# [[Royal Court of Fortuna]] > [!infobox] > # Royal Court of Fortuna > ![[RoyalCourtOfFortuna.png|wsmall]] > Banner of the Royal Court of Fortuna > ###### General Info >**Headquarters:** [[Places/Settlements/Saint Jernod|Saint Jernod]] >*Presence:* Throughout [[Fortuna]] > ##### Leadership >*Leadership:* [[Grand Duke Felipe Marino de Fortuna]] >*Influential cultures:* [[Noble]], [[Settler]], [[Auroran]] > ##### Allegiances > Strategic Allies: [[Imperial Army]], [[Aturi Federation]]. > Tactical Allies: [[Fortunan Mining Consortium]], [[The Luminaries]]. > Contracted Allies: [[Scavenger's League of Fortuna]]. The Royal Court of Fortuna is the hierarchy of nobles of [[Fortuna]]. It consists of nobles, knights, judges, and senators, and is headed by the [[Grand Duke]], [[Grand Duke Felipe Marino de Fortuna|Felipe Marino de Fortuna]]. Their goal is to manage and develop the colonial system of [[Fortuna]], uphold the law and peace of the [[Empire of Light]] through the [[Pickaxe Parliament]], and maintain the [[Church of Sol]] in these lands. To be a member of the Court, it is necessary for a person to have a title of nobility that proves their membership and station within the Court's hierarchy. Any member of the Court is able to be elected for a seat in the [[Pickaxe Parliament]]. Most members of the Court can trace the inheritance of their titles of generations, but since the start of the [[Modern Era]], a wave of new rich families have been able to purchase nobility titles and enter the circles of the Court, although these newcomers are not always welcome by members of older families. After the [[Reign of Terror]], the [[Empire of Light]] allowed for the purchase of nobility titles for a large one-time stipend, allowing the burgeoning property-owner class to access the [[Pickaxe Parliament]]. These purchased titles are not automatically inherited and need to be renewed to be passed from generation to generation. ## History The Royal Court of Fortuna first inherited its titles from the first managers of the colonial enterprise in [[Ibir]], the court of the [[Kingdom of Isles]] in [[Aurora]]. Being highborn from the [[Empire of Light]], the first nobles of [[Fortuna]] traced their hereditary titles and their lineages back to the [[The Age of Gods and the Just War|First Emperor of Light]]. After the defeat of [[Vile King Lucius IV]] and the coronation of [[Emperor Bahamir II]] in [[Aurora]], the cronies of the [[Vile King Lucius IV|Eternal Emperor]] were removed from the court and replaced by resistance fighters of [[Fortuna]], including the [[Paladins of Saint Malcolm|Paladin of Saint Malcolm]], [[Grand Duke Geraldo Marino de Fortuna|Geraldo Marino]]. Geraldo became [[Grand Duke]] and pledged to undo the harm done to the natives of [[Fortuna]] by returning their land to them. To achieve this, Geraldo appointed many followers of the [[Saint Malcolm the Sharer|Church of Saint Malcolm]] as dukes and knights, creating a strong bond between the church and the court. [[Grand Duke Felipe Marino de Fortuna]], who succeeded Geraldo after his death two years ago, has continued to act in accordance with the principles of his father and faith, earning the trust and respect of most court members. The court's restoration of native land ownership is not only due to reparations, but also because the [[Fortunan Mining Consortium]] inherited the mining operations of the [[Golden Horizon Trading Company]], making it a new political power with control over the colony's biggest export. This economic imbalance ensures that even the most self-centered court members, even those less friendly to the native cause, will support reparation policies. While the [[Fortunan Mining Consortium]] competes with the court through the economy, [[The Luminaries]] challenge the court in the realm of public opinion by criticizing taxation and demanding more elected seats in the [[Pickaxe Parliament]]. ## Membership and Hierarchy Membership to the Court is granted automatically to anyone inheriting a hereditary nobility title, or, in the case of a purchased title, it requires the renewal of the title for a nominal fee upon inheritance. A noble can only grow within the ranks with approval of a higher ranking member of the [[Royal Court of Fortuna]]. * **Squire.** The lowest member of the hierarchy. Squires directly serve knights and gain no nobility titles, although many squires are already nobles and are made squires to learn the ways of knighthood. * **Knight. (Sir/Dame)** An armed member of the Court responsible for enforcing the Court's law. Knights are always at the service of a noble of higher standing, which are responsible to deal with the expensive upkeep of their knights, which leads to lords having very few knights at their service. Knights are not guaranteed to rise in the ranks of nobility, and are usually relegated to the matters of war. They tend to be well-trained and respected even by members of the [[Imperial Army]], sometimes taking responsibilities an army's lieutenant would have. %% Lieutenant %% * **Lord.** A lord is a noble that controls a manor or stronghold, and is allowed to maintain knights at their service. * **Baron.** Manages a large area of the colony and has many lords at their service. They cooperate with the captains of the [[Imperial House]] in their territory %% Captain %% * **Count.** Manages a larger area of the colony, and usually has one or more barons at their service. %% Major %% * **Duke.** Manages an economically central area of the colony, and usually has counts and barons as their direct vassals. %% Coronel %% * **Grand-Duke.** Manages the whole colony. %% General %% ## Relationship with the [[Imperial Army]] The Court has close relationships with the [[Imperial Army]], as they are collectively charged with maintaining the law and peace of the Empire in the colony. Young nobles are often at the employ of the military for a period of time to learn about the art of war and become better nobles. ## Relationship with the Natives and the [[Aturi Federation]] The Court has established special status for the lands of many native populations throughout [[Fortuna]], allowing the locals to profess their own faith with an understanding that they have a different reading of the [[Church of Sol]] and with different names for their gods, which bought a considerate amount of good will between the parts. Also, through the [[Barony of Brine Rapids]], the Court has funded the reconstruction of [[Vaikemekhem]] and recognized the [[Council of Vaikemekhem]] as a leadership among the [[Aturi]], giving them greater freedom in their territories, as long as the [[Aturi Federation]] submits to the law of the [[Empire of Light]]. [[Grand Duke Geraldo Marino de Fortuna]] was specifically keen to strengthen these relationships due to the natives' role in the fight against the [[Lucian]] forces in the [[Campaign of Saint Malcolm]], and was sure that this connection would impede their return. ## Relationship with the [[Fortunan Mining Consortium]] The dismantling of the [[Golden Horizon Trading Company]] and creation of the [[Fortunan Mining Consortium]] created a new economical power in the colony that is not directly tied to the Court of Fortuna. While the Consortium has to go through the Court for mining and logging permits, the riches of the [[Fortunan Mining Consortium|FMC]] allowed for many of their higher ranks to become nobles and gain seats in the [[Pickaxe Parliament]], gaining the enmity of many historical members of the Court. ## Relationship with [[The Luminaries]] [[The Luminaries]] are sometimes seen as a force for the development of the colony's economy, and sometimes as a seditionist group trying to substitute the court by a republican government, like in [[Vesper]]. On the other side, [[The Luminaries]] make use of punctual investments of the [[Royal Court of Fortuna]], but despise the bureaucracy of the Courts and express desire for less regulation and more autonomy for businesses.