Nobility/Hierarchy

Nobility are ranked into three primary tiers (laynoble, mednoble, and archnoble) with additional subsets in the archnoble tier. Tiers reflect average mana capacity and hierarchical status, but they do not reflect wealth, land ownership, influence or other factors.

If a child has significantly more or less mana than the rest of their family, they may move up into a higher tier or fall to a lower tier. This is usually done through adoption or marriage. (Alternatively, if the child is young enough, they can be baptized as the natural child of a new family.) The divide between each tier is almost as strict as the divide between nobles and commoners: a laynoble who shows insufficient deference to an archnoble, for example, could be severely punished.

A family that consistently displays mana equivalent to a higher tier for three successive generations may seek permission to have its status changed to the more appropriate tier. Likewise, one that displays lower mana will likely have its tier involuntarily reduced.

Titles (as opposed to noble tiers) denote governorship of land and the right to inherit that governorship. The three main titles (Zent, Aub, and Giebe) each have one or more courtesy titles associated with the position, which can be used as appropriate to the situation. For example, the "Archduke of Ehrenfest" is synonymous with the title "Aub Ehrenfest". Likewise, a mednoble giebe such as Geibe Gerlach can also be correctly called "Viscount Gerlach".

The spouse of a landed noble may be referred to using the corresponding courtesy title, but not the formal title. For example, the husband of an archduchess may be referred to as an archduke, but not as the Aub. Likewise, the first wife of a mednoble giebe (viscount) may be referred to as a viscountess, but not as the Giebe. If there are multiple wives, only the first wife will receive the courtesy title; however, all spouses of a landed individual have a higher status as members of the governing family. They rank below the title holder, but above the heirs to the title.

Title holders may abdicate their position in order for their designated heir to take over the role. If they do so, they will maintain a significant level of status and authority owing to their prior position, however it will be informal in nature.

Contrary to common expectations, the oldest son is not automatically set to inherit a title; there is a preference for male heirs over female ones and a somewhat milder preference for earlier-born children, but ultimately the amount of mana is usually the deciding factor and if one child has clearly more mana they will typically be the presumptive heir to a title.

These titles do not correspond to any particular hierarchical status. They can be used as a term of respect for any noble, as applicable.

Each spring, the duchies of Yurgenschmidt are formally ranked based on their political influence, economic growth, contributions to new research or technology, and the performance of their students in the Royal Academy. The status of nobles within those duchies is likewise impacted.


 * Between Duchies: When nobles of similar status have a conflict, preference is usually given to the one from a higher-ranked duchy. For example, an archnoble from a greater duchy would usually take precedence over an archnoble from a lesser duchy.
 * Between the Sovereignty and a Duchy: Nobles of the Sovereignty always rank above other nobles from the same tier: That is, a Sovereignty mednoble will always rank above a Klassenberg mednoble, although Klassenberg is the highest-ranking duchy. However, a Sovereignty mednoble would still be considered lower in status than any archnoble.

Royal Academy Professors are an exception. For the sake of maintaining order, professors are always considered of a higher rank than their pupils in matters concerning education. However, this rule is often more true in theory than in practice. As Solange experienced, many high-status students will ignore the requests of a professor who is lower in status.

Students who show themselves very capable in their first two years at the Royal Academy sometimes get the option to join the Sovereignty from their third year onwards. However, archduke candidates cannot join the Sovereignty under any circumstances, because doing so could leave the Aub without a successor. The only way for an archduke candidate to join the Sovereignty is by marrying a member of the royal family.