Baron or Baroness

What is a Baron or Baroness?
A Baron or Baroness holds the lowest nobel title that holds land beyond estates or other private property. They handle smaller lands known as shires. They answer to the Lord who handed them their title. They are expected to handle a wide variety of tasks in the lands they control. The Baron or Baroness are an important part of any of the human empires, without them the governing of such large lands would be impossible. They are rarely noteworthy nobles, but they are nobles none the less. Compared to commoners a Baron or Baroness have a much better chance of being noticed by the "better" parts of human society.
The Baron or Baroness are rarely satisfied with where they are, like most nobles they have ambition, and when ambition fails them, they turn it into ambition for their heir. This process continues until the family reaches a new post... or lose everything in failed coups or by forgetting that, though they are nobility, they are a small fish in the courts of empires much greater than their small shires.

Requirements

Must be an honored citizen of whatever human empire they are seeking the title of Baron or Baroness in. Cannot hold a different title that requires the individual's presence in another land for extended periods of time. This rule means the individual can for instance only hold the title of Baron or Baroness in one place, but they can still hold titles that do not require their constant presence, for instance they can hold the title of Baron and Earl at the same time. Varying from Empire to Empire the individual may be required to be a certain race or gender.

Appointment

The individual must be awarded a significant amount of land called a shire (Shires usually encompass multiple towns and farms) by a Lord. The process of gaining this title is usually signified with the Lord traveling to the main estate that accompanies the title of Baron or Baroness where the Lord will be a part of the appointment ceremony. During this ceremony the coming Baron or Baroness swears fealty to the Lord and all of the Lord's superiors.

Duties

The Baron or Baroness is expected to perform certain duties in the land they were awarded, and although these are not explicitly written in the laws of the empire, every Baron and Baroness is made aware of them as soon as they take their title. The Baron or Baroness' duties are lasted below.

• To act as a representative of the empire they are a part of. (This means living up to their responsibilites, acting as a nobleman or woman, etc.)
• Keep the estate that accompanies the title in a functioning and presentable state.
• Along with keeping the estate in a good state, they are also expected to live there, it is not a defined rule but it is unheard of that the title-holder does not live in the title-estate. (They are of course allowed to own multiple homes, but the title estate must be a regular home of the title-holder).
• Remaining professional when acting as their title.
• Keeping their population happy (The importance of this duty varies greatly throughout the human empires)
• To keep a local militia in their land. To be clear this force is under the command of the Baron or Baroness, any people appointed to militia commander by said Baron or Baroness, as well as any superiors to the Baron or Baroness. This militia is paid by the Baron or Baroness, and can (but is not required to) act as enforcers of the will of the Baron or Baroness. This militia will usually handle protection of the Baron or Baroness' personal lands, act as bodyguards, and can (though rarely) be called into the empire's military by proper authorities (it is important to note that a Baron or Baroness has no military authority and can therefore not enlist citizens, so all combatants in the Baron or Baroness' militia are volunteers, and the militia cannot act as a military force).
• Many duties depend on what shire the Baron or Baroness controls and will therefore be listed there.
• It is expected of a Baron or Baroness to take an "appropriate" spouse (how important this duty is varies greatly, as does what is considered "appropriate")
• Depending on the importance of taking a spouse it is also generally expected of Barons and Baronesses to have children, and prepare one of those children to take over the title after their parents pass away. (Wether the heir must be the 1st born child or must have a specific gender or race depends on the empire)

Responsibilities

The Baron or Baroness is expected to handle specific things in the land they were awarded. The Baron or Baroness' responsibilities are lasted below.

