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The
Court of Night
In Europe, the Courts of Night are
organized in much the same way that they have been
for centuries, led first and foremost by the King
and Queen. In some European cities, and most American
ones, the Court tends to be ruled by a Revenant Magnate,
while for the most part, the Old World continues to
cling to its traditions. These titles are traditionally
held by a Revenant and a Vampire, although in some
cities, there may be two male monarchs, or two female
monarchs, depending on the sexes of the Eldritch that
rise to those positions.
When working by a system of Kings
and Queens, overall control of the city is shared
between the Regents, below them, districts, precincts
and even individual city blocks are overseen by nobles
who are ultimately responsible for protecting their
territory (or demesnes) and reporting back to the
Regents. In descending order beneath the King and
Queen, these are: the Marquis’ and Marchionesses,
the Counts and Countesses and the Barons and Baronesses.
A city may also hold a number of Knights who are called
on in times of need, or what confrontation seems inevitable.
The Knights are appointed, as are the Marquis’
and Marchionesses, only by successfully petitioning
the King and Queen, while the Counts and Countesses
are voted for by the Court’s Barons, and the
Barons and Baronesses are, in turn, voted for by the
Unliving population that reside within their Baronies.
Unsurprisingly (at least to those
who know the city well), New London has its own way
of doing things. Being one of the oldest settled cities
in the United States, it still holds to the system
of Kings and Queens. It also possesses three Marquis’
and Marchionesses, six Counts and Countesses and a
dozen Barons and Baronesses overseeing the ranks of
the Court. As often happens in smaller cities, the
titles of Baron or Baroness are predominantly honorary.
The city also has around twenty to thirty Knights,
highly trained in the most modern methods of attack
and defense. The Court itself is held at Fountaine
House, just outside the limits of the city, and there
are almost always rooms available there for the Court’s
citizens to meet with others of their kinds.
However, in New London, there is
an additional title in place. This title, that of
Dauphin or ‘Crown Prince’, was
bestowed upon the leader of New London’s Ghul
colony, Sebastian Fountaine, when the Ghuls forged
an alliance with the Court of Night around fifteen
years ago. Although this title holds very little actual
power within the Court, the significance of awarding
it to a Ghul has not gone unnoticed. In addition,
for the last ten years, the titles of Baron and even
the title of Count has been opened up to allow Ghuls
to occupy them, and since Ghuls form a large part
of the population of the outlaying districts of the
city, and their Crown Prince holds the special attention
of the Queen, they can and do occupy these positions
a little more than much of the rest of the court would
like.
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