Aodhian Nobility

Aodh is notorious for its nobility - an elite class of privileged individuals who own most of the nation’s valuable resources, land and notable businesses. While all nobility should be respected by commoners, not all nobles are made equal. Among their ranks stand two different groups: the ancient Great Houses who helped build Aodh, and the Lesser Houses, who came after. Great Houses enjoy preferential treatment over the Lesser nobility.
Nobles enjoy reduced taxation, having their legal matters handled at the Peers Court, protection of injured nobility laws and considerable prestige. The head of each noble House is entitled to a seat at Peers Court. Nobles are not above the law, and in some circumstances may even be judged more harshly than their ‘lessers’ - although for a commoner to take a noble to court is risky.
The polite way to address a noble is “Eminent Name”, or shortened to “Emin Name”, which is slightly more informal. If the noble holds a special title (such as Adviser), it is more polite to address them by that title.
== Noble Occupations ==
Although a noble is always a noble first, and anything else second, there are a number of established positions that are considered acceptable for a noble to partake in.
The most desirable positions for any noble are those of Adviser and Envoy. These positions offer not only the opportunity to partake in ruling Aodh, but also come with prestige and implicit power. These positions are, however, largely out of the reach of Lesser nobility. Still, all heads of Houses are expected to be interested and well-versed in politics, attending court regularly.
Most nobles are business owners, acting as managers and CEOs of family establishments with storied histories - financial empires built over generations of hard work. Banking, stores, restaurants, bars, vineyards, bathhouses, brothels, hotels, casinos, agriculture, real estate - if there’s money to be made from running it, some noble somewhere has probably tried their hoof at it. It is generally expected that the heir of the House will follow into the family business. 
Some nobles may also choose to pursue academics or arts, becoming esteemed scientists, doctors or artists. It should be noted that their title (and SA rank) would still always be Eminent, rather than an Artisan, Paramount etc. Usually these pursuits are encouraged (especially for non-heirs), and good education is prized among nobility. 
Certain Houses have a tradition of sending their younger offspring to join Sanctums. Others use it as a clean way to remove problematic offspring from the line of succession. Either way, nobles who become Sanctum Attendants lose their nobility - but are still generally treated and respected as nobles by other nobles, even if they do not hold the title.
A select few Houses value military training, and send additional children to join the ranks of Chevaliers. This is fairly atypical, but considered somewhat honorable. Nobles are more or less guaranteed to become officers.
Some professions are considered strictly below nobility, such as being any kind of common worker, merchant or service provider. For example, a noble family may choose to breed high quality slaves and train them for sale; but they would not go around catching slaves in the wild, or buy and resell defective stock - this is considered commoner’s work.
=== Noble Values ===
Most Eminents are supporters of Aodh’s current societal order: the classism that places them on top. They also tend to be supporters of capitalism, and vocal proponents of Eithne’s slave trade. Nobles are expected to be devout to Aodh’s patron, Ignacio, although worshipping other gods in addition to the Fire God is not considered a bad thing - except perhaps for Alya. Noble religion is often performative in nature, placing high value on outward showings of piety. A noble who is openly against Ignacio or gods in general is an outlier, and likely not well regarded by others.
It is often in their best interest to at least pretend to agree with the values of their own House, and the current reigning monarch. Although Eminents having different values is not impossible, such beliefs are generally kept quiet and only discussed with trusted friends. Being too vocal about your disapproval of the King or Aodh itself has led to the death of many nobles.
== Noble Household ==
A noble household will generally consist of the Head of the House, their spouses, and their children, although some Houses choose to keep a more sprawling family lineage. Each noble may only belong to one House unless given special permission from the Crown.
=== Head of House ===
Each House must have a Head; the title is hereditary, and passed on to the oldest eligible child of the current Head. This person is known as heir, and the next in line after them is colloquially called a ‘spare’, denoting that they’re more likely to inherit should something happen to the heir.  The current Head may abdicate their position in favor of their heir at any time after the heir turns 18; inheriting the title younger is only possible if the Head dies, or there are other circumstances forcing the shift in power. Forcing a Head to retire requires royal approval, and is only done in cases of crime, or inability (illness etc) to lead.
