Onsruur

The Onsruur was the council of lords that ruled Khôltar, south Faerûn, for centuries. It was originally the name of a council member that codified the laws in place at the time, known as the Decrees of Onsruur, and over the years the name came to be used for both the code of laws, the legislative body that formed them, and the families that were members.

Organization
The Onsruur was a council of twenty voting members, one from each of the twenty most powerful families in Khôltar. Other family members may have been able to attend council meetings, but each family only got one vote. The organization had practically complete control over the Iron City, regardless of who was elected Belarkh (ruling lord).

Activities
The Onsruur were responsible for passing laws, paying the garthraun (police) to enforce the laws and defend the city, paying the malgart (judges) to administer the laws in court, set tax policy, set trade policy with other entities, and generally keep order so that nothing interfered with business.

Tactics
Over the years, the Onsruur consolidated its power until it was essentially absolute. Even though the people elected the Belarkh, the Onsruur were the only ones allowed to nominate a person to run for the office. Typically, they chose a war hero or a successful crafter that they groomed and trained for the office, making sure that the person was wholly in their pocket and would speak their words, allowing the Onsruur to work behind the scenes. Those that thwarted the Onsruur's wishes or tried to push their own agenda usually met with a fatal accident or died of an abrupt sickness (brought on by poison).

Base of Operations
The Onsruur chambers were in the smaller of the two towers that were part of High Khôltar&mdash;the fortress/mansion in which the Belarkh was allowed to reside. Each family had their own opulent residence, most of which were clustered around the intersections of the Iron Way with Erethorn's Ride and Suldroon Street in the heart of the Iron City, in the district known as "Deep Coin".

Possessions
Each Onsruur House hired their own, heavily armed, bodyguards, rather than trust their security to the garthraun. Most of these were human and former mercenaries or adventurers, but other races, including yuan-ti, were represented in their number.

Relationships
Among themselves, the Onsruur families had alliances and rivalries, but the majority felt that they were the only ones entitled to rule, and were not in favor of expanding their ranks. One man, Darvoro, the extremely wealthy owner of Darvoro's Plates, was very keen to become an Onsruur, but despite his plots, bribes, and spys, his every overture was rebuffed.

In general, the Onsruur had a high opinion of themselves and looked down on other countries and city-states, but that didn't stop them from investing in and trading with other entities. Indeed, many of them were actively working on becoming influential in business or politics in places like Amn, Calimshan, Chessenta, Lapaliiya, Sembia, Tashalar, Var the Golden, and the Vilhon Reach.

Their relationship with the gold dwarves of the Deep Realm was somewhat wary, but peaceful and businesslike. Individual families had views that spanned the gamut from friendly to stridently racist, but the Iron City depended heavily on the iron and other metal exports from the Great Rift.

History
The original citizen council was formed in the Year of the Thoughtful Man, 374 DR, by the second Shieldlord, Onskrar Hammershield, after the assassination of the city's founder Amberu Khôltar in a misguided plot to inflame human and dwarven emotions and force the dwarves to evict the humans and confiscate their businesses. The plot failed, but to placate the outraged population, Hammershield made an honest effort at forming a representative council that consisted of twelve old and experienced human crafters, four dwarves, two gnomes, and one halfling, plus eight other members that were appointed by him and rotated every season. This council drafted laws, and were consulted about matters of governance, but the humans on the council soon began to take over by subterfuge and skullduggery.

Over the next two hundred years, the citizen's council became exclusively human, growing from twelve to sixteen to twenty members, and the seasonal appointees became merely scribes, secretaries, and envoys. This began slowly during the tenure of Shieldlord Hammershield, but when he was killed in a building collapse in the Year of the Ambitious Sycophant, 424 DR, he was replaced by Gonth Forgegold, who's management style was considerably more hands-off. Shieldlord Forgegold tried to be a friend, brother, or father to all the people of Khôltar, giving them gifts, grants, aid, favors, and garnering as many drinking buddies as he possibly could, and earning himself the nickname "Merrybelt".