Four Stewards

The Four Stewards were an advisory council that helped to rule the kingdom of Akanûl.

Activities
The Four Stewards oversaw specialized sections of government, while the monarch of Akanûl controlled the major actions of government. They ruled from their own private fiefdom, known as a thronemote. The four offices were called the Steward of the Earth, the Steward of Fire, the Steward of the Sky, and the Steward of the Sea.

Although the Four Stewards primarily existed as administrative assistants and advisers, they also held a considerable amount of power over Akanûl's monarch. By royal decree, the Four Stewards were legally empowered to override the king or queen's authority through a unanimous vote. However, should there be any split in the ranks, the monarch's word remained law.

The Steward of the Earth was in charge of "understanding" the landscape —both political and geographical— of Akanül. For that reason, the Steward of the Earth headed up the spy network of Akanûl, that operated both inside and outside of the kingdom. They also were in charge of all the explorers and cartographers in charge of exploring the realm. This position gave the Steward of the Earth a great deal of power, as they commanded a number of powerful organizations within the kingdom. However, their power has held in check by the fact that they needed to work with the Steward of the Sky to prosecute any illegal activities, and the ruling monarch could overrule any prosecutions.
 * Steward of the Earth:

While it was considered that the Steward of Fire served as the general of the Akanülan army, the Steward of Fire was actually the second-in-command of all the military forces, with the ruling monarch being the supreme military commander. The Steward of Fire was primarily concerned with the defense of Airspur. In times of peace, the Steward of the Fire was in charge of the city watch of Airspur: the Sky Guard, the Ground Defense League, and the Wave Riders. The Steward of Fire needed the help of the other Stewards to enforce the law, however, as the Steward of the Sky was the legal authority of the kingdom, the Steward of Earth provided intelligence and detective work, and the Steward of the Sea was the one who approved the funding for the operations.
 * Steward of Fire:

The Steward of the Sky, also known as the Lawgiver of Airspur, served as the final arbiter of disputes and enforced the laws of Akanûl. All judges and lawyers of the kingdom were appointed and employed by the Steward of the Sky. Although this theoretically granted the Steward of the Sky great power, they had no direct control over who was brought to trial, as that was the domain of the Steward of Fire. Additionally, the monarch’s judgment was the highest law, and they could overrule the Steward of the Sky’ rulings.
 * Steward of the Sky:

The Steward of the Sea was also known as the Lord of Coin and oversaw the business of the realm. Their agents dealt with issuing taxation, giving rights for building businesses, issuing shipping permits, determining docking and caravan fees, price fixing, and so on. The position of the Steward of the Sea was very coveted among the nobility of Akanûl because of the potential profits it offered, and candidates invested much capital and political promises to being elected into the position. Despite the potential for corruption, the other Stewards roles of investigators, police force, and prosecutors limited the corruption of the Steward of the Sea to a level that was acceptable to the nobles and invisible to the commoners.
 * Steward of the Sea

History
Circa 1430 DR, Queen Cyndra established the "Covenant of Stewardship", creating the office of the Four Stewards to balance the power of the ruling monarch of Akanûl.

Members
The Four Stewards consisted of four genasi ministers, each of them representing one of four elements — fire, earth, water, and wind —, who were elected to the position by the nobles of Akanûl every ten years.

As of 1479 DR, the Four Stewards were:
 * Lehaya, Steward of the Sky
 * Magnol, Steward of Fire
 * Myxofin, Steward of the Sea
 * Tradrem Kethtrod, Steward of the Earth

Trivia
As of 1479 DR, all Stewards of the Sea had been individuals known for their corruption.