Noble Customs of the Essharan Empire

[Theori]

Guess who's back, back again? As a response to questions of a theoretical nature, and certain commentary about noble standards, here I submit a humble few suggestions of fluff to enhance Essharan (and thus Osronan) noble RP. Pls upvote if you like, and feel free to DM me feedback <3

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Marriage Customs

• When marrying amongst themselves, the female noble takes the name of the male noble, unless the female noble is over a house of greater prestige; i.e. a female Brienne marrying a male Solenne would become a Solenne, but if the Solenne married a female Astor they would become an Astor.
  
  
• Nobility marrying commonfolk is not illegal, but those that do so are often considered a fair target for mockery amongst other nobles. If said commoner is a Radiant in the First Light (or was an Exarch before the 1704 restructing of the First Light to merge the two ranks) this is considered far more acceptable. If the noble was married to a commoner prior to being ennobled, this is considered an exception.
  
  
• The nobilliary terms are reserved for blood relations only. A commoner who married a main branch Astor, for example, would not take the 'ven' term. In the case of intermarrying nobility, the lower ranked noble keeps their term, i.e. August cos Astor.
  
  
• An individual marrying into a noble family is not of equal social status to their spouse, and does not possess the same authority. For example, Lord Severus ven Grimmore marries Hestia cos Moralis. Hestia becomes Lady-Consort Hestia cos Grimmore, lacking the power of being a full Lady Grimmore, but enjoys greater social status. An individual marrying a monarch becomes King-Consort or Queen-Consort respectively. A consort's spouse may declare them equal in the eyes of the stars, and thus give them equal power, but this is rare.
  
  
• Divorce in Noble society is rare, and often dependent on sufficient circumstances being met. The Stellus must approve a divorce on grounds of Infidelity or Irreconcilable differences. Marriage contracts, however, may contain clauses that automatically void the marriage if met/not met.
  
  
• Marriage Contracts are common amongst the nobility. Generally, these name a 'Primary' partner, specify the expected dowry and minimum number of children required from the union within a certain time, and specify the name children of the union will bear. The 'Primary' partner is generally the noble of higher status, or the male if of equal status, as they are considered to have the most to lose. If the conditions of the contract are not met, the Primary partner may annul the marriage freely.
  
  
• Same-Sex marriages are legal under Essharan law, but are seen as something of a taboo within noble society, due to the inability for same-sex marriages to produce children. Children conceived by donors are considered bastards under Essharan law.
  

Ennobling Customs

• Whilst extremely rare, the Head of a Major Noble house may sponsor a commoner for nobility. A Lord will submit a request for an individual to be ennobled to the ruling Monarch, and should they agree the sponsored individual's newly formed house will become a vassal of the main family. The most famous example of this is the Salis house, which has been a vassal under the Grimmores for at least six centuries. A vassal family may be released from vassalage at any time by their Liegelord.
  
  
• When ennobled by the King, the only members of a family who become nobility are the individual specifically ennobled, and their descendants by blood.
  
  
• As a commoner may be raised to nobility, so may a noble be lowered to a commoner. If a noble performs an act the Monarch considers to erode the value of the honour of nobility, they may convene a Vote of Expulsion. All sitting Lords and Ladies on the Parliament vote, and the majority rules. If a vote is successful, the noble is stripped of all rank and title, branded with the image of a crumbled tower, and given the term 'orn' to replace their 'cos', 'ven', or 'vey'. This is an exceptionally rare punishment, and not undertaken lightly.
  

Dynastic Customs

• A noble family is a political entity typically termed as a 'House', ie. the Grimmore family being House Grimmore. The head of a noble House is typically the eldest male member of the main branch, though this may vary from house to house. Both Minor and Major Houses are granted seats in the Essharan Parliament, although a Minor House must have been nobility at least twenty years before they are granted a seat. The head of a House directs voting policy, although they may appoint a proxy rather than being personally present in Parliament.
  
  
• Noble Houses have internal dynastic law, which often concerns things such as grounds for disinheritance, inheritance law, and the rights of its individual members within the house. In one house, marrying a non-human may be grounds for being disinherited, whilst in another it may not. Likewise, there are families in which only men may inherit as the Head of the family, whilst in other it may be Men before woman, or equal inheritance. The Dynastic law of a House may be freely changed by its current Head. The majority of noble families disallow the inheritance of non-humans, but there are some exceptions to this.
  
  
• It is not uncommon for married members of two separate families to have their children bear different surnames -and is in fact almost always the case for marriages between two Heads of houses. For example, Lord Anomeus Astor marries Lady Aspasia Grimmore. Their first child takes the name Grimmore, and the second takes the name Astor, or vice versa.
  
