There are precious few things that unite the various nations of the continent, and that includes the largely impotent international influence of the Church. One of the most effective forces that holds the most powerful states together is the Council of Schönbrunn. The major powers of Geldenreich, Fanolania, and Lusatia founded this somewhat informal alliance centuries ago to recognize and combat common enemies that jeopardized the safety and security of the continent. Eventually other states joined as well, such as Slothjemia, and chivalric orders from throughout the Wenigzustand. Threats that are dealt with by the Council of Schönbrunn members are such things as powerful undead, heretical foreign powers that defy the authority of the Church, and other threats to the peace and harmony of the land. The Council works closely with the churches of the member states in order to identify what should be focused upon as a common cause, but one should not conclude that the religious guidance of the different churches is the primary factor driving the Schönbrunn alliance. While they are paladins of different backgrounds and nationality, they have as their focus a belief that their shared experiences as Holy warriors places them in a unique position to bridge across political and petty theological differences in order to combat evil.

In recent decades there have been three common causes upon which the Council of Schönbrunn have united against; the Diosian Lodge, the barbarians of the eastern grasslands, and the Torkan Caliphates. The members of the Council share military intelligence and to a lesser degree martial resources to offset any advantages these enemies might have, as well as encouraging individual adventurers to take up arms to harass and undermine these enemies. Anyone invited to attend a meeting of the Council of Schönbrunn, whether or not it is actually in the city of Schönbrunn (capital of Geldenreich), should clue an adventurer that they are now in the big leagues. These are the movers and shakers of the land, and if ever the great powers unite, it will be via a mechanism such as the Council of Schönbrunn. While they are less concerned with encouraging peace between the nations represented in the alliance, there can be no doubt that they have guaranteed a measure of tranquility just by focusing on the common enemies of these powers.