THE BEARING OF NOBILITY: The Orenian Noble Code

[amyselia 2962]

 

THE NATURE OF THE HIGHEST ESTATE

 

Penned by

Her Excellency The Lady Privy Seal, Claude Pruvia

 

Printed in 1877 by Falcone Publishing Co.

 

CONTENTS

I. HISTORY & CONTEMPORARY

II. ENNOBLEMENT

III. RANKINGS

IV. OBLIGATIONS & PRIVILEGES

V. TRADITIONS

 

 

 

            The estates of man predate Oren’s conception, rendered corporeal by the will of God himself at the dawn of time. The Canticle of Fidelity as written in the Scroll of Virtue, to be endowed upon Exalted Horen, establishes the nobility’s empyrean primacy: 

“I ordered the estates of the earth, and I have set a path before you. And as I have ordered the estates of the earth, so have I ordered your path as well, and established the powers of My world. For I have ordered your station and birth, and I have established the order of things.” (Virtue 6:4-6)

            The blood of Horen was the first noble blood, made royal and imperial through the kingdom and conquest of his descendants. A majority of noble houses can trace their lineage to some or another descendant of Horen and Julia, the first coupling.

 

THE FIRST KINGDOM

 

            In the first kingdom of Oren, the nobility was composed of men’s anaemic testimonies towards higher birth, few sanctioned by true flows of divine blood. The game of men was to inspire the patronage necessary to legitimise autonomous ennoblement. The original Lords would be the strongest fighters, the most educated or the most charismatic - qualities that promoted them to positions of leadership over less endowed peons. When finding themselves equipped with a position of command, they would then be privy to privileges that allowed the education of their sons and daughters into their same competency of character, chambering the traits of aristocracy within their own walls and never in the lower class. 

 

            When St. Daniel abdicated the throne of the Kingdom, he left it in the possession of House Perea, an action that instantly elevated them to the ranks of the highest estate via the sanctity that was the Horen King’s command. The same would later occur with Houses Sheffield and Marius; undeterred by a lacking ancestry, they would be ennobled simply by authority’s direction and the nature of the crown.

 

            The Phoenix Revolution of the early to mid 14th century divulged man’s avarice for power, creating a vacuum for fledgling nobles to suppose themselves heritors of Oren. The first to see true glory were the rulers of the split provinces (in no particular order), the Houses of Tarus de Renatus, Marius de Hanseti and DeNurem de Hanseti. Be that as it may, the Phoenix Revolution also crippled the Orenian nobility when it split the realm. Nobles lost a significant amount of vitality, and surplus amounts of land were marooned in stagnation. 

 

Godfrey is crowned as Holy Orenian Emperor, his vassals oathed to bend the knee.

 

FEUDAL VASSALS

 

            When Exalted Godfrey returned to restore Oren’s ancient dignity, he declared the genesis of the feudal system. Nobles would now bear obligations to the crown as well as exclusive privileges, and could themselves act as liege lords to lower nobles. The ultimate creation of the Empire made even Kings into the dependents of Oren’s supreme crown. 

 

            Under Godfrey’s feudal society, the distinction of upper and lower nobility emerged, those that led realms and those that led hamlets. This distinction was cultivated for the next 400 years, noble blood became something coveted yet rare, an enterprise of displays of strength and influence. Upper Lords such as Dukes held their own court, standing levies, and populations, some even ascending to the calibre of royalty (well-known examples being Ruska, Courland, Curonia, Haense, etc). 

 

            Withal, such grandiose exertions of power artlessly produced instability; the game of power produced the several consecutive falls and restorations of Oren- both as an Empire and a Kingdom -under the Carrion, Chivay, Vydra, Ashford de Bar and Johannian dynasties. Conflict became larger by virtue of an Oren rife with armies of varying cultures and beliefs: wars were rhythmically waged between vassals. The crown monarchs had to ensure the satisfaction of their nobles to avoid those wars and, too, coalitions that frequently splintered Oren into independent states with little success for long-term existence. Thus, feudalism is infamous for exacting a cycle of entropy fueled by the fatigue of the nobility under prolonged (and ofttimes constraining) regimes. Power became concentrated not at the hand of the monarch but at his nobles’ compliance.

 

            To combat this, the administrative militarism of the 17th-century Pertinaxi government- ruling over the Empires of Man and Renatus -enforced a burdensome command over its populous vassals that constituted the threat of a culture and title’s annihilation, leading to widespread understanding of feudalism as brewing tyranny and maelstrom. Near the end of the Pertinaxi regime, the Josephite ideals of human dignity (created by Joseph I in his campaign for the return of Oren) overwhelmed the concept of disciplinary rule, and would be adopted fervently by his successors in their bid to see the end of feudal culture.