The Head of the House is entitled to use the finances and property of the House as they please. They are expected to keep discipline inside their House, and are considered partially responsible if a member of their household does something particularly heinous. How strict a House is depends entirely on the Head - some are quite open and permissive, while others hold members of their Household to extremely high standards.
It should be noted that Heads are not above Aodhian law, nor legally perform actions that overstep their powers - they can’t, for example, act as judges or have someone killed.
The Head of the House can:
* Attend Peers Court
* Have full control of the House property
* Delegate handling parts of the property to person(s) of their choosing.
* Decide the allowances of each member of their House
* Arrange marriages for members of their House
* Disinherit members of their House (skipping them over in line of succession)
* Disown members of their House (permanently remove their nobility)
=== Marriage ===
The vast majority of noble marriages are arranged; for prominent Houses, arranged matches may be made for very young children, although engagements are only officialized in adulthood. Gender or personal preference play no role in arranged noble marriages; matches are made to produce heirs and to strengthen the House, not for romantic reasons. Nobles almost exclusively marry other nobles, and the Head of the House can (and usually will) disown any member of the House who marries a commoner. Such matches are only possible for the Head, or with their explicit approval. 
Noble marriages allow Houses to find political allies - families now related to you by blood - extending their potential influence. Families with close ties are also often business partners, increasing the wealth of both. Actual dowries are somewhat unusual, but not unheard off; usually they come into play when a House with a lot of wealth but little prestige wants to marry into a House with the opposite situation.
Noble marriages always include a degree of power imbalance. When two nobles marry, the first thing to decide is who will be joining the other’s House - a noble can only belong to one House. As such, it’s typical for the heir apparent and the Head to have multiple spouses, who themselves are not married to anyone else. Essentially, nobles practice limited polyamory, where only the main line of each House has multiple spouses - although all nobles are free to keep lovers as well, if their partner agrees to it.
Typically a House will try to find good matches for their heir apparent, keep the spare unmarried or in the House, and marry off any additional children to suitable matches with other heir apparents, Heads and spares. Other methods exist - such as wanting a larger lineage in their own House, rather than marrying most children out - but as only the oldest will inherit, managing a sprawling family lineage may get complicated down the line.
Houses tend to aim to make the first match the most important one, with any additional marriages being of lesser importance. Marrying a commoner as your first spouse is considered more or less an insult towards other nobles.
Divorces between nobles are uncommon due to the arranged nature of the matches, but not unheard off. A noble needs permission from their Head to divorce or call off an engagement, but if approved, divorce holds no stigma.
==== Heir-heir marriage ====
A special case of marriage is one where two people in line to inherit their Houses marry. This is highly unusual, and should be avoided, as it may lead to the Houses merging, removing one of them from existence. 
Heir-heir marriages usually happen due to unforeseen circumstances, such as the original heir of one House dying. If possible, the new heir will simply abdicate their position in favor of the next-in-line, avoiding the merger. If there are no other heirs, they may seek special permission from the King to preserve their own House - that is, have one of their (eventual) children inherit the title of Head. In such cases, both spouses will likely have multiple marriages.
=== Children ===
Children are the lifeblood of any noble House. Nobles tend to want at least two children, but larger families mean more opportunities for beneficial marriages - or as some Houses see it, more people to work their family business. 
Nobles generally prefer to have their children while young, leaving them with a lot of time to arrange the lives of said children and prepare them for future roles before they themselves need to take charge of matters either as Heads, or spouses. 
Although being child-free is a generally accepted lifestyle in Aodh, for nobles it's considered selfish and unusual - endangering the House’s future for personal reasons may even be a reason for being disinherited, depending on the Head.
Regardless of gender, the spouses will almost always be the ones to give birth, while the Head/heir will act as the ‘father’ in the equation. This is mostly for safety reasons - even in Aodh’s advanced medical world, pregnancy is not without risk.
