The Assembly

By the wardstone attempt, the Assembly is focused on obtaining a luminary and finding a workable way to raise Aretia's wards. Its members debate Tecarus's terms, question Violet's translation, and return to the unresolved problem of getting the equipment Aretia needs.

After more Poromish towns fall and Draithus is left vulnerable, the Assembly wants Aretia’s wards raised and functional immediately. That urgency places the governing body on the side of speed and protection, even when Violet fears its members may condemn her for delaying disclosure to warn the fliers first.

The Assembly has seven members, with five required for a quorum and four votes enough to carry a motion. Its meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend, even though the votes remain in Assembly hands.

Xaden Riorson holds the Assembly’s missing seventh seat, and his chair has been waiting for him when six other members meet after the Basgiath exodus. In his own house, he asserts enough authority to force the members to accept Violet under his responsibility.

Assembly authority can be exercised through quorum rather than full attendance. At the Athebyne meeting, Brennan invokes committee rule and says he speaks for the quorum because Suri and Kylynn are present in the woods with the movement.

When Xaden sits in the Assembly chair, he treats the position as authority to make contested military decisions. Trissa challenges the use of cadet volunteers, but Xaden answers that the Assembly wanted him in that chair and must deal with his decisions while he occupies it.

Felix is an Assembly member who teaches Violet and directs rune instruction through Trissa, saying she should handle the work because she has the most patience.

Brennan acts for the Assembly in negotiations and command matters. He joins the Cordyn mission because Violet and Mira cannot negotiate an arms deal on the Assembly's behalf, and his rank gives him a way to claim authority over Xaden during that mission.

Trissa serves the Assembly’s educational work as a professor, including by testing a new rune class on the top squad and drift. Her role connects Assembly authority to the practical training of Aretia’s riders and fliers.

Ulices, Suri, and Kylynn are surfaced as Assembly figures during the movement's political and military decisions. Ulices receives Melgren's summons for a meeting with representatives of the movement, while Suri and Kylynn help provide the quorum Brennan claims at Athebyne.

The Assembly’s relationship with Xaden is contentious after the Basgiath exodus. Its members accuse him of exposing their work without a vote, but his authority inside Riorson House forces the immediate question of Violet’s place in Aretia to be settled on his terms.

The Assembly regards Colonel Aetos and the scribes as threats after the exodus exposes more of Aretia’s work. Its members’ concern places Navarrian military and archival power among the forces the revolution must account for.

The Assembly rejects Melgren’s offer of peace and accepts war, but it also refuses to answer his Samara request or fight for Basgiath when it judges the risk to Aretia’s rider and flier forces too high. Xaden loses the vote over Samara and later reports that the Assembly will not change course, while Brennan agrees that rushing untrained cadets into enemy territory would get them killed.

Xaden’s restored position as Duke of Tyrrendor sharpens the tension between his authority and the Assembly’s wishes. Rhiannon notes that the Assembly wanted the Aretian riot to return, but Cat argues that Xaden does not have to heed those wishes now that he holds the ducal title.

The Assembly helps run Aretia's improvised school and wartime logistics alongside professors and revolution members. Its responsibilities include education, sanctuary arrangements, and practical problems such as supporting predatory bonded creatures within the valley's hidden protection.

The Assembly participates in Aretia’s ward effort by accompanying Violet, Brennan, Xaden, and others to the wardstone chamber for major ward-raising attempts. Its members question translations, debate the cost of Tecarus’s luminary terms, and return to the political problem of obtaining the equipment Aretia needs.

The Assembly chamber functions as Aretia’s working command space as the war spreads. With many Aretian officers and Assembly members stationed on outposts, Brennan uses the largely empty chamber for work and mending while running Aretia in Xaden’s absence, and the room later hosts disputes among officers, cadets, and professors as plans are narrowed.

Brennan questions the Assembly’s strategic judgment early in Violet’s time in Aretia. He believes it will not listen to his warning that venin may be strong enough to threaten Navarre within six months or less, even though he considers Felix one of its more rational members.