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| Students at Chateau Cavalier have their private class room for homework and studies. |
Not too serious, but not completely without purpose, either...
Teens
When you become a teenager life gets serious! Your family name makes a difference, and your folks expect you to contribute with good behavior and efforts.
If one of your parents is Lord/Lady from being sovereign of a peerage, and you were born within marriage, you will formally get your social title on your 15th birthday. From this day you are addressed a Mister or Miss. These are not noble titles, but come useful when other families consider having their son marry a Miss, rather than a commoner. You might also gain some respect in school, although your teacher might actually expect more from you. Later in life the Mister/Miss titles indicates that you might have a position in case of succession to a low nobility peerage or title, somewhere. You will not introduce yourself as "Mister of Prome", even if your father is Lord of Prome, just "Mister Sebastian Rab-Saxor", so people will have to know - or ask - what peerage is involved :).
You will not get the Mister/Miss title if your parent's Lord/Lady title is a courtesy title, such as the son or daughter of a Duke or Baron, but if that is the case the Duke himself might give you a life long courtesy title instead. Peerage titles always have the mission to signalize that you are pretty close to the peerage, but getting a courtesy title might be how far you will ever reach, as it connects you to the family rather than to the line of successors. Courtesy titles are normally not given at birthdays, but due to big changes in life, such as birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, widowing or stepping down as a sovereign.
If you are a Lord, Lady or Baron already, on your 15th birthday your fame level will be set and frozen, if it was not already. That's right - your noble title brings you a bit fame. Later in life you will achieve more fame with higher titles, and the fame level is frozen for as long as you reside at the main seat of the House that holds the peerage.
Lord/Lady gets fame level 1. Baron/Baroness level 2. Duke/Duchess gets fame level 3. Mister/Miss doesn't gain any fame from their title. This is all regardless of what nobility class you were born into - high, low or commoner - a commoner becoming a Baroness through marriage (quite unlikely, though), will reach fame level 3.
It's generally expected that you earn better school grades than a commoner. As a noble teenager you will work real hard. Well, no problem if someone beats you, but you need to shine, too! Your homework will need more priority than hanging with your friends.
Depending on how skill minded your parents are, you might be signed up with a private High School. In my region this currently affects only the final 7 high school years (aged 22-29) (this was expanded from aged 26-29). Such private schools can be expensive, that's why you will attend one of them - it's a common way for your parents to show off their status. If they can hardly afford it, they will boast about your private school quite often. If the costly fee was not a problem your education will hardly be mentioned. Doing well in High School will make it easier for you when you go to University as a Young Adult, it will get easier to help your House reaching the expectations regarding specific skill (ref Head's approval letter) and it might make you more attractive to someone above your own level.
As a high nobility teenager you will be expected to research the regional signature flora. In my region each district (=world) has one crop and one or two flowers that are most common there. We're talking culture, identity and history - you will need to know about those species for your future society mingling, even if you could not care less about mushrooms and bluebells. Most districts arrange a crop/flower festival where you might be guest of honor (not at 15, but later in life). Also, when officially visiting another district, you ought to know a bit about their culture. Nobody expects you to become a farmer, just to learn the basics through some research.
In high nobility households a teen portrait might be obligatory at 15-20, especially if you are to be sent away to a high school out of reach. Your folks just want to remember your looks! Don't expect a huge photo to get a central position on the wall, most families will go for a medium for now, but the frame might be the nicest you got this far. This is also a good moment to build relations to distant relatives! Order a few extra copies of your portrait, and pay a visit to your granny and uncle to gift them a photo - at least if you know they have some spare walls...
If you are a Lord, Lady or Baron already, on your 15th birthday your fame level will be set and frozen, if it was not already. That's right - your noble title brings you a bit fame. Later in life you will achieve more fame with higher titles, and the fame level is frozen for as long as you reside at the main seat of the House that holds the peerage.
Lord/Lady gets fame level 1. Baron/Baroness level 2. Duke/Duchess gets fame level 3. Mister/Miss doesn't gain any fame from their title. This is all regardless of what nobility class you were born into - high, low or commoner - a commoner becoming a Baroness through marriage (quite unlikely, though), will reach fame level 3.
It's generally expected that you earn better school grades than a commoner. As a noble teenager you will work real hard. Well, no problem if someone beats you, but you need to shine, too! Your homework will need more priority than hanging with your friends.
Depending on how skill minded your parents are, you might be signed up with a private High School. In my region this currently affects only the final 7 high school years (aged 22-29) (this was expanded from aged 26-29). Such private schools can be expensive, that's why you will attend one of them - it's a common way for your parents to show off their status. If they can hardly afford it, they will boast about your private school quite often. If the costly fee was not a problem your education will hardly be mentioned. Doing well in High School will make it easier for you when you go to University as a Young Adult, it will get easier to help your House reaching the expectations regarding specific skill (ref Head's approval letter) and it might make you more attractive to someone above your own level.
As a high nobility teenager you will be expected to research the regional signature flora. In my region each district (=world) has one crop and one or two flowers that are most common there. We're talking culture, identity and history - you will need to know about those species for your future society mingling, even if you could not care less about mushrooms and bluebells. Most districts arrange a crop/flower festival where you might be guest of honor (not at 15, but later in life). Also, when officially visiting another district, you ought to know a bit about their culture. Nobody expects you to become a farmer, just to learn the basics through some research.
