Ishgar Magic Council Headquarters

The Ishgar Magic Council Headquarters, as the name implies, is the headquarters of the Magic Council in Ishgar.

Localization[]

The Ishgar Magic Council's first headquarters was located within Era, overlooking a large open space, with some buildings visible a bit away from it, on both sides, separated from the headquarters by two lines of trees. In front of the structure, standing at both sides of the large road leading to the building's entrance, were two meadows marked by bushes,^[1] and well as several statues, portraying winged, bare-breasted women with flowing clothes circling their waists, their arms crossed in front of their chests.^[2] From the Council's meeting area, many buildings were visible below,^[3] and a series of snow-capped mountains sat in the background.^[4]

The Council's new building seems to be placed out of the main built-up area, being surrounded by thick vegetation, and having a large lake sitting in front of it, with a ship docked not far from the building. Behind the structure, a series of mildly short mountains is visible.^[5]

Original Design[]

Exterior Design[]

The original building's appearance was that of an imposing palace, composed of both pure white stone and light blue bricks, with large, elongated windows with arched tops being placed over its walls, some complete with glass, others hollow. The front part is a large facade, dominated in its center by the entrance, consisting of a double door topped by a pyramid-shaped roof, adorned by a bas-relief portraying a naked male figure taking the hand of a naked female figure, with a large shell being placed behind them. This roof was sustained by two massive, rectangular structures, plus a smaller pair of columns directly at the door's sides. Leading to the door itself was a staircase, split in two by a concave part in its center. At the entrance's sides, linking it to a pair of simple, rectangular towers, were two colonnades. Towering above the entrance were three balconies, with their lower parts partially hidden by the entrance itself; the central one was topped by a roof similar to the one topping the entrance, similarly adorned by a bas-relief, this one portraying the Council's ankh-like symbol,^[3] while the side ones were less imposing, consisting just of large, rectangular windows complete with light blue curtains. Sitting at the outer balconies' sides were two imposing, rectangular towers covered in hollow windows, with pitched roofs consisting of light blue tiles, and sections protruding outwards in the central part of each of them. Two more, similar towers were visible on the backsides of the building. In the building's center, surrounded by those four towers, was a round one, with its conical, tiled roof topped by a high, slender, golden decorative structure, extending several meters up in the air, and having curved protrusions jutting outwards from it.^[1]

Interior Design[]

Being the headquarters of the Magic World's rulers, the building seems to possess imposing and majestic interiors: the Council was shown gathering in a large, open-air space, a massive balcony covered by a roof held up by columns and arches, with railing visible on both sides. The whole space was built of azure stone, and it was given access to by a battlement, with the stairs leading to it being flanked by a pair of statues portraying hooded women covered in dresses, wielding what seemed to be rudimentary axes or pickaxes; sitting between some of the columns near the entrance were small tables with flowerpots on them.^[6] Among the columns, sitting on a light blue carpet with golden edges, flanked by gray, rhomboidal squares, was the round, azure table which housed the Council's meeting, with each councilor sitting on an armchair, these having white and golden frames and azure stuffing. Near one of the railings was a small table which seemed to have a buffet sitting on its white tablecloth.^[4] The councilors' armchairs were later replaced with chairs with overly long, arched backs, with the stuffing being covered in a rhomb pattern.^[3]

Somewhere in the building sits a mildly large library, with long bookshelves packed full of books, here and there alternated with panels adorned by triangular, highly decorative shields, being placed both on the first floor and on a mezzanine, complete with a decorated railing, reachable via two sets of stair sitting at both sides of the room. In the library's center was a large, rectangular table with intricately decorated edges, on which a crystal sphere reminiscent of Lacrima and two pots with plants in bloom sat; by the table was a stuffed chair with an intricately adorned back, with a small mobile, reminiscent of a food cart, housing a tablecloth, a bottle and a glass.^[7]

