The Halls of Nobility, The political structure of the Nobles who own and rule the Empire Options

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Extracted from The Companion, Issue 7 Volume 6
October 2005
By Alan Morgan


The Halls of Nobility
Originally established as a means through which the Nobles might influence and govern the Republic in a place where each may be heard and consensus reached the Halls fell into decay, as did all the Republic. Needing the Nobility, and of course being of such himself, Cerus Amora re-established them during his reign. When the Emperor, and now the Empress, desire they can send out a Call to Hall and the Noble Houses send one of their members to cast their lot with one of the four Halls.

Once so called, the Halls are hard to close once again. Acting to give the Nobles a voice in the Empire it also enables the more conniving to see changes made to the Empire through the Tithe of the Hall. Whilst the Empire is not a Democracy the Halls do act upon a system on voting, officially termed a Casting of the Tithe as it refers to the use of such power that the Nobles effectively collect from the Empress.

Four Nobles are chosen to act as the Lord Mennihaft of the Halls and between them they chose one to be the Grand Mennihaft, he that relates their wishes directly to the Empress. Since the Halls were formed by Emperor the four have always been the same as they have the age, experience and expertise to both chivvy their members and keep corruption from the system. They chose the name of their Hall and what it represents each time the Halls are called.

Nobles may at the time of such a Call elect to join the rolls of one of the Halls. Thereafter they may not change unless so given permission to do so by the Empress. They can leave, removing their vote from the hands of their Lord Mennihaft but may not thereafter join another hall until such are entirely dissolved and then the Call goes out once again.

The four Halls and their Lord Mennihaft are as follow –

The Hall of Glass
Led by Earl Natal. The Hall of Glass represents those Nobles who support the Empress. Whilst all Nobles of course do just this the Hall of Glass sees the power of the Nobility, whether by Blood or Deed, as being paramount under the Empress. The Hall has in the past attracted the most Nobles by Deed and pushed for more to be created, since whilst it places the Nobility at the top of the pile in the Empire such refers to a strong, confident Nobility that really should be able level the odd mountain, chat to the odd god and generally remember that the Nobles all got their power through ancestors being able to do just this.

The Hall of Glass perhaps has a curious duality in its views in that whilst it propagates that ideal that the Empress rules through her Nobility (that those not of the Nobility are only of passing interest and should have little influence) it also pushes for an expansion of the Nobility through deed. Yes the Nobles should effectively rule below the Empress, but that Nobility should be made up of, and expanded to include, those that can actually do so!

The Hall of Scrolls
Led by Duke Rutgeth. The Hall of Scrolls is one whose interests lie in scholarly learning, the gathering of knowledge and ritual power. Hearkening back to the very source of the Nobility, Scrolls is a Hall that very much exemplifies intelligence over brawn but also for power derived from ritual, which to the Hall’s mind is the entire heritage of the Nobility in any case. Scrolls is a very close House and whilst others openly bicker with one another during a debate or converse Scrolls rarely oppose one another openly. Ever seeking more knowledge and power, Scrolls claims that anything can be overcome by ritual; that Primus itself is made on ritual principles and that everything can be understood by men and women of wit and intelligence.

Though many of these views would seem to reflect some sort of return to Magiocracy the Hall is eminently supportive of Empire. The Hall would point to those former states as an example of what happens when clumsy, ignorant men and women seek to dabble in matters best left to those of real power. Indeed, it is central to the Hall’s beliefs that the Magiocracies were an evil that came about because not enough effort was made by the Nobles to master their ritual legacy.

The Hall of Keys
Led by Earl Duff. The Hall of Keys, after which the young city was named, represents wealth and, more importantly, trade. Nobles that belong to the Hall of Keys follow the principle that the Empire was forged through trade, that the cities became linked by such, that through it the Empire can thrive as the shortfall in one is made up by the excess of another. Keys postulates that nations maintain peace with one another because of trade, that diplomacy is only possible through trade and ultimately that diplomacy is built on a foundation of such. The establishment by Amora of the scribe notes called Grulls have made the Empire more unified, that wealth inspires its citizens and that treasure raises great buildings and pays for the warbands that protect the people.

Though the Hall is composed of the Nobility it champions the Guilds also. Keys postulates that the social ambition created by the City Guilds, the Merchant Sires and Trade Masters forms the very backbone of the Empire.

The Hall of Swords
Led by Earl Edwige. The Hall of Swords represents those Nobles who form and ride with their Warbands, those who are possessed of martial prowess and those who just believe that everything else is a luxury without a strong sword arm to protect it. Deeper than that the Hall also stands for change, adaptation and free-thinking. There is no change without destruction and it is the future that is important, not the past. Though the Hall typically has those Nobles amongst its ranks that spend little time in debate and more of their days in muddy fields, Swords possesses a number of clever men and women who are more willing to embrace new ideas than perhaps their peers.