Noble house

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A noble house is the basic concept for a group of Dawnish characters. Lead by an Earl, it is composed of nobles who have passed the Test of Mettle set by the house. It may also include some yeomen retainers, or a Seneschal.

Introduction

Dawn is home to dozens of noble houses which represent the best - and occasionally the worst - of what the Nation has to offer. These are not traditional, real world historical, noble families - many of the members are not related to one another by blood. While every noble member of the House bears the same surname it is the shared experience of the Test of Mettle that truly unites a house.

Many noble houses are based around one or more castles, estates or manor houses. They tend to be surrounded by villages or small towns made up of yeomen who look to the noble house for leadership and, where neccessary, protection.

At the head of each noble house is an Earl, whose duty it is to uphold the honour of the house while advancing its interests. The methods by which the Earl is chosen vary widely from house to house and the business of how an earl is actually selected is very much that of the household; it is generally considered rude for outsiders to attempt to intrude on or influence their decision - several enduring feuds having started this way.

The Earl typically determines the broad strokes of house policy, often supported by a yeoman Seneschal who sees to financial matters and other ignoble concerns. Most Earls are advised by the other nobles of their house, but at the end of the day it is usual that the Earl makes the final decision about how to proceed on any matter.

More importantly (for Dawn), the Earl sets all Tests of Mettle and Tests of Ardour. This gives them a great deal of control over who is allowed to enter their noble house. Some noble houses use traditional, publicly known tests. For example, House DuPont of Astolat traditionally demanded the head of an orc shaman or warlord, taken in battle. Other houses tailor the test to the candidate, either to help them create their own glorious tale ... or to set them up for failure.

Most nobles within a house spend their lives seeking glory in their chosen path, often on the field of battle. They should never forget that they represent their fellow nobles in everything they do or say, and bringing disrepute or shame to the house is a serious matter.

Very few noble houses do not have some level of martial support. They might be able to field small armies of yeomen, bringing the best and brightest to the field to engage in vital support actions during events. These yeomen support the house's nobles, who in turn fight for personal glory and the honour of Dawn. By no means are all Dawnish nobles martially inclined - there are noble houses who focus their efforts exclusively in the Synod, for example - but the majority possess some sort of military capability, the better to seek glory in battle.

Creating a Noble House (In Character)

Any group of nobles can get together to form a new noble house. The most common reasons for this to happen is when an existing house becomes "too large" and several members want to branch out on their own, or when a newly minted noble being encouraged to form their own house based on their own ideals. Dawnish noble houses are very much social constructs, and being able to operate as a noble is as much a matter of convincing other nobles that your house is real (rather than some sort of political scam) as anything else.

Creating a Noble House (Out of Character)

The noble house is intended as the simplest way for most groups of players to create a Dawnish group. Dawnish Noble Houses are in constant pursuit of glory and honour, encouraging members to get stuck in to many areas of the game with equal gusto. Noble houses can easily include almost any character concept, with the possible exception of a Weaver cabal.

Some noble houses are very large, others are quite small. The house may include off-screen noble members who never attend events, or it may be that you and your friends' characters are the only noble members. Regardless, it can be assumed that there are a number of NPC yeomen who help the house to operate and do not attend events, and for whom the noble house is responsible. You might want to represent these using personal resources - farms and small military units in particular suggest the presence of yeomen.

Every character is likely to have their own story of how they joined the house, whether they are blood-relatives or fosterlings; newcomers who specifically sought out your house to petition for entry; ennobled yeomen who won recognition for their glorious deeds; a character from another Nation inspired by the Dawnish way of life to become a noble; a noble from another house who married into the house as the result of a failed Test of Ardour; or some more exotic tale of nobility and glory.

Some "noble" characters, especially younger characters, might technically be yeomen who are currently embarking on their Test of Mettle, have yet to ask for one or who have already tried and failed. These characters enjoy the prestige of being "part" of the house without having the rights - or responsibilites - of a true noble.

Yeomen appear to take subordinate roles to the nobles, and to a degree this is true,. However, a Seneschal might wield more subtle influence in a house than is obvious, while the traditions of service in the Empire mean that even yeomen should not be taken from granted.

Most noble houses will have one or more associated Troubadours. These priestly characters help to promote the glorious deeds of the nobles, provide spiritual guidance where it is needed, and may aspire to represent the noble house in the Synod.

Dawnish nobility are a little suspicious of ritual magic, which often seems to favour the group over a glorious individual. Having said that, you may wish to create a noble house with a tradition of magical prowess, a house of War Witches lead by a powerful Enchanter. Alternatively you want to consider creating a Weaver Cabal instead for a slightly different experience of Dawn.

At the end of the day, Dawn is about glorious deeds. Every member of the house should be looking to make a name for themselves, whether they are noble or not.

You'll want to pick a territory for your house to hail from. While individual members may come from any part of Dawn - or even beyond - its likely that your personal resources will be based in this territory. If you're having trouble choosing, we recommend picking the territory with the fewest active groups in-game. After all, Dawn has never lost territory to the barbarian forces outside the Empire, and you're going to need to make sure it stays that way.

Heraldry

Every noble house in dawn has a device that it uses on flags, banners, shields, surcouts ... indeed, pratically anywhere it can find a flat surface that will hold some pigment! This device is the focus of much of the pride of the house, and the symbols of the greatest noble houses will quickly come to be recognised not only by fellow Dawnish characters and characters from other Nations.

When picking your heraldry, it is probably best to go for something simple and striking. Empire does not have the complex rules of heraldry that exist in the real world, so the simplest way to make a device is to pick a symbol in one striking colour and put it on a background of a contrasting colour. The most common devices in Dawn are mythical beasts - gryphons, lions, unicorns, dragons, wyverns, winged serpents, chimera and even fantastical beasts that exist only in the imagination - rather than the more mundane beasts favoured by the rival Marches.

Even though the time of the Kings and Queens of Dawn has gone, their device - the golden sun-in-splendour against a blue field - remains as the image of the Nation as a whole. Any noble house can bear this device with pride.

A neat trick would be to pick your heraldry with an eye to your costume (or vice versa). Arranging for your nobles and yeomen to wear colours that match their device will create a dramatic impact on the field, and can be done relatively easily through the use of surcoats and cloaks.