Falerith

Structure

Ruled by its elven King, Falerith has several titles that it has adopted for its nobles. For the landowning families, the highest ranked are the five dukes and duchesses. Each of them is in charge of several Counts and Countesses who in turn are in charge of many barons and baronesses. There is an interstitial ranking of Marque that has largely been ignored and instead been adapted for the other noble families. Nobles who own no land are almost universally Marques. Great heroes who are being ennobled, particularly influential and long-standing families, and even especially powerful merchants can all become Marques. The laws of the land are decided upon within the Ghostlight court. Adjudicated by the King himself (or his Vizier), this court usually consists of just representatives of the dukes and duchesses, the occasional count or countess particularly involved, and marques who are summoned or petitioned the law in the first place. In certain rare situations, a grand quorum can be held, which allows every titled noble - even barons or baronesses - to become involved. The Ghostlight Court merely focuses on large policies and laws which can be easily applied to the entire kingdom, however. Smaller and more nuanced interpretations, clarifications, or extensions of these laws are decided by the Second Court, which is a voluntary court handled by the marques, counts, and countesses.

History

Originally a small elven city within the Ghostlight woods, Falerith did not expand on its own. Due to tangles of treaties and poor decision making, several nearby settlements (and eventually city-states) attempted to invade and take over, only to be conquered themselves. Now, the kingdom is fairly peaceable as the south and southeast are both blocked by mountains while much of the west is desert or other wastes. The expansion has only ended recently, with many veterans alive to recount tales of it.

Alternative Names

The Ghostlight Kingdom

Demonym

Faleran

Government System

Oligarchy

Power Structure

Federation

Economic System

Mixed economy

Legislative Body

The Ghostlight Court drafts the large laws that affect the kingdom. These laws are then passed onto the Second Court, which figures out the details, interpretation, and implementation of these laws. Outside of this, each duchy has its own court which creates laws for the duchy.

Judicial Body

While the Second Court is responsible for the interpretation and implementation of the laws, they rarely bother to revisit past laws or clarify further. This has led to the defining judicial body being the duchy Court, which further delegates judicial duties as it sees fit.

Related Ranks & Titles