The Conclave is the ruling body of Argonnessen, made up of elder members of flights and domains from across the continent. It meets once every decade, with emergency meetings called as needed, to discuss subjects such as military matters, interpretations of Prophecy, and the enforcement of tradition and law throughout Argonnessen.
When the dragons first gathered to plot their rebellion in the Age of Demons, it was the eldest among them who laid out their plans. This tradition continues to the present day. For a dragon, age is power, and the oldest of the dragons direct the destiny of their kind. It was the Conclave that brought an end to the age of draconic expansion, ordered the destruction of Xen’drik, and authorized the Chamber to operate in distant lands. Aside from their own personal power as great wyrms, the members of the Conclave command the militant Light of Siberys, and few dare challenge their rulings.
Members of the Conclave come from all territories of Argonnessen. Each flight or dominion sends a single great wyrm to represent its interests; younger dragons have no voice in the Conclave. In theory, color plays no role. In practice, charisma and sheer might gives the gold, silver, bronze, and red dragons greater influence than others. The council meets at the Great Aerie of the Thousand once every decade, with emergency sessions called as necessary. In these meetings (which can last weeks or even months), dragons discuss recent developments in the Prophecy, the actions of rogues and the Lords of Dust, and any news sent in by spies or dragon guardians. Issues are resolved through debate; ultimately a vote settles any disputes. Voting involves a major artifact, the Orb of Ourelonastrix. This vast crystal sphere is set into the floor of the Aerie’s council chamber. Each member of the Conclave sends a vote as a pulse of magical energy—an action that uses a 0-level arcane spell slot, but does not require the use of a specific spell—and the orb shows the results. The orb evaluates the mind of each voter, and indicates if a voter is under the influence of magical or psionic coercion.
Dragons must physically attend the Conclave to vote. Those who do not wish to vote can take part in debates through arcane proxy.
To date, no nondragon has ever been allowed to attend a session of the Conclave. Nondragon servants—mostly stone giants and trusted children of Io’lokar—maintain the Great Aerie, but the meetings of the Conclave are attended only by dragons and their colossal iron golem sentinels. Any nondragon found to have spied on the Conclave without permission faces fearsome punishment.
To the casual observer, the Conclave appears to have little impact on the daily lives of the dragons. Still, the Conclave decides the direction of the dragons as a race. A decision made at any of the rare and momentous Conclave gatherings can change the shape of Eberron. It is in Conclave that the dragons could decide to destroy the dragonmarked houses, drive the Inspired from power, or bring a halt to the activities of the Chamber.