Head of House
The heads of house are descendants of the prairie tribes of Ruthoria. As part of the agreement to join the empire, the chieftains of the tribes received control over the land they originally controlled before the empire as noble houses, which their ancestors still own today.
Qualifications
There are no qualifications to become a lord and it is passed down hereditarily.
Appointment
At death or dismissal, the title is passed down to the previous lords oldest child.
Duties
Noble houses are responsible for raising their own armies and using them to protect the people of their territory. They are also expected to collect taxes fairly and give a portion to the Emperor of Ruthoria.
Responsibilities
Most lords spend their days either doing paperwork or lavishing in their huge manors or castles.
Benefits
Lords have huge political power over the territory they control, with only the Emperor of Ruthoria and high ranking members of the Church of Erathis being above them in power. They also gain huge amounts of wealth from all the things they own within their land.
Grounds for Removal/Dismissal
A Lord can be dismissed, prematurely passing the title down to their eldest child. This can be done by a citizen who lives in their respective territory filing for corruption of Lord, and then the lord failing a test of corruption by a Church of Erathis inquisitor (wizards who specialize in the detect thoughts spell). This is very rare and has only ever happened once. This is because most lords make it almost impossible to file for corruption in their territory, hiding the location where you can file for corruption as best as they can without it being nonexistent (it is illegal to not have a designated area to file for corruption).
History
The very first Lords were the chiefs of the prairie tribes who gained this great power in exchange for worshipping Erathis, goddess of law and assisting in the foundation of the empire. The people who hold this power are ancestors of these original tribal chiefs.
Type
Nobility, Hereditary
Creation
This rank was created by Stendar Ruthen at the founding of the Ruthorian Empire.
Source of Authority
Hereditary
Length of Term
Lifetime or until dismissed (if dismissed the title will be passed down to the oldest biological child of the lord)
Current Holders
Reports directly to
Related Locations
Related Organizations
Comments