Pages

A common sight within the Hall of Lords at all times, not just during the monthly Time of Petition, pages are almost as much a part of the institution of the Kingdom as the original treaty that formed it.

Formed of youths of any gender between roughly 7 and 11, the large group of pages are virtually interchangeable in all ways outside of hair color and texture, skin, and eye color. With hair cropped short, and a uniform of silver hose, a soft silver long sleeve shirt, and a brilliant brocade overtunic embroidered by hand with the crest of the Kingdom of Verissamore. This uniformity in appearance helps to enforce the idea that each page is both interchangeable and indispensable, as indeed they are.

The history of pages begins shortly before the founding of the kingdom in the form of a group of young children that belonged to the camp followers of the Lions of Sun were recruited to quickly run messages back and forth between various Lords camps so that everyone’s plans for battle could be most effective both jointly and separately. One of the Lords received one of the young urchins and their message one day and noticed that the child had suffered some very bad bruises and cuts. A discreet investigation quickly revealed that the husband of the child’s mother had become enraged upon finding that the child had received a tip in the shape of coins from his biological father and had taken out that rage upon the child and his wife. Intent to make sure that this could never happen again, the Lord set about formalizing the position so that all of the children being used to run errands could be safer in their posts.

In the 1520 years since the Kingdom's founding, this position of pages has remained almost exactly the same, the only change being that in 1402 it became open to all genders, not just boys.

The duties of this position involve running any and all (legal and moral) errands for anyone in the Hall of Lords, serving at feasts and the Time of Petition, and essentially any odd job presented to them. They are, for all intents and purposes, the property of the Kingdom for the length of their service. They both outrank every noble and are law bound to serve even the lowliest beggar.

This juxtaposition of both high and low position and the literal selling of years of life into service to the Kingdom itself is highly rewarded, though. Each family is given a yearly stipend for the service of the child at a set rate. The amount is very high for poor families who are losing a potential hand for labor, but fairly low for those more well-off families who have given a child into service. The child’s room and board are fully paid, and each child is fully in literacy, history, deportment, as well as one chosen vocation. This training continues until the child is 15, as does their room and board even though they are no longer in service. These children also receive what you might call a “severance pay” upon the completion of their training at 15. Generally, it is enough to provide for themselves for a reasonable amount of time until they settle into an occupation or other chosen life. Many a young person has changed their family history from one of generations-old poverty to that of a middle class or higher future through dedicated application to their studies and careful husbandry of their own resources and or the connections they have made through service.

The position of page is one that is seen as a high honor to any family and is viewed as highly as a calling into the clergy by most. Every year a small progression of a carefully chosen board of overseers proceeds throughout the kingdom, doing their best to stop everywhere they can and recruit children of the right age and temperament for service. This progression is eagerly awaited, and families have been known to travel for up to three days in the hopes that their children might be chosen.

Once chosen, the children are escorted to Heliene, and both training and service begins.