==== Adoption ====
Adoptions are common among nobility - depending on the situation, they may be considered philanthropy, or a simple family obligation.
Adopted children are considered exactly the same as biological children with one key exception - they are only nobility if they were born nobility. This means adopted commoner children can not inherit the title of Head, and may only become ‘true’ nobles if married into nobility - not an impossible thing for someone adopted into a prestigious family. These adopted children generally live luxurious lives off of their allowances, and go on to work with the family business.
Adoption of noble children generally happens within the same family, or sometimes the child is adopted by a family friend. They retain their original title and inheritance (if any), and do not inherit from their adopted parents, unless they’re the only heir available.
==== Bastards ====
Any child born to or from a noble outside a marriage is considered a bastard and is a commoner. The social status of the other parent is irrelevant (unless they are a slave) - even if both parents are nobles, the child is still a bastard if they are not married. The child of a noble and slave is a slave, unless the slave parentage is hidden (the noble gives birth). There’s no common stigma related to having bastard children, but certain Houses have a more negative view of illegitimate children. Having a bastard before marriage (especially giving birth to one) is considered somewhat unseemly, and may be a dealbreaker for some Houses.
Bastards born from a noble parent are generally afforded privileged lives. These bastards are considered a part of their parent’s House, and are usually given opportunities and funds similar to a noble, albeit without the ability to inherit from their parent. They are not considered nobility, but may live like one. If the child is unwanted, they’re generally sent to the orphanage at a young age, or adopted out privately.
Bastards born by a noble are a more varied bunch. If the child is unwanted by the noble, they hold no obligation towards the child. They can not be forced to recognize the child as their own if they don’t want to; nor can they be forced into any obligations regarding the child. If, on the other hand, the noble is interested in the child, they’re likely to live a life similar to children born from a noble; including being recognized as belonging to their House. Sometimes a noble may even choose to remove the child from their birth parent to be raised within the House. 
Noble bastards can never inherit the House or become Head. They’re not considered nobility, and can not become nobility unless they marry into a noble house. Aodhian noble culture does not legitimize bastards (make them ‘real’ nobles), and while being recognized by your noble parent does grant a certain amount of privilege and access, it is a privilege entirely reliant on the continued approval of said noble parent.
=== Cadet Branches ===
Cadet Branch refers to a rare circumstance where an existing House splits, forming a new House. This new House may or may not retain some loyalty or obligations towards the parent House. For all intents and purposes, Cadet Branches are new Houses, and have their own Head of House and their own ancestral home. It should be noted that a Cadet Branch's founding date will be the date of the split, not the founding of the original House - as such, Cadet Branches are near exclusively Lesser Houses. 
Cadet Branches can only be formed with royal permission. They usually come about when an internal schism within a House leads the parties to seek royal permission to split the House, or when a single House becomes too wealthy or too widespread, and is split.
=== Removal of Nobility ===
Removal of nobility, also known as disowning, is relatively common. While disinheriting a noble only removes them from the line of inheritance (for example Emin Lilith was disinherited), being disowned completely rebukes the noble status of the individual. This is almost always permanent.
A disowned noble is immediately stripped of their noble title, and of any property that they have purchased with House money. They also immediately lose access to the Peers Court, and all other noble privileges.
The Head of House can disown members of their own House. Typical reasons include:
* Disobedience towards the Head
* Dishonoring the family name
* Committing a (serious) crime
* Marrying a commoner without the Head’s permission
* Using House money without the Head’s permission
The disowned noble may complain about the decision to the King, but overturning the disowning is extremely rare, as the King will rarely intervene with internal House politics.
The Head of the House may also restore nobility to someone they disowned, but this is rarely done.
==== Destruction of a Noble House ====
In modern day, destruction of an entire House is relatively rare - but it used to be a lot more common. Many of the old Houses of New Valore have not survived to the modern day for a variety of reasons, and although they may have living descendants, they have little hope of ever regaining their lost nobility.
Typical reasons for the destruction of a House are:
* Extinction (all legitimate members dead)
* Merging into another House (rare; requires heir-heir marriage)
* Going bankrupt
* King renouncing the entire House; removing their nobility.