 

PEERAGES

 

            In the year 1737, the Lord Protector of the reinstituted Holy Orenian Empire fell ill and abruptly died. His tenure had been the beginning of the destruction of the renatian legal codes, the same that had relegated their vassals to foible. With some irony of contradiction, his chosen successor, Peter III, is remembered for the confiscation of all those major vassal titles into his personal demesne- such as the Kingdoms of Kaedrin and Curon-, appointing Lord Governors in the stead of reigning houses. His daughter, Anne, continued this policy by granting independence to the Kingdom of Haense, nullifying the feudal system in Oren absolutely.

 

            Houses of confiscated titles would either altogether dissolve or- in the case of the House of Helvets-, take on a title as the Emperor’s Peer, a new term that aimed to reinvent the idea of Noble Lords as wholly under the jurisdiction of the crown, sans the privilege of sovereignty. Any land governed by a peer would thereafter be maintained on behalf of the crown and never at the peer’s own discretion. An example would be the title of the County of Dobrov, whose municipality was not necessarily inherited by the hereditary successor of the titleholder, and required a magistrate to be appointed by the Emperor as a representative of the crown within the province.

 

            The nobility’s rapid loss of feudal power created a shift into Petrine culture, inspired by the ideals of the Adrian republic: the empowerment of the commoner and elective government bodies. In its wake, peers became concentrated in the imperial capital as government, military, court and city proletarians, expediting the creation of a strong imperial authority that presented itself as substantially stable. They would be entitled to bear estates, yet many lamented the existence of little distinction between the nobility and the rising class of affluent lowborn families. Hence, it was said that the preeminence of nobility was sacrificed for the amelioration of feudal instability. 

 

Elijah Keen, Baron of Ames

 

            The nobility is presently condensed into a mix of the standing peerage system and a new configuration of feudal land ownership, with revisions that are obliged to restore noble opulence without forfeiting central strength. Their power remains to derive from the King, but land allocation now champions the nobility’s right to dynastic property, an example being the lands of the Barony of Acre, held in all respects by the House de Vilain.

 

            The major facets of contemporary noble life are the accoutrements rather than the authority, including addressments, fashion, headwear, estates, knighthood, and noble ceremony, particularly that which grants royal recognition. Gradually, the Kingdom treads towards the reinvigoration and fresh inception of highborn traditions.

 

 

 

            The process of ennoblement is no more an award of merit, but an evaluation of blood, virtue, strength and indelible potential, contingencies for the fruitful succession of the nobility. This policy thus supersedes the elevation of singular individuals that may administratively blunder in the leadership of abundant peoples. It exists in the interest of vitality: the nobility is obliged to cultivate the Kingdom’s lively prosperity by enriching Orenia’s local colour, alongside an adherence to royal traditions such as the Adriatic, Astercalia, Royal Court, etcetera. Without the nobility’s zest, these obligations would be trampled into obscurity, risking the dynamics of the Crown and its many vessels of influence.

The Seal of the Crown, used before house crests in the signing of Letters Patent to connote the rights of the house as derivative of the Monarchy.

 

QUALIFICATION

 

            The qualifiers that warrant ennoblement are numerous. Any significant contribution to the Kingdom can make one a candidate, but held ambitions will prove guileless without a strong basis of familial support. Houses may be rewarded when various members are active participants in the polities of the Kingdom (military, politics, court, privy, etc), or through sheer scale of influence. Having a surplus of family members without possessing social and political clout will amount to bantam recognition.

 

            Blood has always endured as the marker of nobility, with many extant families considering their connection to Saints and revered figures as the root of their preeminence. However, certain strengths, such as extreme contribution to the Kingdom’s welfare, have the possibility of contradicting the necessity for highborn blood, allowing class mobility to those of insubstantial birth.

 

ACQUISITION

 

            Nobility is no longer a matter of self-efficacy, and thus cannot be acquired through means of application. Furthermore, court petitions relating to ennoblement are inappropriate. The bestowal of nobility is wholly at the discretion of the monarch, who will gauge the value of families and their leaders in relation to the demands of the Kingdom’s available land area. When a new noble house is made, peerage letters that detail their land grant will be scribed by the crown and published by the Registry, then printed for the nobility’s safekeeping. A failure to produce one’s noble letters during certain events, such as the succession of the Kingdom, will warrant a fine of 100 minas for a new copy.

