The Royal Palace, Castle Wight
Introduction
The Nobility, its roles occupied by the privileged Celebrant, is the ruling power of Lorien and is the fundamental institution of government. Many of the Noble families most prominent today have existed in the Kingdom for millennia, and as a result they are considered inexorably tied to the Kingdom and its fate. There are many more intricacies to the Nobility and many more small houses not defined here, and so the purpose of this thread is to offer an overview of what is otherwise an entire section of Rien society.
Influence
The Nobility of Lorien (and Celebrant in general) hold a great deal of power, as they own all reserves of lorianum and control its production and refinement. As they, therefore, have a monopoly over the Hollows - Lorien's greatest source of productivity and military power - they hold a truly infallible grip on society that has largely allowed the Nobility to live greater than even Kings. The Nobility truly have a stranglehold over all of society's institutions; even the Argent who are taught to command Hollows are often married into Noble families once they become prominent enough, removing any risk of betrayal. Further, there are many likely true claims that the higher Nobility have means of pacifying Hollows and so appear to be nearly impervious to revolution.
As such, with a population truly unable to resist them, Lorien's Nobles have long acted as the oligarchs of their society and have never operated under the rule of law. A Lord is the supreme authority of his realm and can arbitrate all things to his will, so long as he does not conflict with the interests of the Omen. Nobles tend to dress lavishly, adorned with absurdly expensive jewelry and wearing satin crafted in faraway lands. They visit other nations where they reveal to the local industries their nearly sickening levels of wealth, though to the people of Lorien this divide is simply a fact of life, and due to the Hollows most people go without hungering and almost none must toil in labor.
As a result, the hegemonic grip on power remains thoroughly in the hands of the Celebrant and the regional Lords they create, with the only gaps occupied by the Omen.
Noble Marriage
As stated in the Marriage section of Lorien's major lore article, the Nobles of Lorien can roughly marry whoever they wish regardless of gender, sex or class, and their marriages tend to be lavish arrangements that shock cities; it is not uncommon for entire municipal areas to be decorated with flowers by Hollows in the lead-up to a prominent Noble marriage, and no expense is spared to ensure a euphoric if hedonistic condition for all attending guests.
Still, there are some implicit rules, and some important things to note. Firstly, Nobility may marry whomever they desire to, but to marry someone from a class any less than Argent is to bring upon oneself a lasting reputational stain. Even to marry most Argent would invoke a great deal of negative gossip, though prominent Knights and Chevaliers are sought after due to what is believed to be the excellence of their genes. Additionally, this seems to ensure a stronger military position for the Noble in question, reducing the likelihood of betrayal by their local Argents (though this is incredibly rare regardless).
Whatever the class of the partner may be, they will be elevated to Celebrant afterwards and will be given an inferior version of the Noble's same title, with the original Noble acting as the regnant (or true) holder of any title they possess.
In the case of two men or two women marrying one another, the typically patriarchal rules of Rien society cannot be applied and so the matter of whose name is taken and who acts as the regnant is determined largely by negotiation. This also applies to matrilineal marriages, or marriages where women act as the superior title-holder, or regnant. When two men or two women marry, the 'regnant' or leading spouse will be the one to reproduce with any surrogate, and that child will be treated as a legitimate heir like any other.
Authority and Involvement
There is no parliament in Lorien. Though there is a court of law that handles the majority of crimes and disputes, the Lord of a locale is capable of vetoing any court decision and determining a different outcome. They can pardon killers and imprison innocents - they can raise or lower taxes to their liking, and can arbitrate or change new laws to their liking once they’ve acquired the appropriate title - Count or greater. Nobles are immune to the repercussions of their own laws, save for religious laws. The exception is that they may hold their vassals accountable for infringement, but this is rare and dangerous for any Lord to do.
For all of these reasons, the Nobility of Lorien has often been tyrannical throughout history. Though Revenlow’s ascent reformed a great deal of the corrupt policies that a House Reizend weakly enabled, the decimation of Revenlow influence has led much of their reforms to slip back to the annals of history. While it certainly cannot be said that tyranny and abuse is the prevalent status quo, it is not uncommon to hear stories from afar of decorated Lords enslaving others to their will or even - more rarely - hunting their countrymen for sport.
As far as involvement goes, Nobles occupy society at more levels than simple Lordship over large sections of land. There are comparatively landless Nobles ruling lesser estates within cities, serving as aides to the ruling authority; as Courtiers, council-members or the board of their businesses. Though these jobs can often be left to other classes to fulfill, particularly Lustrians, unlanded Celebrant are often given such tasks in order to keep the power thoroughly in the hands of the ruling class.
Roleplay Rules
A player can choose to begin their play as a Noble of Lorien, can marry into the Nobility, or additionally may acquire Celebrant status by some other extraordinary means. Whatever the case, there are rules and restrictions regarding play as a Noble of any House.
