Merchant Lord

The Merchant Lords are the Vailian counterpart to the nobility in monarchies. Generally, everyone can become one as the only requirement is to be acknowledged by the merchant guild, who in turn only cares about money.
They often own vast swathes of land on which they let Serfs toil while others own a trade fleet to earn their money. The title isn't hereditary, strictly speaking, yet a child will always be considered a Merchant Lord as long as the family business continues to prosper and they don't fall from grace.