 

 

 

            The rankings of the nobility demarcate age, merit, and authority. It is tradition to grant fledgeling houses Baronies as opposed to predicting their success in a higher title, ensuring the quality of the noble rankings is not diminished by the sudden extinction of a new house that proves to be unqualified. Therefore, the highest of the nobility tend to be grounded in some factor that justifies their privileges greatly, such as historical prevalence (i.e, Cathalon as the former Kings of Kaedrin) or state dominion (i.e, the former Princes of Ebonwood).

 

ELEVATION & DEMOTION

 

            Houses that have been able to uphold vitality with a bevy of significant achievements will naturally rise in rank. Similarly, when a house finds itself lethargic in the Kingdom’s processes for an exaggerated length of time, the house’s rank may come into question. However, before a peer can be formally demoted- if a Baron, stripped of nobility -or elevated, the monarch or a fellow peer must raise the topic of their rank shift before the Adriatic (see: V. Traditions). If an overwhelming majority of peers agrees upon a rank shift, peerage letters will be constructed or revoked accordingly. On elevation, ceremonies and celebration will be expected (see: V. Traditions).

            The elevation of a house is dependent on a noteworthy increase in notoriety, and thus houses that have historically existed in relative obscurity may encounter adversity in rising through the ranks without grandiose shifts towards leadership methods. The most difficult position from which to rise is that of a Count due to the considerable gap between the obligations/qualifications of a Count and a Duke. In contrast, it is equally as uncomplicated to fall from a Duchy to a County, and a Barony to nothing, as demotion solely depends on the completion of noble obligations. The complete stripping of the titles of the higher houses is more grave, and is justified by absolute disintegration, treason, significant criminal activity and other such illegalities including those pertaining to the morals of the faith.

 

LIST OF RANKS

 

DUKE ; High Lord

Ducal House of x, possessing a Duchy. 

The highest in rank, a duke’s importance is equivalent to that of a prince or princess of the royal household, though they must still answer to the crown heir. Theirs is the house with the greatest consequence over their fellow nobility, commanding large quantities of land with equally remarkable populations as a rule.

 

Style: His/Her Grace, the Duke/Duchess of x.

Spouse: Duchess consort or Lord consort

Directly: My Lord Duke/Lady Duchess, My Lord/Lady, or Your Grace

Children: Lord/Lady

 

MARGRAVE ; High Lord

Marcher House of x, possessing a March.

Margraves/Margravines are those peers enfeoffed with defensive borderlands. Their duty is the protection of the Kingdom, thus they are entitled to higher respects than many other noble households, as unlike others, they are required to muster a great quantity of soldiers within their castle-bastions. Margrave is not a position that an already ennobled lord can rise to, as margraves are made margraves solely by the position of their land grant.

 

Style: The Most Honourable, the Margrave/Margravine of x.

Spouse: Margravine consort or Lord consort

Directly: My Lord Margrave/Lady Margravine, My Lord/Lady, or Your Lordship/Ladyship

Children: Lord/Lady

 

COUNT

Comital House of x, possessing a County.

The title of a county is the most optimal achievement of a moderately successful noble house. A great portion of modern comital houses have belonged to princely branches of the House of Novellen, now transformed into hereditary peerages. Others have progressed upwards throughout the eighth empire and become anchored in their rank. Bearing a county does not entail surplus lands or people, merely a landed history and culture alongside a viable presence of spirit.

 

Style: The Right Honourable, the Count/Countess of x.

Spouse: Countess consort or Lord consort

Directly: My Lord Count/Lady Countess, My Lord/Lady or Your Lordship/Ladyship

Children: Lord/Lady

 

VISCOUNT

Viscomital House of x, possessing a Viscounty.

A viscount/viscountess is a noble with varied prevalence who is not yet as installed into the nobility as a count/countess, but has a lengthier noble record than a baron/baroness. Often, viscounties are called ‘trial counties’, given to persons who have made themselves eligible for greater privileges and obligations.

 

Style: The Right Honourable, the Viscount/Viscountess of x.

Spouse: Viscountess consort or Lord consort

Directly: My Lord Viscount/Lady Viscountess, My Lord/Lady, Your Lordship/Ladyship

Heir: Lord/Lady

Children: Miss/Mister

 

BARON

Baronial House of x, possessing a Barony.

A baronial house is often endowed with little expectation, theirs being the mere upkeep of household estates rather than populations. Barons/Baronesses can either be new nobles or old nobles who have historically resented largesse. 

