Nobility

Nobility are an aristocracy, usually hereditary, which enjoys a legally privileged position in a polity, including the exercise of the power of law and coercion over their inferiors.

While Orcs, Zavalli, and Lizardfolk have prominent bloodlines and hierarchies of power, the concept of formalized or hereditary nobility does not directly apply to their societies.

### Human Nobility

While there are differences in human noble culture from realm to realm, in general human nobility attempts to equivocate other titles to roughly approximate the hierarchy of the ones listed below. These rules regarding nobility apply primarily to the Imperial system; however, the noble practices of other human (and demi-human) nations are generally similar, though not identical.

#### Monarch

The monarch is the sovereign ruler of a land. 'King' is considered an inferior title in prestige to 'Emperor', but both kings and emperors answer to no higher worldly power. While monarchs are the ultimate overlord of all the people in their land, they are not the direct, or immediate, overlord of all their vassals. Monarchs typically are the direct overlord of a smaller number of powerful vassals (princes, dukes, counts, etc) who rule over the masses of lower nobility and commoners in their name, and a large number of abnormal nobility (landless knights, bureaucrat gentlemen), with very few common-born subjects answering directly to the monarch. The concept of answering directly to the monarch is known as Royal or Imperial Immediacy, and is considered a high privilege.

#### Prince

A prince is the ruler of a principality, or else a child of the ruling monarch. Children of the ruling monarch (Royal or Imperial princes) are typically afforded significant privileges, and maintain their high title even if their direct holdings ('fiefs') are not substantial, or even if they have no land at all. By contrast, rulers of principalities have their title only by dint of the land they hold lordship over. Rulers of principalities often have substantial legal independence which sets them apart from even the most powerful duke or archduke, bordering on sovereignty. A duke that holds three duchies, or an archduke that acquires another one can, with the consent of the monarch, consolidate his lands into a principality.

Royal and Imperial princes rank above rulers of principalities in precedence and prestige.

#### Archduke

An Archduke is a rare title afforded to those dukes which either hold two duchies, or who unite said duchies into one formalized archduchy. Archduke is a more prestigious title, but has very few legal differences aside from precedence over dukes and the legal allowance of an archduke's style of coat of arms.

#### Duke

A duke is a noble who rules over a duchy. Duchies are massive stretches of land which contain numerous counties, baronies, and other fiefs within their borders. Though princes and archdukes technically rank above them in precedence, they cannot legally hold overlordship over dukes. A duke, by definition, is always in immediacy with the monarch.

#### Count

A count is a noble who rules over a county, a large and usually contiguous section of land allotted to them and their heirs as a fief in perpetuity. Counts may be vassals of higher nobles, or enjoy royal immediacy, answering to none but the monarch. In either case, a count is a powerful player in feudal politics, and not to be discounted lightly. Most counties have populations in excess of 40,000 subjects.

The borders of a county are often the same as the borders of a diocese of the Deodatic Church, and bishops are usually familiar with the count whose lands they share power in. In the Kingdom of Boisival, counts answer only to the dukes, and the dukes, in turn, answer to the king.

#### Viscount

Viscounts are landed vassals, but in some cases may not hold a castle or manor of their own, instead acting as part of their overlord's household. This is most common when a viscount is given authority over a scattered collection of lower nobility. Viscounts with contiguous holdings usually hold a castle or manor of their own and simply act as lesser counts, or greater barons, depending on how one wishes to view it.

Some barons see viscounts as servile and dependent, despite viscounts ranking above them in the hierarchy. Many barons chafe when forced to swear fealty to a viscount. Because of this, the overlords of barons often try to avoid putting them in a position where they would owe their fealty to a viscount. Thus, viscounts are the lieges of great numbers of knights and commoners, far greater than the number that barons rule over; but often are the overlord of very few castles or barons.

Legally speaking, Lord-Mayors are equivalent in rank to Viscounts, but are non-hereditary and not lifetime appointments; a Lord-Mayor is only entitled to use the Coat of Arms of a Viscount for the duration of his term as Lord-Mayor. Afterwards, he reverts to his prior privilege, usually that of a knight. For this reason, barons and non Lord-Mayor viscounts cannot become the legal overlord of a free city with the right to elect a Lord-Mayor; a noble cannot rule over one who is higher-ranking or a peer.

#### Baron

A baron, by Imperial definition, holds title over a castle, or at least what is legally recognized as a castle. In extreme cases, a baron's 'castle' may be less impressive than a wealthy knight's manor, but by law, the castle is privileged in a way a manor is not. Most castles are held by barons. A baron will generally rule over half a dozen or more landed knights, who each in turn hold overlordship of groups of serfs and freemen. One might expect an average baron to be able to summon around 20 mounted men-at-arms, including knights, and around 10 times that number of constables, wardens, militia, and levies, if the need is dire.

