Council of Merchants

General

The Council of Merchants is a ruling body in Arad Doman consisting of twelve of the most powerful nobles in the country, who are also the heads of the merchants guilds. These are most often women. The only purpose of this group is to appoint and depose the kings and queens of Arad Doman. A vote of three-quarters, minimum, must be given for a monarch to be deposed or raised.

After Alsalam, the king, and several members of the Council of Merchants disappeared, rumor had it that the Council of Merchants kidnapped the king (TGS, Ch. 31).

When Rand sent the Aiel to find the Council of Merchants, he only captures four, though we are given the names of only two living and two dead. By Rand's count, this makes four captured and two dead.

Miscellaneous

The king's palace is said to be inferior to the houses of the members of the Council of Merchants (TGS, Ch. 29).

Members

The known living members are:

Milisair Chadmar - Lives in Bandar Eban.

Alamindra Cutren - Was found on her cousin's lands near the northern border.

The known deceased members, and causes of death are:

Meashan Dubaris - died at the hands of a mob. (TGS, Ch. 31)

Thusara - presumably died in the balefiring of Graendal's fortress, Natrin's Barrow, where she is seen in TGS, Prologue

Quotes

'"What?' Ituralde snapped. 'You think I'm some fancy merchant with a palace? . . .'" (Ituralde to a messenger boy as Rand arrives; The Gathering Storm, Chapter 10)

"The Council of Merchants has been too disorganized lately, each member trying to keep their own chunk of Arad Doman from unraveling. If they'd had the King, they'd have revealed him by now." (Innkeeper Quillin Tasil to Cadsuane, telling her rumors about and his own opinions of the Council of Merchants; The Gathering Storm, Chapter 31)

"'They are mostly women,' Cadsuane said, 'and women of great cunning at that. However, they are also a selfish lot.'" (Cadsuane on the Council of Merchants; The Gathering Storm, Chapter 7)