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| Lady Corva Saxor of Meadows' official teenage portrait. Find the custom Photo Studio in the Downloads section. |
In high nobility households a teen portrait might be obligatory at 15-20, especially if you are to be sent away to a high school out of reach. Your folks just want to remember your looks! Don't expect a huge photo to get a central position on the wall, most families will go for a medium for now, but the frame might be the nicest you got this far. This is also a good moment to build relations to distant relatives! Order a few extra copies of your portrait, and pay a visit to your granny and uncle to gift them a photo - at least if you know they have some spare walls...
Aged 25 is the earliest any heir can become the successor to a peerage. When a peer dies the law says the peerage can be unattended for up to 25 years before it will expire. This is to give a newborn heir time to reach 25 while an adult reigns in its place. Just because you can get in charge at 25, doesn't mean you actually will - it's totally up to the current sovereign who might not even be willing to step back. The norm is that peerages change hands at the time when the House requires a new Head (death of previous Head). Most youngsters get plenty of time to study at university, build a career and establish a family before getting anywhere near that "crown" - being a baron, duke or royal, even... By the way - only high nobility peers can choose when to step back, low nobility peers are always life time.
Aged 25 is also when you can start taking on official community engagements, and you can even hope for your very own patronage - maybe one of those older family members want you to take over? The paid engagements are only available to high nobility where older family members might still get most of those requests or invitations. Household members can get on the payroll of the peerage Trust (only high nobility peerages have a Trust), but others might show off in public, too, paid or not. It is important to remind the high society of your existence, and stepping out in your late teens doing a good job, might pave the ground for your future representations and society life.
At 25 you are expected to have settled with your personal clothing style, unless you simply go with the boring standards according to etiquette. Set up a map including your preferences for color, material and setting, and decide on a clothing style. You can go a touch of say Country or Boho even if you are noble, but it will be rather disturbing if you change your style dramatically later in life. What house would applaud their polished daughter-in-law turning out to be a Rocker shortly after the wedding? Your preferences are based on your personality, which will not adjust during life, but your top 5 skills come into play, also. Building those same 5 skills later in life will not affect your preferred style, but if you change your top 5 you might be in for a surprise! The easy road is to be aware of it all, just like your surrounding society will be.
Aged 25 is also when you can start taking on official community engagements, and you can even hope for your very own patronage - maybe one of those older family members want you to take over? The paid engagements are only available to high nobility where older family members might still get most of those requests or invitations. Household members can get on the payroll of the peerage Trust (only high nobility peerages have a Trust), but others might show off in public, too, paid or not. It is important to remind the high society of your existence, and stepping out in your late teens doing a good job, might pave the ground for your future representations and society life.
At 25 you are expected to have settled with your personal clothing style, unless you simply go with the boring standards according to etiquette. Set up a map including your preferences for color, material and setting, and decide on a clothing style. You can go a touch of say Country or Boho even if you are noble, but it will be rather disturbing if you change your style dramatically later in life. What house would applaud their polished daughter-in-law turning out to be a Rocker shortly after the wedding? Your preferences are based on your personality, which will not adjust during life, but your top 5 skills come into play, also. Building those same 5 skills later in life will not affect your preferred style, but if you change your top 5 you might be in for a surprise! The easy road is to be aware of it all, just like your surrounding society will be.
From now on you are expected to dress more formally and you also get access to the jewelry of the house - upon approval by the sovereign or the individual owner. Pants are no longer accepted for females at public outings. It means an end to heavy makeup and colorful nails (which you hopefully refrained from also in the past). If you are the daughter of a high nobility peer, it's expected that you wear a nifty little hat when representing. Yea, the hat may feel a tad old era, and can occasionally be skipped, but is still expected at times as it is a sign of your class.
If your house is high nobility, you probably admired the adults' gala attire since you were a young girl or boy. Reaching 25 you can were real gown/tuxedo, and even regalia if you are entitled to. But as a teen girl you can never wear a tiara! The first time a woman is allowed to is at her own wedding - because tiaras are reserved married women. Pearls, silk ribbon or flowers must do for a teen girl, and when you grow up and stay unmarried, a smaller diadem might be within reach. At 25 you will (most likely) join the Club of your House, and depending on your rank within the House, you might even become a member of the District Order, which includes annual gala dinners and more.
I should add that if your parents are low nobility Lord/Lady, you will probably not be included in the finer circles anyway, and the fashion rules will be less rigid, too. It makes no harm trying to slightly copy the higher class, though. You never know where it might lead you later in life!
Feel free to add more life stage related rules, questions, chores and benefits in a comment below :)
This series consists of 4 posts*:
Your Noble Life - Baby to Child
Your Noble Life - Teenagers
Your Noble Life - Young Adult to Adult
Your Noble Life - Elders to Afterlife
* All tagged Nobility and How I Play
I should add that if your parents are low nobility Lord/Lady, you will probably not be included in the finer circles anyway, and the fashion rules will be less rigid, too. It makes no harm trying to slightly copy the higher class, though. You never know where it might lead you later in life!
Feel free to add more life stage related rules, questions, chores and benefits in a comment below :)
This series consists of 4 posts*:
Your Noble Life - Baby to Child
Your Noble Life - Teenagers
Your Noble Life - Young Adult to Adult
Your Noble Life - Elders to Afterlife
* All tagged Nobility and How I Play
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