Somewhere in the building, the Council's ultimate weapon Satellite Square: Etherion is stored. The room meant for its storage was given access to by a large hall adorned with pillars, with the arched double door leading to it from the hall being dark and intricately decorated by a large motif, which incorporated a pair of large wings with two staff-like objects, ending in fleur-de-lis-like edges; such door was shown to be guarded by two sentinels, which wore hoods, were clad in robes and held staffs reminiscent of crosiers. Behind the door, the room containing Etherion was shown to be extremely high, ending in a round dome and sporting flat pillars which curved inwards with the dome itself, plus intricately decorated sections almost on top, where the dome itself got smaller, taking on a cylindrical shape. Several meters from the ground, along the walls, there were open sections from which observers could assist to and coordinate the preparations for the firing of Etherion. Such balconies came complete with railings and rectangular pillars holding their coffered ceilings up.^[8] Throughout the room, technological-looking magical equipment was placed, used for the firing of Etherion and the analysis following it.^[9]

Destruction[]

Following the firing of Etherion at the Council's hands, an action which was meant to destroy the Tower of Heaven but instead granted it a huge amount of Magic Power, Ultear Milkovich, who betrayed the Council alongside her senior Siegrain, best known as Jellal Fernandes, prompted the hall in which Etherion was held to collapse through the use of her Arc of Time Magic, presumably causing the destruction of the rest of the building as well.^[10]

Rebuilding[]

After the Council had been reformed due to a personal request of the King of Fiore,^[11] a new headquarters was built to house it.^[5]

Current Design[]

Exterior Design[]

The Council's second building is shown to have a very large facade, with the main part of the headquarters being flanked by two wings, further elongating the facade in its whole. The main section possesses a huge entrance topped by a pyramid-shaped roof and by a high, decorative part above it, with its arched top ending in a rose window. Sitting above the arch is another pyramid-shaped roof, which has a long pole protruding upwards from it, this being circled by a floating, halo-like object, with similar exemplars being placed elsewhere in the building. The rest of the main part's facade is covered in a multitude of elongated windows, with some of them, protruding outwards, being also present on the lower part of the pitched, tiled roof. Flanking this central section are two massive, round towers, which seem to have rather small lower sections and get larger near their center, where they also gain intricate decorations adorning all of their upper part, reaching up to the pointed tiled roofs, whose summit is circled by more halos. Extending sidewards from the towers are the wings, reminiscent of walls adorned by windows, getting gradually shorter from the towers at their sides to their central parts, in a way reminiscent of a staircase, and then gradually growing again in an arch as they near the outer edges, ending in elongated, slender towers, with two more towers not unlike those being visible on the back of the building.^[5]

Inside the circle of walls is a majestic courtyard, which is adorned by short, well-kept hedges and bushes, as well as by a multitude of statues, each portraying an armored knight armed with a spear riding on a rampant horse; another statue, portraying a woman clad in a long robe, sporting an intricated headgear and reading from a scroll, stands in a small, round area, and, roughly in the center of the courtyard, is a mildly small, highly decorative sculpture portraying a woman and a child surrounded by waves, together with what looks like a dolphin. Overlooking such environment, standing along the walls, several meters above it, is an elaborated, open-air corridor, complete with decorative arches and columns, attached to which are banners sporting the Council's symbol.^[12]

Interior Design[]

Inside this headquarters, the Council is shown meeting inside a smaller, less imposing room, possessing a staircase leading up on an extremity, and seemingly having another one leading to the room from below on the opposite extremity, something shown from the curved balustrade on such side. The roof is a dome, the walls are intricately decorated, and windows are visible in them. The room's floor is covered in a distinctive chess pattern, and the councilors gather around a table which is way smaller than those their previous colleagues used, aside from being rectangular instead of circular. The chairs near it are reminiscent of those the first Council used to sit on after giving up armchairs, possessing elongated, stuffed backs, which, however, are now complete in their highest part with an intricately decorated round section. Not far from the table, near the balustrade, is a smaller, round table, adorned by a flowerpot and surrounded by three little sofas, with another flowerpot being visible between two of them, and a curious structure, reminiscent of a large jar on a pedestal, complete with what look like four lamps, sitting in the proximity.^[13]

Destruction[]

