Shardless (Tempris #1)

-An excerpt from The Fey Imperium: Institutions and Policies

The Genesis Council was originally made up of the six fey mages chosen to wield the Genesis Shards and functioned as the primary ruling body in the Fey Imperium. Chosen by the Shards—those six objects of ultimate power believed to house the souls of the slumbering gods—each mage was granted the title of High Lord or Lady of their respective magical discipline, and they were responsible for legislating and enforcing the rule of law within the confines of the Lycian homeworld and its territories.

The High Lord and Lady of Shadow and Time carried an added burden. Ruling under the titles of King and Queen, they were the peacekeepers of the Council. In times when the Council could not come to an agreement, their word was law .

In the wake of the Schism, the Genesis Council was effectively dissolved. The High Lord and Lady of Water and Fire as well as the Shadow King moved their courts to the mortal realm, and though the Council members have refused to comment, scholars believe that this division was the result of a disagreement concerning the Sanctorum’s brutal treatment of time mages. As a result, the Dawn Court is now the effective ruling body of both Tempris and the continent of Lycia.