Tithar

Rulers of the Tithings of the Duchy they answerable to the Duke and such local forms as each tithing may have. Just as the histories of the tithings vary, so do the details of the rights, responsibilities and processes of succession.

Appointment

In most of the Tithings the position is hereditary though the rules of succession vary according to the customs of the ruling house. The Tithings around Corbay are somewhat More flexible in their approach with the Tithar being selected each time the post falls vacant - again the methods of selection vary between Tithing.

Responsibilities

In short they are responsible for the good governance of their territories - overseeing justice, maintaining order and such like. Most of these duties are delegated (particularly in the more aristocratic tithings) but it is the Tithar who must answer to the Duke. One specific set of duties relates to the overaseeing of any Moneymakers in the tithing and maintaining the value of the Duchy Currency .

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

In principle the Duke has the right to appoint or dismiss a Tithar - there is some legal history around this along with uncertainty over the rights and estates that go with the role of Tithar as opposed to any family or heritable rights. In practice it is extremely rare for the Duke to dismiss a Tithar and where this does happen in the more aristocratic Tithings, the replacement is normally the heir apparent or some other close relation of the disgraced individual.

History

The origins of the Tithar go back to the years before the Duchy formed, with the “Younger Sons” (see Annals of the Duchy - Chapter 2 for more on this) - a group of roughly equals who founded the original six settlements. During the following years the leader at Morton became pre-eminent, initially as a war leader, becoming formally the Duke in what became the founding year of the Duchy and year one of the Moran Duchy. The number of major estates and holdings grew as the Duchy expanded and with the reforms of (whoever) in (whenever) the ten divisions of the Duchy became known as Tithings with the leader of the ruling house acquiring the title of Tithar.
Over the years the number of Tithings rose and fell but Tithing and Tithar remained the terms used. Reflecting the different histories of the Tithings, the powers, responsibilities of the Tithar within their fiefdom vary though beyond those borders they are more consistent.
Other significant developments in the history of the role include the reforms of Duke Cadu, the Second of the Name in 310 MD which gave each of the Tithars estates in different parts of the Duchy to encourage more of a “one nation” approach to matters of national importance on the part of the Tithars.

Cultural Significance

As the leaders and Duke’s representatives across the Duchy the Tithars have a marked significance to their Tithings as well as to the wider Duchy. This is especially the case in the more feudal and aristocratic Tithings that make up the old core of the Duchy and the other Durranside areas.

Tithars in Morton

All tithars will spend at least a part of the year in Morton - the ward of Titheyards is given over to their residences. These compounds are close to the power base of the Ducal Palace as well as the Duchy's administrative centre so, although Tithars are only required to be present for the semi-annual councils, some spend much of their time in Morton leaving the execution of many of their duties to their deputies.
The journey from some of the tithings is significant - as the crow flies the farthest tithing, Langness (also known as "The Fingertip") is ten daywalks from Morton but as all ththars have estates in several of the Tithings, such journeys can often be broken with visits to these, and the visits to Morton can be included in wider progresses through these estates.

Length of Term

Whilst most are lifetime, the Covrin provinces elect tithars for fixed five year periods.