== Wealth ==
There are more than a hundred noble Houses in Aodh, varying in prestige, wealth and age. Some noble Houses are perpetually poor, living above their means and sustaining the House on loans. Others are astronomically wealthy. Most Houses will attempt, at all costs, to retain a certain luxurious lifestyle.
As a rule of thumb, the older a House is, the more wealthy it is likely to be, although there are exceptions. Houses favored by the King tend to accumulate wealth much easier than others, as they enjoy favors, boons and beneficial appointments. The richest House in Aodh has always been the royal House. 
Although Aodh is technically a completely capitalist society, it is also a totalitarian one. This means that the Crown can, and in the past has, intervened to break monopoly positions, or to correct situations where an individual family’s power begins to rival the Crown’s own. In general, a noble House is wise to remember to always pay dividends to the King.
=== Ancestral Home ===
Each noble House has an ancestral home - typically a manor house located in the Sol District, although some are located in other towns instead. These manors vary in style, size and luxuriousness, but are usually well-maintained, and reflect the family’s individual character and values. Having an ancestral home is considered a requirement, and having to sell the family home is generally the beginning of the end for any noble House.
=== Property ===
Although nobles are entitled to private property, just like any Aodhian, most of their property belongs to the House. The House fortunes are controlled solely by the Head of the House, who has the right to decide how much money any individual member of the House has to spend - similar to stipends. 
With the stipends given to them, nobles are free to make their own investments and pursue their own interests. These are considered truly private property, and will generally not change ownership even if their owner changes Houses (via marriage or divorce).
The Head may choose to let another family member manage the family business or parts of it, but this does not transfer the ownership to that individual noble. Selling the property of your House without the Head’s explicit permission is akin to stealing, and may be prosecuted if the Head so desires. 
=== Inheritance ===
Noble Houses follow direct primogeniture, where the oldest living legitimate child inherits all of the House’s wealth, assuming full control of the House fortunes and business. Inheritance is tied to the title of Head - the parent may still be alive when their child inherits them.
The rule of primogeniture may be broken, but only in the following cases:
# The heir abdicates their position in favor of a younger sibling.
# The heir is disinherited, often for going against the House. This requires royal approval.
# The heir is considered incapable of leadership, often due to illness. Requires royal approval.
Noble Houses are extremely resistant to splitting of wealth. This means that when individual members of a House die, all their property is passed back into common ownership, unless a testament stating otherwise has been approved by the Head of the House. This is to keep the wealth of the House from splintering, and from becoming private inheritances.
== Creating a Noble House ==
Each incoming noble must either belong to an existing, approved noble House, or you may create a new House for them. If you create a new House, all info of the House must be lore friendly, and will be judged together with your character’s application. Make sure your House does not share a name with any of the existing Houses (lists can be found in the Lesser and Great House articles, linked below).
New Eminent characters may only create Lesser Houses - Eminents may only be from a Great House if joining a pre-established House.
New Envoy characters may create either a Lesser or Great House. Note: Deadline for making a new Great House for this rank is 31st of March.
New Adviser characters must come from a Great House.
Each noble House should have at least the following info:
* Name
* Ancestral home (their manor/main property)
* History (how and when the family became nobles; significant events from the family timeline)
* Business (how the noble House makes money; 1-2 main business ventures preferred)
Additional info may be included, such as beliefs, values, motto, heraldry etc, but these are not mandatory.
For examples of noble Houses, you can look at House Vela and House Soleil.
Things to note
* Remember that your noble House can’t entirely monopolize any one field (banks, vineyards etc). 
* For Lesser Houses, it’s unrealistic for recently immigrated families from other herds to quickly rise to nobility on their own accord. Aodhians generally don’t think very highly of foreigners, so several generations would be required for one to be accepted in “polite society”
* Becoming a noble has gotten progressively harder as time has passed due to the elite status provided by the title.
* When planning the House and their backstory, feel free to use the previous Kings and their interests to your advantage
Category:Aodh
Category:Lore