Hand of the King

The Hand of the King is the chief advisor to the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and is the executor of the king's command in the Seven Kingdoms.

Duties

Duties of the Hand include commanding the king's armies, drafting laws, dispensing justice, and generally managing the day-to-day running of the kingdom. The Hand may act on the king's behalf when he is indisposed, and sit the Iron Throne while doing so. The Hand also sits on the Small Council and will run the council if the king is not present.

Responsibilities

It is considered by some to be a difficult and unglamorous job of great responsibility. A popular saying goes, "What the king dreams, the Hand builds," but the lowborn say, "The king eats, and the Hand takes the shit." Many able men have failed in the office throughout history.

Benefits

The office typically makes the Hand the second-most powerful man in the kingdom next to the king, though some Hands have had the reputation of ruling their kings.

Accoutrements & Equipment

The Hand resides in the Tower of the Hand within the Red Keep. His badge of office always includes a hand, though each Hand may design his own. Some used brooches, and a silver clasp has also been used. Several Hands have used chains, such as a necklace of linked golden hands. Servants of the Hand might wear the emblem of a hand.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

For all the power associated with the office the King can remove a Hand from power at any moment for any reason.

Type

Nobility, Non-hereditary

Form of Address

Lord Hand

Source of Authority

The King's Will

Current Holders

• Gormon Peake

Related Organizations

• Small Council