  
• Minor branches of noble families operate as cadet houses, and may be formed voluntarily by members with the permission of the current Head of the House, or forcibly by the Head of the House alone. These Cadet houses are generally formed as a way of tidying up succession in large families, and may change all dynastic law save grounds for disinheritance within themselves. Often, said Cadet Houses will take slightly different names based on where they are based, i.e. House Nuburg Grimmore. If the main branch of a noble House becomes extinct, the most populous minor branch takes their place as the new main branch.
  
  
• Heirs to the Lordship of a House under the age of sixteen are known as the 'Heir Presumptive'. At the age of sixteen, an heir is generally introduced to noble society through an event and then becomes known as the 'Heir Apparent'.
  
  
• Nobles may adopt children, but said adopted may not inherit nobility. These children, much like commonborn spouses, do not gain nobiliary titles. It is typical for adopted children to be married to members of a Cadet House of the House they are adopted into. In this case, their children may inherit the main house, and are subject to its dynastic law.
  
  
• A disinherited noble loses all rank and status, as well as the right to bear their surname. Unlike the Vote of Expulsion, however, they are not branded, as general house disinheritance is for breaches of specifically Dynastic law rather than eroding the value of the honour of nobility.
  

[Iceshadow]

this is pretty good

[Chance]

all checks out! maybe specify that this is traditional essharan nobility (the kind you'd see in osrona) and include a section for places like theria and mylennoris

[Theori]

Will edit immediately! If Theria/Myllenoris leadership/nobility are willing to work with me I'll get to that! 

Insert Mega-Upvote here

[Chance]

for theria:
- dragonlords / warlords are considered nobility, and their children inherit the estates their parents build up, expected to carry on and build off of the fame and glory of their ancestors. bastards do not apply (children born out of wedlock, inc. from donors). naming conventions are the standard lord / lady (but maybe we can do something more interesting here)
- drakanites coupling with humans is frowned upon as it means their descendants may be less dragonically potent

for mylennoris:
- teraphim are naturally considered noble/sacred. teraphim are expected to marry other teraphim
- 'rogue' teraphim that mostly wander without ever having necessarily contributed to their kingdom directly are frowned upon; they also do not inherit aschea's sight (spectral eyes) as this requires the spiritual energy of the vale. they also do not age slower like other teraphim (unrelated lore tidbit but kind of linked)

a basic foundation to go off of

[Theori]

Separate post for Theria, once all three Kingdoms' noble customs are approved will edit into original thread, this way I can receive specific feedback

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Theria Noble Customs

Marriage Customs

• Therian nobles are not shunned for marrying commoners, although said commoners are not granted nobility by marrying them, and are expected to have at least some fame within Theria.
  
  
• Noble Drakanites are expected to marry other Drakanites; it is seen as disrespectful to Garljing to not maximise the possibility of carrying on the draconic lineage. This applies for all drakanites in Theria, albeit to a lesser extent.
  
  
• Same-sex unions are permitted, but are not expected to produce children, due to such children being considered bastards.
  

Ennobling Customs

• Any individual who earns the rank of Warlord/Dragonlord is considered a noble within Theria, as is their immediate family. As the nobility is earned through status, rather than status coming from nobility, this is largely a technicality, although it does provide some benefits. Therian Nobles get first pick of the spoils of war after a battle, and their descendants may own land in perpetuity. A noble of Drakanite blood is considered Greater Nobility to the non-drakanite's Minor Nobility.
  
  
• An individual made a Drakanite by Garljing himself is considered Therian nobility.
  
  
• If a Warlord is deposed during their lifetime, they and their lineage lose their status of nobility. Warlords make retire after the age of fifty to secure their noble status; if they do not, they still risk losing it should they be deposed. Dragonlords, however, maintain their nobility even if deposed due to their draconic blessing.
  
  
• Whilst rare, a Dragon may declare a noble family unworthy of their rank if they do not appropriately honour their ennobled ancestor by earning fame and glory themselves.
  

Dynastic Customs

• Therian Nobles use the term Dragonlord/Lady if drakanite, and Lord/Lady if not.
  
  
• The nobliary particle for a non-drakanite noble is 'kal'. The particle for a drakanite noble is 'garl'.
  
  
• A non-drakanite born within a Dragonlord's noble lineage is not considered a noble, and is viewed with scorn akin to that of a bastard within society. These individuals are commonly referred to as 'Blessless'; drakanites who produce such children are known to leave them to perish on a mountaintop as infants.
  
