Winter Court of Ruskovich
The ruling class of Ruskovich, the Winter Court is mostly composed of elves, orcs, and humans, but there have been those lucky few of the other races who have fought their way into the Court in ages past, and whose families remain there to this day.
Hereditary rule is odd in the Winter Court - there are seven “High Families,” four Elven, two Orc, and one Human, that are the pillars of the Court. The line of succession is determined by an odd system - to prevent any one family from building an advantage on the other, the line of succession contains members of each family. When the current ruler has a child, that child is placed last on the current line of succession. When the current ruler dies, whoever was next in line takes the throne, and when THEY bear an heir, that heir goes to the bottom of the list, and everyone else moves up a step.
The only way to be added to the line of succession is to be a child of one of the past Czars or Czarinas, or one of those children’s heir if they pass away before they get a chance to rule. If an heir dies before ascending to the Imperial Throne as Czar or Czarina, THEIR firstborn child takes their current place on the line, and so on. If they pass away without an heir, each family has different rules about how their internal line of succession runs, and the next heir takes the spot on the Imperial line.
This system obviously favors the Elves, at first glance, because they live longer. But while the humans and the orcs inevitably hold on to the throne for a shorter period, due to their superior fertility and family size compared to the Elves, they have more spots on the list of the Imperial line of succession than the Elves. They might only be two orc and one human family, but more than half the Czar/Czarinas of Ruskovich have been humans or orcs.
The Seven Ruling Families
- Anchabadze (Elven) - Art lovers and patrons, they push cultural works, museums, and other artistic pursuits during their reign. To attract an Anchabadze patron is considered to be a sign of having reached the pinnacle of one’s artistic craft, even outside Ruskovich.
- Diasamidze (Orc) - Derided as the “Bricklayers” by the other families, and considered the most pedestrian of the noble families, the Diasamidzes are the most ruthlessly practical and pragmatic of the families. The road system is always expanded and improved under their rule, and they might not have very many commercial interests, but they run the Imperial highways and customs houses, and are secretly richer even than the Mukhrani.
- Lortkipanidze (Elven) - The martial house of the Winter Court, the Lortkipanidze are considered to have produced some of the finest generals and warriors in the world. They invented the venzte, a form of ritualized dueling that is used by the entire country (although, the nobles are quietly encouraged to avoid the duels to the death more common in the lower classes.) They are obsessed with honor and skill at arms, and sometimes devote decades to just developing skill with one particular form of combat.
- Mukhrani (Elven) - The economic powerhouse of the Empire. The other families (except the Diasamidze,) consider the Mukrani to be obsessed with dull matters, but they have controlled the treasury and finances of the Empire since time out of mind. They keep the commoner merchant class in check, as their family members are exempt from most taxes and custom fees common merchants have to pay. Merchants vie to attract Mukhrani investors and silent partners as a result, which the nobles, in turn, manipulate to their advantage.
- Orlov (Human) - The scholars of the Winter Court. They favor intellectual pursuits, and are the top patrons of most of the great Ruskovian Universities, magical colleges, and more. As a result of their strong connections to the engineers and more practical applications of magic, they control more of the country’s airships than anyone else.
- Ratishvili (Orc) - The Ratishvili are the naturalists and conservators of the Winter Court, and are the Court’s preeminent hunters, one of the favorite pursuits of the Court. They oversee vast game preserves in the wild places of the country, and organize hunts of all kinds of exotic beasts and wild creatures. A Ratishvili gains prestige in their family by having the most impressive trophies from the most dangerous beasts, hunted in the most inhospitable environments. As these hunting parties are one of favorite places of the nobility to engage in business and political scheming outside of the Court, the Ratishvili wield significant political influence in the Court. Being invited to the right hunting expedition, or being excluded, can make or break a political career in Ruskovich.
- Vorotynsky (Elven) - the mystics and seers of the Imperial families. If the Orlovs represent the scholarly and practical side of the study of magic, the Vorotunskies represent the more sublime and esoteric side. Seers, prophets, enchanters, and necromancers litter the history of the Vorotynsky family, and their reigns are considered to be some of the darkest and most tumultuous in Ruskovian history. Folklore says that a Vorotynsky ascending the throne foreshadows dark times ahead.
Type
Government, Leadership
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Notable Members