 

Style: The Honourable, the Baron/Baroness of x.

Spouse: Lady consort or Lord consort

Directly: My Lord/Lady or Your Lordship/Ladyship 

Heir: Lord/Lady

Children: Miss/Mister

 

BARONET ; Minor Lord

The Baronet of x, possessing a Baronetcy.

A baronet is a single person elevated to the rank of nobility by merit. Often, baronets are trial peerages, where men can hope to distinguish their house enough to raise it with them into the true ranks of noblesse.

 

Style: The Honourable, the Baronet/Baronetess of x.

Spouse:  Lady x, Lord x. Note that spouses of baronets are not themselves baronets/baronetesses.

Directly: My Lord/Lady or Your Lordship/Ladyship

Heir: This title is non-inheritable.

Children: Children of baronets are not nobility.

 

 

King Frederick, as Prince, is presented to the nobles.

 

            Obligations are the expectations levelled upon the nobility by the Royal Crown. They may be as direct as the annual noble land tax, or as vague as spirited participation in the origination of a widespread cultural enterprise. The obligations of the nobility stem from the feudal system, wherein lords owed tax and levies to their liege in return for protection from other realms during militant conflict. These obligations have since evolved to adopt several concepts of preservation and majesty. Listed are the obligations in full.

 

ALL PERSONS OF NOBLE BLOOD SHALL ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING OBLIGATIONS:

♢ TO PRESERVE THE TENETS OF THE FAITH

The division of the Estates of Mankind, the path of virtue as written in the Holy Scrolls, the rites of the faith (baptism, marriage etc) etc.

♢ TO PRESERVE & PROMOTE THE TRADITIONS OF THEIR HOUSE

Cultural documentation, ancestral documentation, the commemoration of house events, the safekeeping of heirlooms etc.

♢ TO PRESERVE & PROMOTE THE TRADITIONS OF THE NOBILITY

Evading abdication, arranging noble marriages, obeying rules of decorum, the noblesse oblige etc (see: V. Traditions).

♢ TO PRESERVE & REVERE THE MONARCHY

Obey the will of the monarch, defend the Royal Household, observe royal custom etc.

♢ TO ATTEND & PARTICIPATE IN THE ADRIATIC

Raise questions regarding the state of all noble households when necessary and respond to pressing matters etc.

♢ TO  ATTEND ASTERCALIA AS A RITE OF MATURATION

The ceremony of the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Attendance is compulsory, though some may opt out.

 

ALL PEERS SHALL ADHERE TO THESE ADDITIONAL OBLIGATIONS:

♢ TO PAY THE LAND TAX

Whether by minas or as otherwise arranged with the Lord/Lady Treasurer.

♢ TO SUSTAIN THEIR PRESENCE

Entertaining within their lands, participating avidly in the Kingdom’s many facets of liveliness, siring plentiful heirs etc.

♢ TO GIVE RESOURCE IN WARTIME

Whether by minas, advisory aid, raw resources, manpower etc.

 

DUKES AND MARGRAVES SHALL ADHERE TO THESE ADDITIONAL OBLIGATIONS:

♢ TO RAISE A FREE COMPANY IN DEFENCE OF THE STATE

The high lords merit their status by wielding the highest duty, that of protecting the orenian population, noble or otherwise. All nobles have the right to levies and court, but only the high lords are obligated towards it.

♢ TO HOLD COURT WITHIN THEIR CASTLE-KEEPS

The highest lords merit their status via leadership, which requires the attention of their subjects.

 

 

            The Privileges borne by the nobility are those that only they can be privy to. Tradition dictates that the actions that are exclusive to the nobility descend from actions which only they have historically upheld or afforded. For example, in times past, only the nobility could become knights because the expense of armour was too great for the common man. 

 

ALL PERSONS OF NOBLE BLOOD MAY PARTAKE OF THE FOLLOWING PRIVILEGES:

♢ TO HAVE PRIORITY BEFORE THE KING VIA THE ADRIATIC

The nobility’s greatest privilege is the presence of the King and the ability to petition him privately by attending the Adriatic.

♢ TO WARD UNDER THE HIGHEST TUTORS

Noble persons are well-connected by virtue of birth, permitting their tutelage under great persons of esteem, including the King and Queen themselves.

♢ TO SQUIRE UNDER THE HIGHEST KNIGHTS

Noble persons are duly encouraged to take up knightship, participating in the defence of the Kingdom while mounting the decorum of the highest estate. Knightship is one of the largest honours of the nobility.

