(Year 227) Ever wondered how my dukedoms are organized? Then search no further, because here comes a map showing the command lines. In fact, this example is representative for all the high nobility houses, which currently include 4 dukedoms and 3 baronies.
The following is valid for the House of Ross, where Jarret Emanuel Ross is Duke of Rossie, and his brother Bennet Ross is Baron of Shiningham.
The Duke:
Head of House is of course on top of the organization, in this case Jarret Ross with the title Duke of Rossie. He is in charge of the person 1st in line of Successors, the Duchess, and the Butler. In addition he leads the Rossie Trust.
The Peer of a high nobility Peerage will always be head of House, and it's important to see that the House and the Peerage are separate issues, with each their rules and system of heritage. One House can hold several Peerages, but only one High Nobility peerage, and each person can currently be Peer of only one Peerage at the time (this was different in the past). Head of House will assign additional Peerages to other central members of the House - assignments that can be changed by Head of House at any time. It's actually Head of House who holds the additional peerages, he is just not allowed to carry the additional title(s).
The Successor:
The primary command line goes to the dukedom's Successor. This will normally be Head of House's oldest son, but in the Rossie case, Robert Ross is their 2nd oldest. From age 15 he is under the wings of his father, which will include training for taking over the House and the dukedom at some point. The Duke pay less attention to the other children, organizationally.
The Rossie Trust:
The Trust connects to the Dukedom of Rossie and not to the House of Ross. Head of House is the financial owner, but has no impact on changes. So, he can not give away or sell any assets. The Trust owns all possessions that will be passed on to the Successor to the dukedom; the Rossie Palace, additional estates, jewelries, exclusive rugs and other assets that benefit from stability.
The Trust has a board lead by the Duke, and with 2 additional board members, normally representing other family branches or someone further down the line of successors. Today they are the duke's brother, Bennet Ross, and his oldest son, Rainert (Ross) Thebe. Their main mission will be to secure the values on behalf of the Successors - which theoretically might be someone from their own household. The duke's double vote stops the additional members to decide anything revolutionary, just like they will stop the duke from acting unwisely. Most decisions handled by the Trust board will regard maintenance of buildings as well as approving members for the Rossie District Order.
The Duchess:
Yes, the duke's wife is actually only the 3rd formal command line, but in many cases the Duke and Duchess will appear as of equal importance to the daily household. The Duchess has command line to the Butler, despite this Servant being equal to her when it comes to the household. She is said to be the Peer's voice in this matter, but this can vary a little from house to house.
The Duchess has the sole responsibility for the sons that are not 1st in line to the dukedom, and all daughters. When there is a Governess the Duchess will also work closely with her, although the Servants will also be obeying the Butler.
The Butler:
This is the most common live-in Servant as all high nobility houses has one, regardless of how many other servants they have. Servants are always hired by the House and not the Peerage, but in some cases the Trust will take on responsibility, especially when the high nobility status periodically might add a need of bigger staff.
The Butler will always be in charge of all live-in Servants, and therefore the only Servant having frequent dialogue with the Duke (and Duchess). He will normally not join the 3M (Monday Morning Meeting), though. The Duchess might communicate directly with a Governess and the Cook, but this will normally happen only for special occasions.
Rossie District Order:
The order (aka friendship orders) has no impact at all, but is more intended for building networks. The first 4 members normally include the Duke, Duchess and 2 central members of the House. The other 4 members are seen as secondary members and will be from outside the House, often representing high nobility houses of other districts.
They form a network of up to 8 members (all minimum 25 year old), the Duke hosts annual gala dinners where each member is expected to attend minimum every other year, and where they carry the district order's sash and other regalia. Members can bring a spouse/companion. The final slot for the Rossie District Order (marked green) is expectedto be given to Rainert (Ross) Thebe, son of the House of Ross and crowned Baron of Myshuno this year.
Membership is life long, and the sash/medal can be carried at any fitting occasion.
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