Barons are often independent minded, and very jealously guard their privileges and power as lord of a castle. Besieging even a small castle is time-consuming and costly, and barons often use this fact to get away with defiance of any decree of their overlord they deem too inconvenient to obey. Occasionally, the overlord will pick a baron to make an example of by force of arms to cow the rest into temporary submission.

By etiquette, a baron should be referred to as 'My lord' or 'Your lordship' even by peers or superiors. By contrast, a knight should only be referred to as 'My lord' or 'Your lordship' by social inferiors, not their peers or superiors.

Pobrzeze is sometimes referred to as 'The Kingdom of Barons' due to the legal equality of the nobility with one another, roughly approximating the social status of barons.

#### Knight

A landed knight, under ordinary circumstances, resides in a manor. Knightly manors are imposing to the peasantry, but are little more than large houses with a stone-walled courtyard to the well-traveled. A landed knight typically holds power over 20-30 families in the name of their overlord - usually a baron or viscount, and will have a personal retinue of 3-10 men, some civilians (such as servants), others military or semi-military (such as beadles, bailiffs, foresters, squires, or serjeants). A knight with a military retinue of a full ten men (*lance fournie*) is known as a banneret, and it is a great honor to count such men as one's vassals.

Some lower-ranking knights become 'household' or 'garrison' knights, who formally hold no land and depend upon their immediate overlord for "maintenance", or pay. Household knights are legally entitled to coats of arms, but usually wear the livery of their overlord instead. Household knights typically have much smaller retinues than landed knights, often consisting of only a single squire or page to accompany them. While dukes and counts often have large groups of household knights, a viscount or baron will rarely have more than 2-3.

A related concept is that of knights-errant. Typically the younger sons of barons or knights, they travel in search of a lord who will accept them, or simply in search of work (usually as mercenaries). Landless knights are infamous for harassing the peasantry, attempting to impose themselves as guests upon landed nobility, and even turning bandit when they can find no work appropriate to their rank.

A knight without holdings is still a knight if he is the son of a landed knight. However, the son of a landless knight is only a knight if knighthood is bestowed upon him by his father's liege. This is a courtesy normally afforded to household knights, but knights-errant with no liege save the monarch rarely find luck in petitioning for their sons. A son of a landless knight is otherwise merely a gentleman; an untitled noble.

Knights of secular Knightly Orders, or the Holy Orders of the Deodatic Church, use the coat of arms of their Order, and surrender their right to use their own familial coat of arms for the duration of their membership within the Order (typically for life).

Any knight, or higher noble, may bestow the rank of knight upon another. However, this power is not unlimited - a man of 'vulgar origin' may be 'un-knighted' by higher nobility if it is discovered that he was not knighted with sufficient cause. Gentlemen who are knighted are not subject to such potential revocation, save by the monarch in the case of serious and dishonorable crimes.

Sons of the higher nobility, including barons, are always afforded the legal privileges and formal status of knighthood, even if they have no holdings and are expected to inherit none. The correct term for such 'pseudo-knights' is 'Young Master', regardless of age, not 'Sir'. Those of lower rank than knights, common and noble alike, may be referred to as 'Sirrah'. Referring to a knight (or higher noble) as 'Sirrah' is a grave insult.

#### Untitled Noble

Untitled nobility, or 'gentlemen', generally do not hold hereditary rank (ie their children do not count amongst the nobility). These nobles do not belong to noble houses, and often lack the protections and privileges of higher nobility, but they do still rank above the commoners. Nobility without title is most commonly bestowed upon bailiffs, chancellors, and other minor officials of higher nobility. It is considered normal and unexceptional to knight a gentleman, in contrast to a commoner, who would have to be extraordinary to merit such an honor.

#### Ecclesiastic Nobility

Parish Priests, Bishops, Archbishops, and Cardinals of the Deodatic Church are all afforded the basic rights of nobility to differentiate them from the commoners. Their coats of arms are that of their meeting house, diocese, or archdiocese, and are neither familial nor personal.

The greatest difference in ecclesiastic noble heraldry is that the crown above an ecclesiastic coat of arms does not change with rank, unlike the coats of arms of secular nobility.

### Elven Nobility

#### Imperial Elven Nobility

The Imperial Elven nobility consists primarily of independent princes (ie princes who are not related to the Emperor, but swear fealty to him). An Elven prince rules over one or several Caers and the Sylvan Groves associated with them.

#### Exarchiae Nobility

The nobility of the Exarchiae are similar to that of the Elven Empire, save that the princes answer to kings or queens rather than the Emperor. The monarchs of the Exarchiae sometimes recognize the Emperor as 'First Amongst Equals', as they cannot claim to be over him, yet are too proud to consider themselves under him.

### Dwarven Nobility

Dwarves lack lower nobility, but often have monarchs. The children of the monarch are still referred to as princes, but are afforded less deference than in other societies. The children of princes hold no special rank, unless the prince ascends to the throne.