♢ TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS VIA ARMED OR UNARMED DUEL

The nobility are permitted to bring an end to strife with duels, whereby both parties come to blows under the moderation of spectators.

 

ALL PEERS MAY PARTAKE OF THESE ADDITIONAL PRIVILEGES:

♢ TO BE EXEMPT FROM THE WORK OF LAYMEN

Mechanical labours are performed by the peasant subjects under a noble’s demesne, meaning any labours that a noble lord participates in are out of leisure, culture or religious necessity.

♢ TO BEAR PRIORITY IN THE KING’S PRIVY COUNCIL

Noble lords often preserve their titles not by supporting their own subjects but by supporting the primary state: Oren and her subjects. When a lord or lady seeks involvement in the Privy Council, their station marks their excellence, leading to- more often than not -a largesse of the nobility as members of the King’s council.

♢ TO RAISE A FREE COMPANY IN DEFENCE OF THE STATE

All noble peers may create companies beneath their banners. For baronets, they shall exist until their death.

 

BARONS AND HIGHER MAY PARTAKE OF THE FOLLOWING PRIVILEGES:

♢ TO BEAR A HEREDITARY FIEF OF LAND ATTACHED TO A NOBLE TITLE

Hereditary peers receive a plot of land by default for their family to wield in perpetuity. The regulation of land is regulated by the Viceroy of the Kingdom.

♢ TO BEAR JURISDICTION OVER THEIR LANDS & HOLDINGS

Including to erect farms, mills, and additional stations of commerce and bear profit from them, as well as erecting additional holdings, keeps, towns, etc.

♢ TO BEAR JURISDICTION OVER THE SUBJECTS OF THEIR LANDS & HOLDINGS

Including the privilege to levy law and taxes over their subjects, banish them, honour them, grant them minor titles, create a court of staff, etc.

 

DUKES AND MARGRAVES MAY PARTAKE OF THE FOLLOWING PRIVILEGE:

♢ TO BE EXEMPT FROM TRIAL IN A JURY OF THE COMMONS

Dukes and Margraves may singularly be tried before a judge of noble status, with the King in attendance.

 

 

 

            The nobility adhere to several ceremonies and rites in accordance with the preeminence of their endowed mien. Many of these traditions stem from the functions of the royal monarch and the necessity to legitimise oneself before their majesty, leading to several centuries of practised cultural events now installed into the regular existence of animated noble households under the banner of the Kingdom. All peers are encouraged to respect these traditions and facilitate them for future generations, performing with spirit and jubilation.

 

THE OATH OF FEALTY

            The Oath before the King happens immediately after the succession or elevation of a peer, wherein they make entry into the King’s court and petition with the desire to make their loyalty known. The King then requests that the court curator deliver the ring of the noble house- commissioned by the Crown at the creation of Letters Patent from this year and forth and returned to the crown upon the death of the ring bearer -upon a velvet cushion, having the lord swear the oath upon bended knee before installing the ring upon his finger. The peer, all the while, refrains from making contact with the King’s eyes. Thus the peer is oathed in privilege, but not yet given his obligations. The King is then permitted the improvisation of that final oath according to the culture or bearing of the new ring bearer's noble House, precedent forgone.

 

FEALTY CELEBRATION

            The swearing of fealty is customarily succeeded by an event of jubilation held within the lands of the new titleholder, with the entire Kingdom revelling in the occasion. The scale of the celebrations is wholly by virtue of the wealth and attention of the celebrant and their household, and may range from year-long bouts to a single feast day. 

            Banners are hung along the province given in investiture, guiding newcomers into the decorated capital stronghold of the noble house shepherded. If lands are yet to be granted or inhospitable, these festivities may be delayed, but to withhold the celebrations in full may be received as a lack of care for the King’s sanguine subjects, needlessly besmirching the reputation of new and unaccustomed Lords. 

 

ASTERCALIA

             Astercalia is the nobility’s rite of passage, a tradition cemented more than a century ago under the reign of Emperor Joseph II as Holy Orenian Emperor. It includes the presentation of ladies and gentlemen aged 15+ before the Queen, with the hopes that she will seek to aid worthy debuters onto the world stage - whether that be her own court, the government, knighthood, etc. Astercalia is compulsory for the nobility, though commoners may debut with the grace of an Auspice, a noble patron’s recommendation to the Queen.