  
• Bastards do not inherit nobility, nor do children produced in a same-sex union by a donor.
  
  
• Therian nobles are some of the few Essharans not disparaged by Sluthians. These individuals may travel freely into Sluthia, and will occasionally be invited to Sluthian events.
  

[Chance]

"If a Warlord is deposed during their lifetime, they and their lineage lose their status of nobility. Warlords make retire after the age of fifty to secure their noble status; if they do not, they still risk losing it should they be deposed. Dragonlords, however, maintain their nobility even if deposed due to their draconic blessing."

i don't like this since it encourages passiveness in a culture where dying in battle for your country is praised and venerated. maybe a warlord / dragonlord is not truly noble unless they live an accomplished life? serving theria for x number of years, accomplishing great feats, etc etc. some kind of 'veteran' status that consolidates their claim after they've been a proactive force in theria in the long-term

"Whilst rare, a Dragon may declare a noble family unworthy of their rank if they do not appropriately honour their ennobled ancestor by earning fame and glory themselves."

dragons do not care about human titles (but the part on garljing blessed being nobility is good)


... also instead of firelord/firelady, let's stick with lord and lady

[Theori]

Hm. Perhaps, instead of

-If a Warlord is deposed during their lifetime, they and their lineage lose their status of nobility. Warlords make retire after the age of fifty to secure their noble status; if they do not, they still risk losing it should they be deposed. Dragonlords, however, maintain their nobility even if deposed due to their draconic blessing.

it should be

-If a Warlord or Dragonlord is deposed during their lifetime, they and their lineage lose their status of nobility. Even if they keep their position uncontested, it is still expected that they must actively pursue fame and glory. The leadership of Theria votes after a Warlord/Dragonlord dies to decide whether they achieved sufficient fame/glory within their life, or otherwise served Theria well; a successful vote maintains their lineage's nobility, and a failed vote strips it. A Warlord/Dragonlord who dies well in battle retains nobility for their lineage if they lost their life in service of Theria.

I concur with Dragons not caring; it was mainly a way for nobles who aren't doing anything useful for Theria to be stripped of their status. I think the above covers it now, but feel free to suggest an alternative!

[Theori]

And finally, in cooperation with Doohl, I present:

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Myllenoran Noble Customs

Ennobling Customs

• If a Myllenoran is a Teraphim, they are a noble, by right of Aschea's blessing.
  
  
• The only way of attaining Myllenoran nobility is through birth or Rite of the Chrysalis, a secretive ritual in which an individual becomes a Teraphim. The exact process is shrouded in mystery, and only the High Lord of Myllenoris can declare someone worthy of undergoing it.
  
  
• A Teraphim considered to have betrayed Myllenoris is stripped of any social status granted by their race, and often marked for death. This applies, to a lesser extent, to those Teraphim who do not reside in Myllenoris and contribute to the Kingdom; these Teraphim are marked by a weakened connection to the spirits, and the lack of halted aging. Such Teraphim are generally not considered noble, but are not marked for death.
  

Marriage Customs

• Teraphim are almost always expected to marry other Teraphim, as children of only one Teraphim parent are never Teraphim themselves. Exceptions apply if the Teraphim has bonded with a non-teraphim, naturally, but Teraphim children are very much socialised to seek out relationships within their own race.
  
  
• Due to the small size of the Teraphim population, same-sex relationships are discouraged on a cultural level. This, however, is somewhat complicated by the monogamous bond Teraphim form with their partners. Ultimately, Same-sex marriage between bonded Teraphim is completely legal and permitted.
  
  
• Marriages among or involving Teraphim must be blessed by Aschea's Faith and conducted by the High Lord themself. The bond must be proved before the High Lord in order for the marriage to be considered legitimate. Because the High Lord themself has to officiate all Teraphim marriages, there is a summer month of the year when most Teraphim marriages take place.
  

Dynastic Customs

• Myllenoran Nobility is racial, not Dynastic. Whilst the possibility of greater status on a lineage basis is theoretically possible, the Kingdom is too young for such a thing to have yet developed, and if so is likely to be the offspring of a High Lord. As High Lord Randor Dinedir died without issue, the closest thing to a Dynasty Myllenoris has is the lineage of High Lady Asta Hargrave, through her daughter Freya Hargrave and her husband Hadwin Hargrave.
  
  
• Due to the nature of the Teraphim's romantic bond, Myllenoran society has no concept of bastardom. If a child is born a Teraphim, they are nobility, regardless of the marital status of their parents.
  

[Theori]

Now it has all the requested details, bump?