Welcome to Ardania, a realm of many fantastic creatures and things.
Cities are vital to the kingdom's success; in many ways, cities
are the kingdom. Resources, military units, equipment, research... everything is produced by cities. Not surprising, then, that land is the surest sign of a courtier's success and wealth.
Duke is a title given to the holder of a large area of land.
Count is a title given to the holder of a city.
Baron is a title given to the holder of a building.
These titles are, of course, overlapping, which can cause conflict when, say, a Duke insists that a Count in his domain runs his city a certain way. The easiest way to avoid such issues is simply to avoid having any overlapping titles; no Barons in a city ruled by a Count and no Counts in a region ruled by a Duke. This can be difficult to achieve, however, given the scarcity of such rewards and the number of individuals clamoring for them.
Holders of a land can, in theory, do anything they choose with it. Obviously giving a decree is different from watching it happen, especially when someone else is decreeing differently, but landed lords still tend to hold tremendous power within their domains. Even when the overt effects of this control do not seem particularly impressive, as with a Baron in charge of a silver mine, a clever lord can find subtler ways to turn their holdings to their advantage. Manufacturing gifts or ostentatious jewelry to bribe and impress their monarch or peers is a common use of such power.
With the rarity and relative stability of cities, it comes as no surprise that many courtiers find themselves literally fighting tooth and nail for recognition. Commanding a military unit is a relatively cheap method of proving one's worthiness for other, greater rewards, though many take a liking to battle regardless. Lesser courtiers are often defined by their position in the military.
Hero is a title given to someone who is either handler to or personally a Lord, a mighty champion that functions similarly to military units all on their own.
Captain is a title given to the commander of a military unit.
Heroes are quite rare, as Lords are quite rare, while Captains are very common, as military units are very common. Conflicts between military courtiers usually involves divisions over spoils or getting in each other's way, and they often don't work well with landed nobles.
Of course, even with the frequency of military units, there aren't always enough titles to go around. Some courtiers also find themselves desiring something a bit less violent than leading soldiers into battle, even from the safety and comfort of a feathered silk couch.
Minister is a title given to someone who is responsible for a concept, even if they don't hold any actual property or possess any particular authority regarding it.
Courtier is a title generally used only when a member of court has no other holdings, and thus no other titles, to be referred to by.
Ministers and Courtiers are both in the awkward position of owning nothing, which limits their chances for advancement to handouts. Ministers sometimes simply like an area so well that they want to specialize in advising their majesty on it, but other times are hoping for a related promotion when the opportunity comes. Courtiers are sometimes content simply advising their majesty or their peers at their leisure, but more often are looking for something, specific or not, to raise them from their current station.
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Topic: The Sorcerous Queen [Update 1, Turn 1: Council of Something] (Read 3118 times)