 

THE QUEEN’S COURT & THE KING’S HONORMEN

            The Queen’s Court is one of the largest facets of Orenian culture; Castle Stassion fosters the cachet of the royal household and nobility while appealing to creatives among the city proper for the inspiration and entertainment of the common mind. Several ostensive graces are by-products of court efforts including the Kingdom’s fashion and jewel industries, the Academy of Vienne,  the Adriatic, etc. A place among the Queen’s Council is a great honour for noble persons, tasked with ripening the heart of gentility. More than often, noble daughters are sent to the court to be trained in efficiency as a lady of culture and warden of her household. So, too, are knight-squires and young heirs encouraged to frequent the Castle to become acquainted with the Royal Household, for the purpose of networking and familiarity.

            The King’s Honormen are an additional segment of the court that function at the will of the King. The roles include the Masters of the Hunt and Horse, the Keeper of the Swans, the Kingsguard and the Crown Champion. These positions are exclusive to the King’s peers- except the Kingsguard -and conduct errands such as the protection of the Royal Castle, the defence of the Royal Household, the upkeep of the Adriatic, and the Adriatic’s merriments.

 

THE ADRIATIC

            Amid predicament and other aristocratic affairs, nobles will congregate in a single establishment in order to consult the next course of action. Whether it be in the form of a hunting occasion, sporting event, or a banquet, the noble peerage will assemble in order to compute what they must do in order to surpass any hindrance that stands as a blockade to the betterment of Oren. Though these occasions seem to imply merrymaking, it is essential for the noble peerage to retain the primary function of the meeting, whether it be auditing peers, patrician agenda, outlining proposed policies, or conflict among the peerage.

 

SQUIRES & KNIGHTS

            Prosperous coffers among the peasantry and common aristocracy have permitted the widespread purchase of armour plate and fleetly steeds, burgeoning knighthood beyond the barrier of the nobility. Withal, the memory of knights as men of regal blood performing the King’s courtliness whilst slaying beasts of legend (and men alike) remains with a grip on the modern noblesse. Lords are culturally issued to promote one or several of their children into the Order of the Red Eagle as squires, to be directed into the path of greatness by prevailing knightly figures. They may join from the age of 14, learning about the code of chivalry, history and literature.

 

ROYAL WARDS

            To be a ward of the King or Queen is to have the promise of a well-connected and rich education. In shadowing their royal majesties, developing students learn the intricacies of leadership in the respective areas that the King and Queen focus on. Only the nobility has this privilege, but only so many of the nobles may chance it, making it a prestigious childhood that produces the finest of young women and men for future positions in service to the Kingdom and monarchy.

 

NOBLESSE OBLIGE

            With the desire to foster the welfare of others through munificent courtesies, the aristocracy of the Kingdom will be anticipated to contribute benignancy to those in need. In the practice of magnanimity towards commoners, their Lord of Ladyship will annually either host charity affairs, such as auctions or donations, or directly aid the commoners through acts of service such as volunteering for miscellaneous occasions. The Noblesse Oblige is an honour and should be endured earnestly to the highest accord.

 

HEIRLOOMS

            The nobility keep precious items and commission precious items of great value in order to grow their prestige. These heirlooms are reflective of devices passed through hundreds of generations, often tethered to historical significance at the time of its conception. Antiques are inherently correlated with the rarity of which they were founded, and are expected to be thoroughly maintained, cleansed, and secured within a peer’s estate.

 

INTERNOBLE MARRIAGES

            To preserve their noble blood, the nobility almost exclusively marry amidst their ranks. To marry below the nobility is taboo, and often leads to annulment or loss of legitimacy for the children borne by the marriage. To remedy any possibility of marrying into a lower rank, the Queen will often moderate the marriage of the Kingdom’s various heirs male and female at the request of their lord father or lady mother. 

 

DUELS

            Man’s right of duel is a statue only afforded to the most upper echelons of proven aristocratic society, a duty reserved to only the noblesse and gentry of His Majesty’s realm. Oftentimes, duels will be conducted between members of peerage in order to settle the most egregious of grievances. Initiation of duels must abide by the Revised Orenian Code, and are often to the first blood - however, further circumstances must be ordained by His Majesty.

 

---

 

Penned 1877

We must inspire the greatest of our youth to continue our line,

continue our culture,

and continue our greatest love,

the love of Oren,

and her betterment in infinitum.

 

Spoiler

Thank you to @capiitaland @Chennsterfor helping finish the traditions section!

 

[Perkins 167]

Gorkus, mascot of the ISA reads the missive and takes a sharp decision. He is going to become a Knight!