House Creation
Some information on what the roles are and how they differ and work together on behalf of the Ruler:
The Ruler and Spouse of the Ruler
The leader of the House and its voting representative in the Landsraad. Every action performed by the House is done in the Ruler’s name, and so they make all the most important decisions regarding the House and appoints others to their roles. If they are wed, their Spouse also takes on their title of nobility, gains the ability to become the Ruler, and their children become the primary line of succession to become the next Ruler.
The Ruler has complete control over the House, and everyone must obey their commands. However, running the House takes all their time and if they fail in or ignore their duties, the House may quickly come apart.
Consort of the Ruler
The Consort is the unwed spouse, concubine, or companion of the Ruler, but either cannot or will not take on the role of Ruler themselves. In some cases, the relationship is purely a business one, but many Rulers and Consorts do love and care deeply for each other. The Consort can attend court and speak on the Ruler’s behalf when they are absent. The Bene Gesserit often place their agents (openly or clandestinely) in such a role. The Ruler will determine the Consort’s true standing within their household and by extension, their ability to speak for the House.
The Consort always has the ear of the Ruler and as such has incredible influence behind the throne. This can often lead to others attempting to manipulate them as a means by which to control the Ruler.
Heir
The Heir is usually the ruler’s eldest child, whether by blood or adoption. But some elder children can be passed over for a more competent or conniving younger sibling. A few have even been chosen from non-nobles who prove their worth and impress the Ruler. Only the Ruler may choose who the Heir is. Once nominated, an Heir’s time is mostly spent learning how to take on the responsibility of Rulership. As such, they may also handle some lesser duties on the Ruler’s behalf.
An Heir must keep themselves safe and be ready to lead the House should the Ruler fall. With assassins around every corner, this may be sooner than they think. An Heir is often a prime target for the enemies of a House, as without one, a House can fall to confusion or infighting in the Ruler’s demise. As such, some devious Rulers openly nominate an Heir they don’t like to provide a target while secretly priming another as their real Heir.
Advisors
There are many areas of expertise that a Ruler needs to be conversant with: politics, CHOAM business, finance, social etiquette, Imperial history, or a host of other subjects. While a single political advisor is most common, some Houses employ several Advisors in many ways to grant the Ruler the benefit of their experience. The relationship an Advisor has with a Ruler varies. Some Advisors cover a weakness in the Ruler’s education and abilities, other times they are simply a trusted sounding board for the Ruler’s ideas.
Each Advisor as a field of knowledge they are expected to be an expert in, and they are expected to keep up to date with any changes in that field of knowledge or new discoveries. When the Ruler asks for their understanding of a problem, they better have an answer.
Chief Physician
Most Houses have a sizeable medical staff, which requires coordination and management. However, as the most trusted doctor available, the Chief Physician also personally attends to the health of the ruling family. The larger the House, the larger the medical staff needs to be not only for the ruling family, but also for their staff, soldiers, servants, and guests. The Chief Physician also works closely with the Spymaster to ensure no biological weapons or poisons are used against the House. As such, they carefully monitor the health of everyone in the House and perform autopsies on enemy agents to make sure there are no further surprises, tricks, or traps. For reasons of security, Doctors of the Suk school are especially valuable given their conditioning against doing any form of harm to their charges. However, few Minor Houses can afford a Suk-trained doctor.
Councilor
The Councilor connects the Ruler to the people who serve the House, receiving and sorting through the requests of the citizenry to pass on to the Ruler, and then presenting the Ruler’s decisions to the people in ways they can understand. It is the Councilor’s responsibility to oversee the minutia of how the House is run, and to see that any problems that need to reach the Ruler’s attention get there. The Councilor has their ear to the ground in terms of the ordinary people of the House. They know and understand their needs and can help the ruler provide for them (or ignore them). They will also be able to determine the mod of the people and whether upset may be on the horizon.
Envoy
An Envoy is a diplomat responsible for the House’s foreign policy – that is, the peaceful interactions between the House and their rivals, CHOAM representatives, the Landsraad, or third parties like the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit. They oversee a staff of diplomats, messengers, and ambassadors. It is their responsibility to represent the interests of the House and its Ruler to outsiders. An Envoy needs to have a keen grasp on the state of the universe outside the confines of their House. Imperial politics can shift quickly and the ability to predict those moods can be the key to the House’s survival.
Marshal
The Marshal ensures that the House’s laws are enforced, and that the House’s territories are orderly and secure. They often coordinate with others – such as the Councilor and Spymaster – on matters of security, but in the matters law and judgment, they answer only to the Ruler. To be an effective investigator, a Marshal must understand the criminal underworld, either knowing where to root out crime or being on first-name terms with gangsters, working to keep the peace. The Marshal is responsible for maintaining the rule of law within the holdings of the House. They might be a lone sheriff or chief of a large police force, depending on the size and stability of the House. A corrupt Marshal can seriously damage the productivity of a House, allowing smugglers and crime to funnel funds away from the Ruler.
Scholar
The Scholar is a representative of higher learning, handling matters of science and academia on the Ruler’s behalf and advising them on anything they are uninformed about. They are a form of expert Advisor, skilled not in theory and politics, but in science and academic discipline. They conduct research and gather information under the Ruler’s patronage, with the repositories of knowledge they cultivate advancing the House substantially with new innovations or discoveries. Most scholars are left to their own devices to simply work on their studies, only being called upon to report their advances or when their specialized knowledge is required. If the projects they are working on are vital to the House, they may be under immense pressure to deliver solutions quickly.
Spymaster
The Spymaster maintains a network of spies, assassins, and informants at home and elsewhere. It is their job to manage the clandestine espionage activities of the House in terms of intelligence-gathering and counterespionage. How underhanded they are about this depends on the needs of the House, but most Spymasters are devious in the extreme and extremely well-informed. Many even keep secrets from their Ruler to allow them to claim, “plausible deniability.” Some Spymasters focus more exclusively on protecting their House using assassins rather than spies and informants. In this case, one is called a Master of Assassins rather than a Spymaster, although the term is not derogatory in any way. Some Houses even employ both a Spymaster and a Master of Assassins.
Swordmaster
Also know as a “Weaponsmaster,” the title of Swordmaster is an ancient and honorable one. They are an expert in martial matters, serving as a military advisor, tactician, and bodyguard to the Ruler. Most also take a personal hand in training the House troops and instructing the Heir on how to protect themselves. The personal safety of the noble family is their direct responsibility. A Swordmaster is not only a lethal fighter, but a deadly tactician, often with experience honed on many battlefields. They need to be aware of the strategies an enemy might use against them and know how to ensure the Ruling family can be kept safe.
Warmaster
Where a Swordmaster is an expert in single combat, a Warmaster if the House general. It is their job to lead the House troops into battle, in whatever form that might take. They are the highest-ranking member of the House’s military, responsible for raising, maintaining, and commanding the House’s troops in both peacetime and during war. They may be a warrior themselves, or more of a leader and strategist, but matters of war are their province.
Treasurer
The Treasurer is the main financial officer of the House. They monitor the state of the House’s funds, oversee tax collection, and handle other financial matters that are part of running the House. A good Treasurer can see a lot of details in the accounts, as discrepancies will reveal corruption, poor management, and a host of other problems. They are also good at ensuring the right investments improve the House’s financial portfolio. Many work hand-in-hand with CHOAM advisors to maintain te House’s position within the Landsraad.
