Orlesian nobility system

The Orlesian Empire is probably best known for two things – being the birthplace of the Chantry and for its extravagant royalty and nobility. Orlais has a large aristocracy famed for its excess, in particular the fashionable use of cosmetics and complicated clothing, from colorful shoes to elaborate masks.
Orlesian nobles have to love and be good at the Grand Game, lest the system swallow them whole.

History

Emperor Drakon I, the founder of the Empire, abolished all noble titles with the exception of Lord, Lady, and Emperor, fearing that the Grand Game would tear the nation apart. It did not end the Game as Drakon had intended and only made it worse. The nobles began to find other ways to state their superiority and even collect unofficial titles, such as "the exalted patron of Tassus Klay" or "uncle to the champion of Tremmes". With this failure the official titles would later be restored.
Titles other than Lord and Lady were again abolished by Emperor Reville many centuries later. He decreed that no noble of Orlais was the equal of the national family and thus all would only carry the title of Lord or Lady in his presence. This resulted again in the use of unofficial titles among the nobles. Outside of the national court, the use of both, the traditional titles and the ornate, unofficial ones, continued as a social matter. Reville also bestowed new titles to certain nobles during this period.
When Reville died, many among the gentry hoped their titles would be restored. Many nobles with pre-existing traditional titles claimed the new Lords and Ladies only deserved their new title, which naturally placed them lowest in the hierarchy of the Game. This nearly sparked civil war within the empire. It took the out maneuvering by several of the Game's finest players to forcibly make the Empire decree that courtly titles would be maintained —with tacit recognition of “unofficial” titles being handled through the use of the Council of Heralds.

Participants

Titles are granted by the Orlesian Council of Heralds.

Masculine	Feminine	Form of address	Usage
Emperor	Empress	Your Radiance, Your National Majesty	Title for the Orlesian ruler and his or her spouse.
Prince	Princess	Your National Highness	Title for direct family members of the ruler, including their children and siblings.
Grand Duke	Grand Duchess	Your Highness	Title for those who were once princes or princesses but are no longer directly related to the emperor/empress. Not hereditary.
Duke	Duchess	Your Grace	The highest noble title. Bestowed upon those who serve as military leaders or those who most closely serve the emperor/empress in governance at a national level.
Marquis	Marquise	Your Grace	Noble title. Given to those who own a marche, or a border territory of the empire. Highly esteemed military office as the threats that lie out in these regions are generally quite high.
Comte	Comtesse	Your Lordship/Ladyship	Noble title. Owner of a count, often larger plots of land that contain many villages and towns that exist within a larger marche or duchy. They have the job of pursuing taxation on the count's people for the sake of the Empire, as well as pulling together able-bodied people in times of war.
Baron	Baroness	Your Lordship/Ladyship	Lowest noble title, often considered the equivalent of lord or lady. Owner of a barony, or open countryside of about 30 to 60 square kilometers, overseeing the farming of these lands for the purpose of the Empire.
Lord	Lady	Monsieur/Madame, "de" or "du honorific	Acceptable address for any nobility, no matter the rank, but not royalty.
Chevalier	Dame	Ser	Title reserved for the order of Orlesian knights.

Historically, there were meant to only be nine dukes/duchesses and marquis/marquise total. Each was meant to be able to draw upon a legion of highly skilled warriors in times of war, with the emperor/empress having their own personal legion in the Tenth Legion. However, the count has been exceeded more times than can be possibly remembered. Unsurprisingly, this has inspired a constant squabble between those who now possess these titles as to which houses are the "true nine". Truly no difference exists between the first nine and any others, but that hasn't stopped anyone from thinking the exact opposite.

Related Ethnicities

• Humans