Absolution Council

The Absolution Council was the parole committee of Revel's End prison in the late 15 century DR. These ten individuals thus determined when&mdash;or if&mdash;to release any of the prisoners back into society.

Activities
The Councilors each came from one of the member cities or towns of the Lords' Alliance and had the duty of deciding the fates of the Alliance's worst prisoners, including spies and traitors.

When one or more members of the Council believed that a prisoner was eligible for parole or pardon, they would hold a meeting to discuss whether to commute that inmate's sentence. Prisoners were given a chance to appeal their case before the assembled councilors prior to a vote being held. If the committee deadlocked, then the prison warden&mdash;a neutral party among the Lords' Alliance members&mdash;would cast the deciding vote. Any given prisoner could be recommended for such a hearing once each year.

Base of Operations
Meetings were held in the Hall of Absolution on the second story of the central tower of Revel's End. This room was also where the Council gathered for safety whenever the prison went on high alert.

The Hall of Absolution was decorated with banners bearing the symbol of the Lords' Alliance. Prisoners up for parole were manacled and brought to stand before a large curved table that dominated the room. Behind this table were eleven high-backed chairs, with the five on the left and the right each adorned with the symbol of a member of the Lords' Alliance, indicating the councilor who would sit there during hearings. These hearings were always attended by the prison warden, who sat in the unadorned central chair. The Absolution Council could also meet in a small chamber with a round window; they sat behind a table with places for only four members.

The councilors also had personal quarters at the prison. These were ten small and modest rooms that lined a narrow hallway located beneath the Windbreak, the large rockface out of which Revel's End was built. Each room was identically furnished with a bed, a desk and chair, and a chest and hooks for personal belongings. Each room was lit by a continual flame that could be suppressed or activated with the command word "lights". Whenever one or more councilors were absent from the prison, their room was repurposed as a guest room at the warden's discretion.

Members
The Council included one representative from each member of the Lords' Alliance. As of the, this included members from Amphail, Baldur's Gate, Daggerford, Longsaddle, Mirabar, Mithral Hall, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, Waterdeep, and Yartar. However, owing to the inhospitabileness of the prison and its environs, it was rare for all ten representatives to be present at Revel's End, and so the committee would convene with as few as three councilors to make decisions on prisoners' fate.

Notable Members

 * Voss Anderton, the councilor from Neverwinter as of 1489 DR.
 * Jarnathan, an aarakocra councilor in the late 1490s DR.
 * Jil Torbo, the councilor from Baldur's Gate as of 1489 DR.
 * Kriv Norixius, the councilor from Daggerford as of 1489 DR.

History
In the late 1490s DR, an Absolution Council comprising Jarnathan, Kriv Norixius, Voss Anderton, and Jil Torbo met in Revel's End to consider a pardon for Edgin Darvis and Holga Kilgore for the crimes of skulduggery and grand larceny. However, a storm delayed Jarnathan's journey so the council started without him, but Edgin kept inquiring about Jarnathan's absence, when he'd arrive, and how unfortunate it was that he'd miss out on his story. He hoped that Jarnathan would free them. And he would, just not in the way that anyone expected. When Jarnathan entered, Edgin enacted his 'plan', with him and Holga fighting off the guards, grabbing the aarakocra, and jumping through the window, forcing him to fly them to ice below. Jarnathan was knocked out by the hard landing, but survived.

More than a year later, the same council met to consider Forge Fitzwilliam for pardon, but were wise to the same tricks and refused him. Forge also grabbed Jarnathan and tried to jump through the window, only to find it bricked up behind a curtain, stunning both himself and the poor aarakocra.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden &bull; Keys from the Golden Vault: "Prisoner 13"
 * Film & Television
 * Honor Among Thieves
 * Books
 * Honor Among Thieves: The Junior Novelization • Heroes Unite! • The Quest Begins