• Keep count of the population in their lands, this means the exact number of people, their gender as well as their race (If mixed then the most prominent racial traits of the citizen determins the race they are listed as).
• Tax collection. This means the Baron or Baroness have a certain quota they must meet, though the times this quota must be met, as well as what the payment consists of is decided by the Lord of the Baron or Baroness. (For instance a shire containing a large amount of iron mines is more likely to have a deal with the Lord where some or all of the tax on the shire is paid in iron. Another example would be farmland growing primarily Adoyroots, as these take a full Rehtorb Gib cycle to fully grow the timeframe for tax payment would most likely be adjusted to account for this.)
• Settle disputes within their area of power. Typically this rule is only used for local land disputes, clan or large family conflicts in order to keep the peace etc. In other words the Baron or Baroness handle local disputes too large or sensitive for common law-enforcenment.
• Make legal decisions. Usually the Baron or Baroness will use this power and appoint one or more judges to handle local legal matters (these judges hold the title of Minor Common judge). This rule is otherwise intentionally vague to ensure the Baron or Baroness will at all times have legal power in their land in order to ensure they can enforce the will of their Lord.
• Obey orders given by their lord or a superior as long as those orderes do not go against the law of the empire, is within the Lord's or superior's power to command and is within the Baron or Baroness' power to complete.
• Keeping their citizens safe, this against wildlife, monsters and bandits, NOT against other nations as that responsibility falls to the military.

Benefits

The benefits of the title of Baron or Baroness varies depending on the shire they are the Baron or Baroness of, but some benefits are universal. The universal benefits of the Baron or Baroness title are listed below.

• The title estate. The Baron or Baroness receives their title along with an estate that they personally own as long as they hold their title. The estate is of course unique to each shire, and depending on the shire it will vary in size, comfort and beauty. Even if the estates may vary, they will generally be either the best estate or one of the best in the land the Baron or Baroness controls. The Baron or Baroness can change what estate is the title estate, although the estate they change to must still be one of the best.
• Payment through taxes. The Baron or Baroness must of course collect the taxes demanded by their Lord, but they are allowed to increase the tax beyond this requirenment, and those funds go to the Baron or Baroness personally, however this does mean that even though Baron or Baroness counts as a job (Due to the responsibilites of the title makes the Baron or Baroness unable to hold work another job) it does not have a set payment.
• Societal and social standing. Although Baron or Baroness is a smaller title, it is a title none-the-less. Being able to host large parties and perhaps even ask a Lord to dinner grants a Baron or Baroness social and societal standing.
• Political power. The title of Baron or Baroness holds no actual political power beyond the lands they control, it awards them no seat in a council, and does not by law give their voice any more importance beyond their lands than a normal citizen. Even though on paper their political power only increases in their own lands, the title does give them access to funds, ressources and men and because of that, their political power is without a doubt increased.
• Lastly the title grants the Baron or Baroness the ability to display their family shield and flag anywhere in their land as long as it does not replace the shield or flags of superiors. This means the Baron or Baroness can demand the taverns in their land display their shield, but they cannot for instance demand that military forces in their lands wear the shield of the Baron or Baroness.

Accoutrements & Equipment

There is no universal uniform for the Baron or Baroness title but there is most likely a certain dresscode for each shire. In general the Baron and Baroness dresses in the finest clothing, wear expensive and beautiful jewelry and so on. A shire's unique dresscode will depend on alot of things, for instance if it is a colder shire known for it's pelts and furs then the clothing of the Baron or Baroness will show as much.
It is not a requirement but typically there is one or more weapons or pieces of amour that come along with the title, and of course these items are unique to each shire.
Finally there is one item that is required to go along with the title, and that is a ring. It is required that any time the Baron or Baroness acts as a Baron or Baroness they wear that ring. The ring itself is simple, with a flat surface on which the seal of the shire is carved. That ring is used as the Baron or Baroness' stamp when sending letters or other documents where it is not enough that they write their name or use their family seal. This ring is unique to each shire and using the same stamp without the title is a major fraud crime.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

The only people with the power to remove the title of Baron or Baroness is the Lord that granted them the title, or anyone with authority over that Lord. It is rare that a Baron or Baroness loses their title, but if they do it has no ceremony, and they are simply given a timeframe in which they must vacate the property they held as Baron or Baroness and leave any objects they did not personally own.

Type

Nobility, Hereditary

Status

Still in full effect in the human empires.

Creation

The original creation of the title came with the creation of the first human empire.

Form of Address

Sir or Madam

Source of Authority

The source of the Baron or Baronesses authority is the Lord who granted them their title.

Length of Term

The title of Baron or Baroness lasts until their death, unless they have their title removed for any reason by proper authorities.