After the Grand Magic Games of X791 concluded, the Council headquarters were once again destroyed when the building was raided by Jackal of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros, who used his Bomb Curse to not only blow the building to pieces, but also assassinate all of the Council members, murdering and wounding over 119 people.^[14]

Main Members[]

The Ishgar Magic Council (currently composed of the Ten Wizard Saints in Ishgar) occupies nine "seats," going from 2nd to 9th.^[15] The top seat is occupied by the Chairman, effectively the leader of the entire Council, who takes the final decisions on every matter.^[16]

Former Members[]

Employees[]

Working for the Ishgar Magic Council is a series of strange, humanoid creatures, reminiscent of anthropomorphous amphibians, partially covered in spots, who are perfectly capable of talking, and fulfill various roles, such as envoys,^[17] guards^[18] and magical technicians for the Satellite Square: Etherion.^[19] Where they come from or what race they belong to is as of yet unknown.

Such creatures' uniform consist of a wide-collared dark jacket, with wide sleeves and edges and cuffs adorned by a series of light stripes, over a light shirt, held closed on the front by a multitude of laces ending in a bow knot in the upper part, and a long, light skirt-like cloth covering the legs. The outfit is completed by a small, elongated dark hat matching the jacket, which gets larger near its top, and has a flat, round object on the front, reminiscent of a medal.^[20] The anime visibly simplified the uniform's shirt, which was deprived of most of its laces, with only the bow knot remaining in the form of an ornamental ribbon.^[21]

Military[]

As it is essentially the government of the Magic world, the Council has an array of armed forces at its disposal, which it uses to maintain peace and make sure that none breaks the established laws.

Rune Knights[]

A military subdivision within the Ishgar Council, acting as a personal constable of sort, Rune Knights are the Council's army. Their job is to enforce the Council's ideals of justice and to investigate crimes related to the Magic world.^[22] They are also responsible for dealing with issues such as detaining criminals and passing judgement on to them. They patrol over a large span of land all across the country. They are known to possess several garrisons scattered throughout Fiore, with their numbers being consistent,^[22] and have battleships at their disposal for sea transportation.^[23] They are divided into squads, with some of them performing particular duties, and most of them being led by a ranked officer. After the Council's reorganization, following the events of the Tower of Heaven, they have become increasingly strict.^[24]

The soldiers are clad in a garish uniform, highly reminiscent of those worn by real priests: they don a long, high-collared, sleeveless dark robe over a light shirt with wide sleeves ending below the elbows, where they are circled by thin bands; the robe is covered on the front by a light cloth, bearing the dark, ankh-like symbol of the Council, held still by a light belt circling the waist. Around the soldiers' neck is a long, light cape bearing the Council's insignia on the back, held closed below the neck by a rhomboidal clasp adorned by a gem, and on their head sits a light headgear, with a decorated lower part, reminiscent of a mitre, but with three tops, a central one and two more at its sides. They also wear simple boots with the front parts covered in vertical stripes.^[25] Each Rune Knight comes equipped with a long metal staff, ending in a sphere, seemingly a globe made of crystal, topped by a small cross.^[22] The anime gave slightly different portrayals of the Council's soldiers, replacing their robe's lower part with very loose pants, mildly reminiscent of hakama, and their boots with sandals, adding to their religious appearance.^[26]

High-ranking Rune Knight officers such as division commanders are shown to wear a more formal, less garish attire, which loses most of the religious look distinguishing soldiers: they wear an elegant dark jacket, with light edges and two buttoned bands on each cuff, over a lighter shirt with the Council's dark symbol on it, loose, light suit pants held up by a massive belt, light gloves and distinctive, light shoes, bearing a snakeskin-like pattern. The only similarity between soldiers' outfit and the one exclusive to division commanders appears to be the cape, which in the latters' case, however, also covers the shoulders, and sports a larger clasp closing it.^[24] Rune Knight officers aren't shown wielding any weapon.

