Viscount of Piromere

Career

Qualifications

They are either born into it or earn it through devoted service to the crown (rare).

Payment & Reimbursement

They have small estates to signify their rank, but these tend to be small domains since they are often away on business. Taxes from the jurisdiction they maintain supports these estates.

Other Benefits

Viscounts are the main authority figures of the nobility that interact with commoners on a regular basis. As such, they hold a special place in the social hierarchy as the "face" of the nobility to the rest of the Piromese public.

Perception

Purpose

The viscounts are in charge of the judiciary system of Piromere. They hear civil cases within their districts and administer resolutions. Their clerks are also responsible for issuing birth, marriage, and death certificates. Most of the disputes that viscounts hear are land or property disputes, though sometimes it can broach into the social contracts of marriages and betrothals. Criminal cases can be heard by viscounts or they can push this up to the higher and less frequently meeting Court of Counts. This happens when the case involves lots of wealth, members of the nobility, or is otherwise highly political.

Demographics

It is a very small percentage of the population who fulfill this role. However, the viscount staff can be large depending on the size of the district, so those who endeavor to earn their way to viscount position or want to participate in the legal system can clerk as part of a viscount's staff.

Operations

Workplace

Viscounts travel throughout their district. Each area they visit may have an official meeting hall that can be turned into a courtroom, but the Viscount's day to day office is stored in a carriage, as they spend a lot of time on the road. Within their estates, they may have a more permanent office where they keep official records that have yet to be processed at a magistrate headquarters or their personal legal libraries. Older viscounts can petition for a stationary post, but it's considered a retirement and step down in rank. They might also clerk for the high Court of Counts.