The small council of elderly men who appear to govern the village society of Organia and who calmly refuse both Federation protection and resistance to Klingon occupation.
The Council of Elders is the body that receives Kirk and Spock when they come to Organia to offer Federation help against the Klingons. Its chairman is Ayelborne, and its members include Claymare and Trefayne, who can sense events far beyond the council chamber.
In Errand of Mercy, the elders decline the offer and show no alarm when Commander Kor lands an occupation force. They disguise the two officers as locals, later free them from a Klingon cell, and seem unmoved by the announced execution of hundreds of hostages.
The council finally shows what it is. The Organians are beings of pure energy who took humanoid form for the convenience of visitors. Ayelborne and Claymare disable the weapons of both fleets and impose a peace on the Federation and the Klingon Empire.