Rune Knights are known to possess combat skills and are able to perform different forms of magic. However, their fighting prowess is mostly unknown; it is known, however, that particular squadrons, such as the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit, are capable of using Magic similar to Jutsu Shiki, generating glyph barriers which can prevent those caught inside them from leaving until the spell is nullified. Such technique can be performed with enough discretion to remain unnoticed while it is being casted, with the targets finding out about it only after it has become effective.^[27] Aside from that, Rune Knights shown so far seemed to mainly employ melee combat, assaulting enemies in large groups and generating magical auras on the ending part of their staffs; something whose effect or aim is unknown. However, even considerable amounts of them could be knocked out by much smaller groups of proficient melee fighters, implying their skills to be just average.^[28]

Etherion[]

The Ishgar Magic Council is in possession of the Satellite Square: Etherion (衛星魔法陣・エーテリオン Eisei Mahōjin : Ēterion), an extremely powerful Magic taking the form of a satellite structure composed of glyphs, which is held in the Council's headquarters of Era,^[29] and can be used to target any point of Earth Land from the sky. Known as "the Magic of destruction that transcends space-time," and referred to by Lahar as "the sealed ray of light,"^[30] Etherion is the Ishgar Council's most powerful and ultimate weapon, capable of targeting anything on the surface with a devastating beam on huge scale,^[31] which has been described as damaging enough to make an entire country disappear.^[32] The destructive blast produced by Etherion is known for possessing an astonishing amount of Magic Power, at least 2.7 Billion Edeas.^[33] In order for the Magic to be employed from Era and placed in the atmosphere to strike its targets, a certain amount of time is needed, during which Etherion is charged up and positioned above the target.^[29]

As damaging as it is, Etherion can't be employed light-kindheartedly, due to it being likely to cause casualties while fired against its targets, catching others in its radius.^[34] In the absence of the Chairman, for the firing of Etherion to be permitted, a majority of votes within the Ishgar Council itself is required. If the voting were to end in a draw, then Etherion wouldn't be fired.^[35] Measures seem to have been taken to prevent civil casualties from damaging the Council's reputation itself if the weapon were to cause them, these residing in the Article 27, Clause 4 of the National Security Act; however, the death of innocent people would still weigh the concerned councilors' conscience. If Etherion is to be fired, all of the Ishgar Council members are known to religiously pronounce the words "Thus we pray" before the firing, collecting their thoughts in prayer and hoping that the ultimate weapon doesn't wreak havoc on innocent lives.^[36]

Etherion, despite being extremely damaging and almost impossible to stop, could potentially be absorbed by a large enough Lacrima crystal, which would in the process gain all of the blast's Magic Power.^[37]

Face[]

Also in the possession of the Ishgar Magic Council is the powerful Face (白き遺産・フェイス Shiroki Isan : Feisu), a weapon that, when used, nullifies all Magic across an entire continent, leaving all Mages absolutely powerless. The weapon is so dangerous that three former Council members sealed it with Organic Link Magic, with the former Chairman being the only one who knew their identities. It was being sought by Tartaros, as they will be unaffected by its powers due to their abilities being Curses, not Magic.^[38]

Notable Events[]

The firing of Etherion from the first building at the hands of the previous Council was of great importance for the events of the Tower of Heaven; such action also prompted the first Council to be disbanded, only to be reformed again later with totally new members (aside from Org) and Gran Doma as the Chairman.^[11] The new, stricter Council, despite Org's protests, made the resolution to disband the troublemaker Fairy Tail guild if it was to commit another violation;^[39] a goal the former Council never managed to achieve.^[40]

Manga and Anime Differences[]

In the manga, the Council members are shown to have their reunions in royal rooms, around simple table, complete with chairs for them to sit on;^[4][41] in the anime, however, the meeting room was initially portrayed as a massive Magic circle that the Council members stood around;^[42] later on, after the Council was created anew, its members were shown meeting in an even stranger, immense hall, containing four statues placed in a pool of an unknown liquid, with each Council member standing on the hand of a statue. The Chairman himself stood on a high pillar emerging from the water, surrounded by the other councilors. The anime drastically changed the appearance of the Council's second building as well, portraying it as a gigantic green crystal sitting on a series of high, mechanical-looking poles.^[43]

Anime version of the previous Council's deliberation room

Anime version of the new Council's deliberation room

Anime version of the new Council's building

Movie version of the new Council's building

References[]

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