The Right Hand of the King
The Right Hand of the King is a title given to one of the two vassals considered to be the closest assistants to the King of Anduril. The title was first used by King Anduril Vasari, the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Anduril, to honor Anabelle Nightgard for swearing loyalty to him over her homeland, Belledance. Though initially intended to be her title alone, it eventually passed on to her successor, becoming a hereditary title.
Qualifications
The title has been held in the Nightgard family for generations, the carrier always being the head of the family, however is not passed through the blood. The Nightgards have historically seen dedication to the cause to be superior to blood connections and those who prove their loyalty to the King and the nation of Anduril are occasionally offered the chance to become a member of the Nightgard family. The current Right Hand of the King chooses their successor years in advance, allowing for ample time for the successor to be trained to take the position. On several occasions, when no worthy successor was found amidst the Nightgards, a successor was chosen from the ranks of the King's Guard or Anduril's Military and then made a member of the family.
Appointment
The title of Right Hand of the King can only be conferred by the ruling King or Queen and is typically done officially during the annual King's Ceremony celebration on Skorpios 17th. When necessary, the new title holder may be allowed to start their duties before the official ceremony, although typically this is considered poor form.
The ruling monarch may choose to dismiss the previous Right Hand and appoint a new one immediately upon ascension to the throne, though this is unprecedented. Typically, if the current Right Hand is alive at the time of a new monarch's coronation, they will retain their position for a time in order to ensure the monarch is well-situated, before stepping down and handing over the title to their successor. It is possible for the monarch to disregard the succession choice of the Right Hand and assign their own candidate, however this has only happened once and is considered to be a political outrage.
Duties
The Right Hand of the King is responcible for the physical safety of the ruling monarch, serving as their bodyguard. They are chiefly a military advisor and act as both the head of the King's Guard and a general in the Anduril Army. Most, if not all, military issues are handed by or with the assistance of the Right Hand. In these issues, the Right Hand is considered to have absolute authority on decisions if the monarch cannot be reached in time to issue commands.
In extremely rare circumstances, the Right Hand may leave the monarch's side to pursue missions considered too dangerous or too sensitive to be delegated to anyone else. In such cases, the Right Hand often works with the Left Hand to coordinate. The results of such missions are reported to the monarch alone and are rarely, if ever, committed to public record.
Benefits
Although the Nightgard family sits only at the level of viceroy and owns no lands, their leader being the Right Hand of the King confers upon them a level of autonomy that few nobles can boast. Only the Royal Family can officially command the Nightgards, with the Right Hand of the King specifically only being under the command of the ruling monarch and thus allowed to dismiss all orders should they deem it necessary in the completion of their duties.
Furthermore, the Right Hand of the King is allowed safe passage through any territories within Anduril. He or she has no obligation to report their presence to the local lords and while the local lords may request an explanation as to their presence in the territory, the Right Hand has no obligation to give an explanation if doing so would compromise their mission.
Type
Nobility, Military
Source of Authority
King of Anduril
Current Holders
Reports directly to
Related Organizations
