Decided long before Vlad was prince, a group of hunters formed a secret council. This is because one person having as much power as the prince was very dangerous, and the family line would be marred by bad blood. If the prince's state of mind or judgment came into question, they would decide if he should be removed and a replacement prince put in his place.
If the prince's actions were called into question, each of the members would visit the prince under some pretense to try and learn what they could. If they all believed that there was cause for concern, the prince's heir would replace him. If not, nothing would be done. It was a majority vote type of council.
Each member of the council has something they guard. These are all small pieces of what may have been a "larger stone from the earliest history of the Carpathian Mountains. The flysch band is the only interconnecting band that runs throughout the entire mountain range. These five pieces should be fragile as they are from what is essentially shale carved into interlocking pieces. They are of the earth, of the mountains."[1] However, the pieces are strong and not brittle.
Members[]
Some are past members and some are current members. There are five members apart of the council at a time. The winning decision is usually 3-2. For their safety, none of the members know any of the others, and the votes are cast anonymously. So far as we know, Tariq is the only for sure member.
Possible Members[]
Though it is possible that these people are members, it was never proven without a doubt that they are or not.
- Roman Daratrazanoff
- Father of the Malinovs
Consequences[]
Those that are part of the council must stay secret from even those in the council itself. This is to protect the members. If their identity is revealed to the prince or anyone else, that council member would be hunted down for various reasons until they are destroyed. In Dark Song, we see a failed attempt at such an event. These members are governed by the prince, but they also act as judges when looking at the prince should his judgement be in question.
Removed Princes[]
As far as we know, no prince has ever been removed as the vessel. That is not to say that such an event has never occurred before. Other than each member visiting the prince to determine his state of mind and decision making abilities, we do not even know how the removal of a prince proceeds.