Dawn leadership

The Dawn territories are dominated by the powerful noble houses. The houses manage their great estates, raising soldiers to fight for the Empire and collecting taxes to pay for them. Membership of a house is achieved by passing the house's Test of Mettle, although a degree of status is often assumed by those sons and daughters who have been raised in a house.

Each house sets its own test and only the behaviour of those who have passed the test reflects on the house. As a result a house must keep the tests difficult to maintain its reputation. Those houses that make the tests too easy face the very real risk of having no children placed with them. No Dawn parent would want to place their child with a house that is tarnished by mediocrity.

To choose their senators, the houses compete in a grand tourney. There is one contest for each territory and a house may enter any number of contests, but an individual noble may only contest one seat. As a result smaller houses tend to concentrate their strength on a single seat, whilst the most powerful may split their members between two or more. Politics plays a role in the tourney of course, but at the end of the day this is Dawn – you can't achieve glory by getting other people to stand aside and let you pass.

In theory an Earl of a victorious house could take the seat themselves, but most choose not to, preferring to leave the business of the Senate to those trained to it. The Senate offers opportunities for much glory, but they are difficult to achieve without special training. Those that possess this training are called Legislators. Professional politicians these nobles study oratory and debate as well as the history of the Senate. These dedicated politicians have helped Dawn hold its own in the Senate.

An Earl will usually dedicate himself to the advancement of his noble house. The accomplishments of a House reflect directly on its Earl, an acknowledgement of the role that the Earl plays in ensuring that every member of the house is given the support they need to triumph.