacetime at least) so long as you're not breaking any laws - you don't have to attend meetings, you don't have to jump at every little request. Any other faction will require you to work for them all of the time, and enforce it either by addiction, oaths or bargains. Essentially you'd be exchanging the relative freedom offered by joining the White Council for either a life of constantly looking over your shoulder, or a collar and leash.

For a Wizard the benefits of being a member of the White Council by far outweigh the benefits of being rogue or working for another faction. That's not to say rogues don't happen, just that they would be a rarity, and that anyone stood without White Council protection is likely not to remain a free agent for very long at all - they'd be killed or recruited (willing or not) very swiftly. And the price of that recruitment is likely to be very high indeed, regardless of how it appears on the surface. There are probably a lot of cautionary tales of people who thought there were better offers that the White Council, and most of them are probably verifiably true....

[wolff96]

Any other faction will require you to work for them all of the time, and enforce it either by addiction, oaths or bargains. Essentially you'd be exchanging the relative freedom offered by joining the White Council for either a life of constantly looking over your shoulder, or a collar and leash.

There are probably a lot of cautionary tales of people who thought there were better offers that the White Council, and most of them are probably verifiably true....

I think those three sentences are the stick behind the carrot of White Council protection.  All three Courts of Vampires that we have any information about, the Faerie Courts, and other factions out there would all love to add more WC-level mortal wizards to their payroll.  As noted in "Proven Guilty", only mortal magic can open the Outer Gates and let in the kind of Outsiders used against the Council...  so the Red Court would love to have Venom Addicted wizards to do their bidding, the Black Court their long-term thrall wizards, the Denarians and Faeries would have their wizards tied up by more powerful entities (angels and faeries), while the White Court Vampires...  well, how long would it be (since Magic tends to run in families) before there were a huge number of Hunger-fuelled wizardlings running around?  (Wow, I just gave myself a story idea, there.  Heh!)

And all the White Council has to do is point to anyone ensnared by one of these other groups, act sorrowful, and point out to a prospective recruit that they can't protect every practitioner that doesn't want to join them... but if you're a member, then you get the whole benefits package. 

[Bruce Coulson]

I can accept that model of the White Council.  Especially since there are indications that the system is beginning to break down allowing for other parties to take advantage.

Not to mention resentful wizards within the Council, feeling they were forced to joined because the alternatives are worse...except nowadays there's fewer advantages to being a member...

[Richard_Chilton]

Okay, after reading some of the other replies I think it's less likely that it's it "join us or die because we'll kill you" and think it's more "join us and we can protect you from the other things that want to kill you - or worse, enslave you".

They also have the knowledge you need to develop your powers to their fullest extent - who else would have that? Okay, let me rephrase that - who else would have that and be willing to teach it for such a low price? All the White Council charges is membership.  They don't insist that you use your magical powers one way or another, they don't have you churning out enchanted items, they don't have you breaking the laws of magic in soul destroying ways - all they insist upon is that you become one of them.

Of course for some that's too high a price.  And they can't be everywhere so some people with great talents slip by them - I'm thinking that Kimmler was never a member of the White Council.

As for the infighting, politics are happening.  The sort of politics that happen in every office and twice as much in the halls of academia.  They aren't really fighting - they aren't killing each out, training assassins and giving them enchanted weapons, or doing anything like that.  They'll hurt each others feelings and careers, but no one ends up dead.

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For more on this, all I can say is read Turn Coat.  Do that and you'll discover the council's worse nightmare is that the infighting goes real.  Once that happens the council will be broken and mankind at the mercy of the monsters.

Richard