duke

Dukes are the people to which the governing of large areas conquered by the British empire, once entire countries, are relegated. There are X dukes in all, some of which are even nobility native to the area they govern, who defected to the British empire in exchange for power and status after their homeland's defeat.

Requirements

A duke must be born into their title. If the bloodline of a duke is completely wiped out, then a marquees' relative takes the duke's place. The eldest living son (or daughter if the duke has no son) takes the responsibilities of their father when he dies. The child must be 15 or older. If they are not, one of the previous duke's siblings takes the title until the next heir is old enough. If there is no heir, the duke's sibling takes the title permanently. At the age of 12, a duke's son must go to their duchy's capitol for 3 years of militray training. A duke is not expected to actively fight, but are required to have the ability to defend themselves should their guards fail to stop any would-be assassins. The first year consists of basic self defense tactics, and on the first anniversary of the duke's son's enrollment in the military training they are required to take one of 2 paths; weapon's training, or magic training. This will determine whether or not they take the magic or physical courses, which has them train with some of the best soldiers of their path their duchy has to offer. At the end of their 3rd year, assuming their father is still alive or they have an older sibling, the duke's son has the option to either return home immediately or go through officer training, which will allow them to command armies in the battlefield. If they choose to go through officer training, they will spend the next 5 years going through this training. This training is required for a duke's son to become an officer. If the student is the oldest living son and his father dies, he may either return home immediately to serve as duke or, assuming he has one of age, delegate the task to his younger sibling until his return. At the end of his training, he is named general and given the authority to command an army. A duke who doesn't have this qualification must delegate the task of commanding his army to a hired general, typically a duke who was not first in line for his father's title.

Responsibilities

Dukes are responsible for the governing of past countries under British rule. The duke then delegates parcels of land to lower nobility, who do the micromanagement. A duke's main purpose is to collect taxes and spend it on a local military that defends the duchy, as well as loaning the tax money to settlements that are unable to sustain themselves due to some sort of calamity, such as a natural disaster, monster invasion, or rebellion. However, loaning tax money is optional and many dukes don't provide loans for any but the largest settlements. Of course, many dukes also delegate this task. A duke must also ensure that the correct amount of tax money reaches the hands of their ruling minister. A duke must also decide how non-humans are handled. A duke has the authority to do anything short of genocide, including deportation from the duchy and indentured servitude for even the smallest of transgressions.

Benefits

A duke and his immediate family get 50% of all taxes collected from settlements in his domain, 30% go to the minister, and 20% go to the king.

Accoutrements & Equipment

The head of a family of a duke gets a badge made of pure gold with his family name written on it.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

A duke can be removed from office if the minister and a third of the continent's other dukes think they should be removed. Should a duke be removed from office, their closest eligible relative takes their place. In order to remove a duke, the local minister must create a petition and have at least 1/3 Dukes in his domain sign it. This petition is then sent to the capital and is reviewed by the king. The king can veto the petition should he believe the dismissal of the duke in question is unreasonable, unnecessary, or unjustified.

Type

Nobility, Hereditary

Form of Address

Duke (holder's name)

Source of Authority

A duke gains his authority from the king

Related Organizations

• British Empire