Post by The Jenn on Sept 24, 2007 20:50:32 GMT -5
While there may be many different Queens, Kings, and Jacks within a suit, not all of them are afforded the royal titles of Majesty, Highness, and Excellence. Only the elite of the Courts may bear these titles, those very few who, by birth or by blood, have found their way to the top.
For every Court, there may be a total of three Queens, only one of whom is granted the title of the Queen. All others are a Queen. The difference is small but vital, for the word of the ruling Queen is seen as law by the entire suit, and often others outside of their suit are affected as well. Every Queen in power may have up to five Kings attending them, for a maximum of fifteen Kings in a full Court. All Kings in a Court must be attached to a Queen, no exceptions, and the Queen chooses the King from among their entourage. All others are a King. Up to eight Jacks may be granted titles by the Court at any given time, attached to no specific Queen but serving them all, and their Kings as well.
The roster of a Court may stay static for many years, or may shift and change as fluidly as a sandy dune. Challenges can be officially made for someone's position if you are of an appropriate rank, and they can not be refused without extraordinarily strong evidence against the challenger. Battles are waged often for the power and prestige of a simple 'Her Excellence'. If someone holding a title raises their rank, they do not automatically receive another title; they must apply or fight for it as if they were new to the process, because in essence they're competing for a completely different level of prestige.
As a note, children may acquire an appropriate rank, but they may not receive a title until they have come of age at around eighteen years (when you receive their adult image). They can apply or fight at that point, but not before.
This isn't to say that others without titles don't live and work within the palace walls. Indeed, many face cards and lower cards are employed on a regular basis, and many more may choose to hang about as courtiers and idle nobles with rank but no title. People from all walks of life may find their lives leading them through the palaces, whether for business or sport. The luckiest of low-ranking cards may find grunt work in the kitchens or out on the royal lawns. Even Aces, shunned by society as less than insignificant, may pass through the gates of the palace if accompanied by a suitably important owner.
For every Court, there may be a total of three Queens, only one of whom is granted the title of the Queen. All others are a Queen. The difference is small but vital, for the word of the ruling Queen is seen as law by the entire suit, and often others outside of their suit are affected as well. Every Queen in power may have up to five Kings attending them, for a maximum of fifteen Kings in a full Court. All Kings in a Court must be attached to a Queen, no exceptions, and the Queen chooses the King from among their entourage. All others are a King. Up to eight Jacks may be granted titles by the Court at any given time, attached to no specific Queen but serving them all, and their Kings as well.
The roster of a Court may stay static for many years, or may shift and change as fluidly as a sandy dune. Challenges can be officially made for someone's position if you are of an appropriate rank, and they can not be refused without extraordinarily strong evidence against the challenger. Battles are waged often for the power and prestige of a simple 'Her Excellence'. If someone holding a title raises their rank, they do not automatically receive another title; they must apply or fight for it as if they were new to the process, because in essence they're competing for a completely different level of prestige.
As a note, children may acquire an appropriate rank, but they may not receive a title until they have come of age at around eighteen years (when you receive their adult image). They can apply or fight at that point, but not before.
This isn't to say that others without titles don't live and work within the palace walls. Indeed, many face cards and lower cards are employed on a regular basis, and many more may choose to hang about as courtiers and idle nobles with rank but no title. People from all walks of life may find their lives leading them through the palaces, whether for business or sport. The luckiest of low-ranking cards may find grunt work in the kitchens or out on the royal lawns. Even Aces, shunned by society as less than insignificant, may pass through the gates of the palace if accompanied by a suitably important owner.
