The Council
From Girl Genius
The Council is apparently a well-funded conspiracy to establish a new Storm King empire, throwing off the Baron's Peace.
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[edit] Operatives
The actual operation is run by Baron Oublenmach and Duke Strinbeck, who are aboard an impressive modern airship which is, however, currently colored pink (this is intentional, however distressing to the captain and crew of the ship) and holding a position whose altitude is poorly defensible (even more distressing to the captain) and well within Mechanicsburg airspace (also intentional, and much more distressing to at least one experienced mate).
On the ground (and showing few signs of distress, not counting perfect readiness to commit various forms of homicide) has been delivered the Council's own fake Heterodyne, Zola and an accompanying coterie of technologically-equipped minions (the remains of which are probably currently taking a breather now that Zola has acquired alternative minions to mortally endanger), who has recently met in Castle Heterodyne with the previously placed mole, Professor Tiktoffen.
[edit] Strategy
The general idea seems to be to recreate the "fairy-tale" of the Storm King marrying a female Heterodyne heir, which according to the opera, The Storm King, is prophesied to bring peace and stability to Europa. Zola, obviously, has been trained to take the role of the heiress.
The Council may be funding a revival of The Storm King in order to keep the prophecy firmly in the public consciousness.
[edit] Possible Members
Given that the only known, or at any rate most obvious, candidate for the Storm King role in this pantomime is Prince Tarvek Sturmvoraus, it is widely believed among fans that there is substantial overlap between the The Council and the Knights of Jove, and thus may even be the same as (or collectively) The Order mentioned in Sturmhalten.
So far there has been no hint of overlap between the Council and the Fifty Families, another organization which is undoubtedly plotting against the Baron, apart from the fact that the Fifty Families comprise the remaining royalty under Pax Wulfenbachia and that Oublenmach (Baron) and especially Strinbeck (Duke) each have titles of nobility.
[edit] Disambiguation
This Council is most emphatically not to be confused with the town council of Mechanicsburg, which would probably be happy to relieve these worthies of most of their possessions, and possibly their internal organs (if they could be bothered to do it).
[edit] Questions and Theories
- Are The Council, The Order, and The Knights of Jove in collusion, even substantially a single entity?
- On the other hand, is the Council a subcommittee of the Fifty Families?
- Both could be true, but then it would put them all in the service of the Other.
- Could, in fact, Tarvek (who is decended from the Storm King on his mother's side, while is father was clearly obsessed with "ladies" other than her) be yet again playing both ends against the middle, and thus the only overlap between the two groups?
