Members of the Court (TCG)

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Any good noble will surround himself with advisors. Each of these men (or women) will be an expert in areas which the king may not be knowledgable about. By consulting them when he is forced to make a decision in some area, the lord can render a fair and competent ruling.
Because of the modular nature of feudal governments, each of these offices is likely to be repeated at different levels of the government. For example, the local baron is certain to have his own seneschal, as does the count he reports to and the king above them both. Some position, such as the Lord High Wizard, will not be found in most estates due to the expense of maintaining such an advisor.
==Lord High Chamberlain==
Of all the positions in a lord's court, none is more trusted or important to the daily activity of the estate than that of the Lord High Chamberlain. In modern terms, the chamberlain is the lord's righthand man. He controls all access to the Lord and can act on his be half in any instance. Orders which are issued by the Lord High Chamberlain are assumed to come directly from the lord and must be obeyed without question.
A number of individuals will report to the Lord High Chamberlain. It is his job to coordinate reports from numerous lesser officials and present his lord with the information needed to make wise decisions. The Chamberlain enjoys the absolute trust of his monarch and can act in his behalf on any matter. In many cases where an audience has been requested with the lord, the chamberain will be able to resolve matters without having to "trouble his royal highness."
==Lord High Chancellor==
The Lord High Chancellor is entrusted with the day to day operations of the government. He is the absolute head of the civil service. answerable only to the lord himself. The only exception to this would be in cases where his actions might have to be cleared with the Lord High Chamberlain. The relationship between these two officials is close, if not always cordial.
Nearly every member of the lesser bureaucracy is under the direction of the Lord High Chancellor. His people organize tax collections, internal political relationships, and the posting and distribution of all royal decrees and proclamations.
==Lord High Justice==
The Lord High Justice is in charge of all aspects of the legal system. It is his responsibility to see to it that laws are enforced and that criminals are hunted down and detained. He oversees the actions of the local judges, all of whom answer to him, and the town militia.
Among the people who report directly to the Lord High Justice are the High Sheriff (who heads the town watch), the High Prosecutor (who handles the prosecution of criminals), and the High Forester (who oversees the lord's woodlands and prevents poaching).
==Lord High Marshal==
This individual is the head of the lord's military forces. He commands the armies and directs the actions of the city watch in the event of an attack. In all matters which require the use of the lord's troops and knights, the Lord High Marshal is in absolute charge.
In addition to the lesser military personel in the manor, the Lord High Marshal is in charge of the Royal Armorer and his armory, the hiring of any mercenary troops or adventurers, and the acquisition
of new military technologies and strategies from other kingdoms. Because of his dealings with adventurers and mercenaries, it is probable that the Lord High Marshal is the first individual which player characters will come into contact with as they rise in levels.
==Lord High Inquisitor==
One of the more sinister sounding offices, the Lord High Inquisitor is in charge with maintainence of the lord's intelligence network. He controls the numerous spies which have been placed in the other branches of the castle's power structure. In addition, he recieves reports from his agents in the holdings of those who serve the inquisitor's lord and from men stationed in other realms.
The nature of the feudal system makes the use of spies and counterspies almost a necessity. The king wants to know what his counts and dukes are up to, so he has men planted in their courts to provide him with information. The counts and dukes, of course, want to know what the knights and barons who serve them are up to, so they send their own spies to investigate. In addition, they want to know which of their own men really work for the king, so they employ counterspies to root out the informants. As you can see, this tangled web of agents can become quite complex. If used correctly, though, such intrigue can add a great deal to any chivalric campaign.
==Lord High Wizard==
One of the least commonly encountered, the position of Lord High Wizard serves two purposes. First and foremost, it allows the
Lord to have access to powerful magical spells. Perhaps more importantly, however, it shows the wealth and power of the lord. After all, keeping a wizard on your staff is an expensive practice. Such advisors are known for their ability to drain large amounts of revenue to fund their experiments, spell casting, and research. Since only the wealthiest (and therefore most powerful) of lords can afford such a burden, any court with a Lord High Wizard is highly respected.
While the court of a king or emperor is certain to have a very powerful Lord High Wizard, lesser estates may have only a token spell caster. Of course, since the average non-wizard does not understand the importance of various spells, a flashy spell of minimal power will often be perceived by the lord as more valuable than a more powerful spell which is less impressive in practice.
==Lord High Chaplin==
The Lord High Chaplin is a representative of the religious community in the lord's territory. In most cases, the Lord High Chaplin will be a member of the most powerful church in the kingdom. In cases where two faiths of equal power exist, there may be two separate of fices.
In manors where the lord is not religious, the Lord High Chaplin will be in charge of handling rela. tions between the lord and the church. A similar state of affairs exists when the lord is religious, but is not of the same faith as the majority of his subjects. In most cases, the lord will, at the very least, pay lip service to the religion of the Lord High Chaplin.