From the Lower City, the building where their lives were controlled could not be seen over The Wall. The Upper City had a much more clear view, even though it was set on a different elevation. The residents sometimes looked at it, and those not on the Council often felt a great longing to enter, but knew that was a privilege that they would probably never have, for the Portals, in addition to needing the Council Artifacts, were guarded by enough soldiers (and 2-3 mages of intermediate caliber) to take down most threats.

All of the Portals, when opened, lead to the same location; a pair of great silver and oak doors. Runes were engraved on them to resist damage, but they were generally unlocked, as the only people who would be there are either Council Members or invited guests. After passing through them, a person stood on the path leading to the chambers themselves. This area looked like a garden, with lush greenery and colorful flowers all around. The only exceedingly odd factors were the two gigantic dead willows near the chambers. These were the watchers, magical trees set as protective measures by the Council. In effect, anyone without the correct charm (which was different than the one that opened the gates) who stepped between them was frozen in time until a Council Member (usually whoever was on guard duty) investigated. When one was caught, a small magical notice went off to whoever was on guard duty. If the person began to struggle against it, further, increasingly desperate alarms were sent. The watchers could move to attack on a command from either the watchman/woman or the Council Head. In addition to this, inside were many more magical traps that could be turned against an intruder, such as living statues or exploding runes on the floor. All of these can only be activated by the Council Head.

The building itself appeared to be made of white marble, but was in fact much more durable than any normal stone. The windows, including the many stained glass ones, were made by a passive mage in days of old and were nigh unbreakable. It was rumored that during the last war to reach the capitol, centuries ago, the main stained glass window took a shot from a catapult with no damage whatsoever. The building was built to combine features of both a government building and a temple. It was fairly grandiose, to say the least. Each Council member had an office in the building they could retreat to or use for whatever they wanted. The Council Chamber itself was in the third floor. The room was circular with a dome ceiling. Each member had a seat around a grand table with two other seats for aides or guests behind themselves. In a room on top of the dome, there was a much smaller table. This was where the Council Members could watch any going-ons in the city. The table in that room was made of black glass and was held up by four legs of silver. There was no floor directly beneath it, but the legs were sturdy. When four mages stood around it and placed their hands on it, they were able to scry upon events in the city even if they would not normally have those powers. These images could then be projected through the hole in the floor to be seen on the Council table in the main Chamber.