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The Imperial Aristocracy
The Terren Dominion is a feudal society characterized by the strict organization of its social classes comprised of the government, the nobility and the common people. The Terren nobility consists of the Gustivars and Herrstivars as well as the members of their immediate families. The entirety of Terren's social structure is strictly defined yet it is designed to encourage a form of meritocratic aristocracy. Membership of any social class is dependent on skill as well as blood and noble titles are granted to Prastagott as a reward for exceptional service and revoked from Gustivars and Herrstivars as punishment for abuses of power and incompetence.
The structure of the Terren class system is organized as follows:
History
The Terren Empire itself is a relatively juvenile realm, only very recently uniting under one banner. But although the empire itself is young, the Terren Archipelago has long been home to many ancient noble families, collectively known as the Gustivars, who had ruled over their own personal fiefdoms for many years. Some Gustivars trace their power to the old Elisfizite empire, others where ennobled under the kingdoms that formed after the collapse, and some even acquired their domains through military conquest. These noble families have had the general freedom to rule their domains as they see fit, sometimes to the detriment of the people they ruled over, and most Gustivars were corrupt and greedy. This would change during the time of the Terminus Mists as the dangers of the mists forced many Gustivars to either become skilled leaders or they were destroyed. This change has caused the Gustivars to shift into a far more meritocratic class. This change has been instrumental both to the foundation and administration of the empire. During the earliest phases of the war against Terminus Mists the soon-to-be Emperor Luka found a great amount of support in the Gustivars who, impressed by his charisma and driven by fear of the mists, gave him money, supplies, and sometimes soldiers. After the end of the Terminus Mists it was the Gustivars who lobbied for the unification of the Terren Archipelago, believing that a unified empire would allow Terren to secure itself and face the newly discovered world. And speaking of the new world, the discovery of new lands and the establishment of the colonial states would have a major impact on the Gustivars. Many would remain on the Terren Archipelago, but some of the young Gustivars who sought to establish their own domains would venture out into the colonial states and form their own fiefdoms. These Gustivars would eventually come to be known as the Herrstivars, the colonial nobility. Overtime these nobles would separate themselves from their mainland counterparts more and more, even taking new titles to further distinguish themselves. There has been some conflict between the Gustivars and Herrstivars as the Gustivars view the Herrstivars as ambitious upstarts and the Herrstivars view the Gustivars as arrogant and inflexible.
The Rights and Responsibilities of the Nobility
The nobles of Terren have been bound to a code of conduct known as the Rindcher Rkovlir, which states that those of noble ancestry or title must constrain themselves only to honorable behavior and that their privilege entails responsibility to the people and the state. While the people must serve their lords the lords must serve their people. Gustivars and especially Herrstivars of all ranks are required to oversee public service projects, the construction and maintenance of infostructure and to the general defense of their fiefdom. In order to incentivize the nobility to serve as rigorously as possible nobles who display exceptional service gain Imperium which can be used to grow their power and the power of their house, while nobles demonstrated to be less effective may find themselves demoted and their titles revoked. Yet nobles who do demonstrate skill and devotion to the people enjoy lives of luxury and priviladge. They are given preference for loans, vast estates, the ability to establish guilds, and the right to an audience with the emperor himself. Prastagott who demonstrate exceptional skill are sometimes allowed to enter into the nobility, although they must usually be sponsored by another already existing noble family. Marriage among the Terren nobility is a touchy subject because although it is legally permissible for any two individuals to marry each other regardless of class or gender, marrying within your social class is still highly encouraged and there is often judgement of those who marry outside their class.
Imperium
Nobles who excel in their duties can have not only their own personal power and influence increased but also the power and influence of their house increased through a system called Imperium. Imperium is a way to quantifiably measure the power of a noble and their house. As a noble preforms acts of service they are rewarded with Imperium. The more Imperium an individual possesses the more power and privileges they are granted. The power of a noble house is calculated by the amount of Imperium held by every member of the house. However, the greatest advantage of Imperium is its ability to usurp. If a noble gains more Imperium, then their superior they will be able to issue a challenge which will take a form determined by a committee of peers to be fair for both parties. Whether the challenge is combat, a wargame, or even a debate depends on both of the participants. If the challenger wins, they will claim their former superior's position. However, if the challenger losses they will lose half of their Imperium, making them vulnerable to challenges from their subordinates. This system exists to ensure the best of the best gain and hold power, and it forces challengers to think if they are truly better than their superior.
The Imperial Government and the High Lords
The imperial government which rules over the entirety of the empire is an extremely powerful and organized body which is overseen and controlled by the emperor directly meaning that membership is entirely based on merit and as such Prastagott, Gustivars, and Herrstivars alike can be found among its members. In fact, the imperial government has representatives from every single noble house in the entire empire. Membership in the imperial government removes an individual from the generally accepted social and familial order and instead ranks its members based on their positions within the government. The exception to this rule is the High Lords, the former monarchs and chieftains of the kingdoms and tribes of Terren. The High Lords are granted exceptional luxury and influence and enjoy the benefits of nobility and membership in the imperial government. The Supreme Patriarch of the Elemental Orthodoxy and the Pontifex Maximus of the Eliadic Cult are considered High Lords, although their rank is actually slightly higher due to the influence of their religions.
The Hierarchy of Houses
Below is a chart of the noble families and their relation to each other:
In order for a family to become recognized as a noble house it must be sponsored by another family. Once two families have entered into a sponsorship agreement the sponsoring family has an obligation to ensure their sponsee family maintains adherence to the Rindcher Rkovlir, and the sponsee is obligated to support their sponsor in court, because a family can both sponsor and be sponsored a complex web of political and familial alliances has formed within Terren, each vying for greater power and position. All of the noble houses are considered to be sponsored by the Heinrich royal family by proxy and any house can be stripped of their noble status by the royal family. Members of the higher-ranking houses tend to occupy the higher positions in the nobility although there are acceptations mainly in the colonies.
