Honors And Titles

Politics is confusing. So, here's a handy little cheat sheet for whose title, honors, and awards mean what.

Standard Kellon Nobility

In order of least power to most power…

  • Baronet - A hereditary rank, this noble title is the only one not required to own land. People with this rank are superior to commoners, and knights, but inferior to land owning nobles listed below. This rank is purchased by commoners or knights, typically when the government is in need of funds, such as war time.
  • Baron/Baroness - The lowest ranked land owning noble. A barony, the land owned by such a person, is small. A hamlet, small village, or a plantation are all acceptable baronies.
  • Viscount - This rank, while having provisions for owning land, typically do not. This rank is primarily used by those slotted to inherit a higher rank; for the purposes of acclimatizing them to court.
  • Count/Countess - A county, the area ruled by this rank, is typically a single large city, or many medium cities. On many maps which go into detail on provinces and geography, a county is the smallest geographical group displayed.
  • Marquis/Marchioness - A marchland, the area ruled by those of this rank, are typically border territories. A Marquis is charged with the design, building, and maintenance of fortresses within their territory, and fielding armed forces suitable to manning them. Many holders of this rank are also involved in the army to varying degrees.
  • Duke/Duchess - When a duchy, the realm ruled by this rank, is established, the holders of the title are close and personal friends of the then King or Queen. This friendliness is encouraged in later generations, and thus those of this rank are often staunch supporters of the royal family. A duchy is a massive region, often an entire province of the nation, and can potentially be a nation. This rank, and the rank of Prince/Princess are of equal power and authority.
  • Prince/Princess - The iconic heir to the kingdom. A principality, the region ruled by a Prince or Princess, is often a sovereign nation that has been absorbed by a Kingdom. It is rare for those of this rank not to be members of the ruling family, but not impossible.
  • Viceroy - A viceroy is someone authorized to rule a domain in the place of the monarch, such an area is called a viceroyalty. Within their domain, and so long as they act according to their mandate, they operate without reproach, for the only person able to discipline them, or indeed outrank them, is the then king or queen. A viceroy ruling a region in between the death of the old monarch, and the crowning of the new; and if the new monarch is not able to serve the duties of the King/Queen in their entirety yet is called a Regent.
  • King/Queen - The overlord of all those beneath them. The King is charged with financing all public projects in the kingdom, and thus is often in a controlled state of bankruptcy. Truly wealthy kings are few and far between, many monarchs using a system of leeching off their nobles by holding court in a wealthy noble's domain, and requesting gifts be made of items they need or desire. Before the noble's wealth is affected permanently, the court moves on to the next. Only the King or Queen is allowed to speak for the entirety of the nation, the source of the 'Royal We'.

Leaden Mace Society

Basic Titles

The Leaden Mace Society's officers are divided into three major categories, each with their own Junior, regular, and Senior ranks.

  • Inquisitor - The main body of the Leaden Mace, inquisitors are the ones who do the down and dirty work. They are the ones who go on patrols, stage raids, bring in perpetrators, and otherwise do most of the field work in the Society. Advancement from Junior status is often quick; however, rising to Senior status is more difficult and often takes years of service or exceptional deeds.
  • Archivist - The main duty of archivists is the cataloging and keeping of the various magical stores and anomalies the Leaden Mace encounters while on duty. They maintain every branch's archives, which contain everything from bestiaries to criminal records to maps and spellbooks. The vast majority of them are spellcasters, or at least have some training with magic items. While the majority of their time is spent in the stacks, archivists are often called into the field as support spellcasters, and they tend to be hardier than their analyst cousins. Senior archivists tend to be rare; most archivists spend at least a year or two at Junior status, serving under the head archivist of the branch (the one who has the most experience and is "in charge" of the archives, determined by the lieutenant and commander).
  • Analyst - The smallest branch of the Leaden Mace Society by numbers, but no less important than the other two, analysts are noncombatants whose primary duties are administrative and analytical. They tend toward divine magic, and those who are not clerics tend to be divination specialists. They are often called upon for scrying, magical forensics, and other magical evidence-gathering and intelligence-gathering services. Most analysts begin in another branch before starting to train as analysts, or join the Leaden Mace later in life, with more experience and spellcasting power under their belts. Inquisitors have been known to scoff at analysts for getting promoted for "doing nothing," but they appreciate the behind-the-scenes aid a trained analyst can give.
  • Dual-Branch - Inquisitor-Archivist, Analyst-Archivist, Inquisitor-Analyst… All of these titles are artifacts of an earlier age, when the Leaden Mace barely had enough people to cover every role. Thus, some people have been trained in both sets of duties. These titles are most often seen on non-human agents, such as dwarves, gnomes, and elven-kin.

Above the rank and file, there are officers.

  • Lieutenant - The branch commander's right-hand man (or woman). Lieutenants by and large tend to be much more involved with the rank and file than the commanders, and tend to go out on field duty when needed far more often. Often, they serve as a branch's "face" as well, meeting with people and receiving cases. Most lieutenants were Seniors in their respective branches before their promotion, though there are rare exceptions.
  • Commander - The head of any one local branch. Commanders are selected by the local High Command, sometimes in conjunction with the old commander if he or she is retiring, being promoted, or otherwise stepping down from the position. It is most common that a commander's old lieutenant becomes the next commander. Commanders receive reports from the officers and perform the various administrative duties of the branch. It's a highly prestigious position, but as always, with great power comes great paperwork.
  • Captain - Roughly equal in power to a branch commander, the captains are the lieutenants of the High Commanders. They were often commanders beforehand, or the lieutenants of a commander who was promoted to the High Command.
  • High Commander - There are currently five High Commanders in Akellon, which form the High Council, the highest authority within the Leaden Mace Society. Each region of Akellon has its own High Commander; Central, Coastal, Veld, Falaris, and Moscra.

Honors and Awards

  • Copper Star/Silver Star/Gold Star/Platinum Star - awarded for 10, 25, 50, and 100 years of service, respectively. These are affixed to the top of one's badge.
  • Order of Cuthbert's Fist - "Resolve begets all virtues." An award for heroic action in the field above and beyond the call of duty. The design is a fist in a double-circled cross.
  • Order of the Vigilant - "Many look, but the wise see." An award for uncovering heresy, either within or outside of the order. The design resembles a Senior Analyst's badge; a Cuthbertine cross with an eye in the place of the central gem.
  • Order of the Crook - An award for exemplary leadership. While the name may evoke snickers from the uninformed, the design is based on a shepherd's crook.
  • (Rank) of Distinction - A general, low-level award for exemplary action in one's field. One who has earned such an award has a small silver cap on the end of the mace handle supporting their badge.
Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License