Firstly, a character cannot begin play as a Duke or Duchess or married to a Duke or Duchess. They can begin as the child to one, cousin or even possibly sibling (with such requests being heavily scrutinized) - but they cannot begin as one. Ascending to this position requires layers of moderated approval and oversight, and will most likely require a multi-step process of moderated approvals and review. This can vary by circumstance, as a much more active Noble who contributes more to the plot and development of the realm may be given different treatment.
Secondly, one cannot play as a Revenlow - at least not in the beginning, or by circumstance of birth. No bastard Revenlow, no sibling or cousin, nothing; the Revenlow are extremely rare due to their civil wars and kinslaying and each is highly integral to the plot of Lorien. It is possible to marry into the family, but this is treated similarly to becoming a Duke in terms of scrutiny.
Third, someone who plays as a Noble must accept that the noble family is not theirs even if they become Duke or Duchess, at least in regards to OOC oversight. These families are open to any players given permission to begin as a member by the Lorien moderators, and no player has the right to forcefully influence any details regarding Lorien Noble PCs - even if they are parents, or siblings, or any other relation.
It cannot be stated clearly enough: even if you do not want a sibling PC (for example), a moderator does not have to consult you in order to approve someone as being a part of your line (as a sibling). This is to ensure that players are not forging a narrative monopoly over the noble Houses, as they are highly important to Lorien’s story and they are open to any deemed fit for the role. There is not a defined number of siblings that a PC may have, and they cannot define this IRP. Assume that you have a lot.
The one piece of nuance here is that a PC may not be made who is older than the current PC heir of a noble House, without the PC’s explicit permission. While the moderators of Lorien can and will use elective succession to prevent stagnation within the noble Houses, the position of heir is important and thus can’t be gamed by making an older PC.
Fourth, players who play as Nobles are beholden to the burden of Nobility. Lorien is a cutthroat society and the things a Noble says and does can have serious repercussions. While the benefits can be immense, so too can the drawbacks.
In terms of progression, Nobles have a few tiers that they may ascend to. There are unlanded Lords - Nobles not yet given a title - followed by Lords, Barons, Counts, Dukes and then Kings. Occasionally there are Margraves and Archdukes, but these are the exception rather than the rule. The highest position any PC may begin with is Baron, though this is not suggested. Nobles do not need to ascend up a linear career path - one can go from Lord to Duke in rare circumstances, and all that’s required in order for a PC to ascend up the ladder (at least until Duke) is Help Desk approval by a Lorien moderator.
Finally, please do not act on behalf of your House to a level beyond your role - you may be allowed to speak on behalf of your family in important delegations, but only if a moderator allows you to do so.
As a note, a player may play a noble not from one of the major Houses. In fact, this is encouraged. In this case they are allowed to choose who plays in their family, so long as they develop their House in the Lorien player development forum and have it approved. It is required that a Noble's House at least be submitted for approval before they are allowed to play. These Houses may obviously not be ducal families but may act as Lords of a county, barony or less - even nothing.
NPC Rules
1. Unless given permission, no Noble NPC of the rank of Count or higher can be played by a PC. There are a few unique exceptions, which will be outlined here.
[indent=15]1a. If the player is a Duke, they may RP the NPC Counts in their Duchy for the purpose of plot.
[indent=15]1b. If a player's parent NPC is a Count or higher, they may play their parent but only for roles in relatively insignificant plots (unless given permission to do otherwise) - such as conversations, dining, generally things of a social element. Politics may come up but the player is not allowed to decide that they have swayed or altered their parent's opinion/decision-making in such conversations.
[indent=15]1c. If a player is married to a Noble NPC, regardless of rank, they are allowed to play them freely however they wish. As a result, it does require high-level moderated approval to marry a prominent Lorien noble.
[indent=15]1d. If a player is a Knight serving in a County or Duchy, they may RP with the Noble running said area solely in order to be issued commands. The same applies to a Lustrian being ordered to build Hollows. It is preferable in these cases that it is either through letters or a brief exchange.
2. While Barons and Lords, etc, can be played without permission - please do not do anything extremely drastic in plots with them without moderated approval, such as having them be killed or anything nearly so impacting. Also please be aware of your skill levels and not overplaying them while interacting with Noble NPCs in a meaningful manner.
3. Minor Noble NPCs (such as those below Count) can be improvised at-will for the sake of plot and immersion, like naming and interacting with a Lord or Baron during a ball or something of the like. If this is abused, this right can be revoked from an individual player.
4. Even if given total permission to play a Noble, a PC cannot change their rank or status without moderator permission, such as having a Baron spouse become a Count.
5. Use your better judgment. If you think you're being abusive in doing something, don't do it, or ask. Even if something isn't listed as a rule here, it can still be considered abusive.
NOTE: These NPCs are all Story NPCs. All players have 0 Influence with them unless otherwise granted.
