Honors and Titles

Politics is confusing. So, here's a handy little cheat sheet for whose title, honors, and awards mean what.

Standard Kellon Nobility
In order of least power to most power...


 * Baronet -


 * Baron/Baroness -


 * Viscount -


 * Count/Countess -


 * Marquis/Marchioness -


 * Duke/Duchess -


 * Prince/Princess -


 * King/Queen -

Leaden Mace Society
The Leaden Mace Society's officers are divided into three major categories, each with their own Junior, regular, and Senior ranks.


 * Inquisitor - The main body of the Leaden Mace, inquisitors are the ones who do the down and dirty work. They are the ones who go on patrols, stage raids, bring in perpetrators, and otherwise do most of the field work in the Society. Advancement from Junior status is often quick; however, rising to Senior status is more difficult and often takes years of service or exceptional deeds.


 * Archivist - The main duty of archivists is the cataloging and keeping of the various magical stores and anomalies the Leaden Mace encounters while on duty. They maintain every branch's archives, which contain everything from bestiaries to criminal records to maps and spellbooks. The vast majority of them are spellcasters, or at least have some training with magic items. While the majority of their time is spent in the stacks, archivists are often called into the field as support spellcasters, and they tend to be hardier than their analyst cousins. Senior archivists tend to be rare; most archivists spend at least a year or two at Junior status, serving under the head archivist of the branch (the one who has the most experience and is "in charge" of the archives, determined by the lieutenant and commander).


 * Analyst - The smallest branch of the Leaden Mace Society by numbers, but no less important than the other two, analysts are noncombatants whose primary duties are administrative and analytical. They tend toward divine magic, and those who are not clerics tend to be divination specialists. They are often called upon for scrying, magical forensics, and other magical evidence-gathering and intelligence-gathering services. Most analysts begin in another branch before starting to train as analysts, or join the Leaden Mace later in life, with more experience and spellcasting power under their belts. Inquisitors have been known to scoff at analysts for getting promoted for "doing nothing," but they appreciate the behind-the-scenes aid a trained analyst can give.


 * Dual-Branch - Inquisitor-Archivist, Analyst-Archivist, Inquisitor-Analyst... All of these titles are artifacts of an earlier age, when the Leaden Mace barely had enough people to cover every role. Thus, some people have been trained in both sets of duties. These titles are most often seen on non-human agents, such as dwarves, gnomes, and elven-kin.

Above the rank and file, there are officers.


 * Lieutenant - The branch commander's right-hand man (or woman). Lieutenants by and large tend to be much more involved with the rank and file than the commanders, and tend to go out on field duty when needed far more often. Often, they serve as a branch's "face" as well, meeting with people and receiving cases. Most lieutenants were Seniors in their respective branches before their promotion, though there are rare exceptions.


 * Commander - The head of any one local branch. Commanders are selected by the local High Command, sometimes in conjunction with the old commander if he or she is retiring, being promoted, or otherwise stepping down from the position. It is most common that a commander's old lieutenant becomes the next commander. Commanders receive reports from the officers and perform the various administrative duties of the branch. It's a highly prestigious position, but as always, with great power comes great paperwork.


 * Captain - Roughly equal in power to a branch commander, the captains are the lieutenants of the High Commanders. They were often commanders beforehand, or the lieutenants of a commander who was promoted to the High Command.


 * High Commander - There are currently five High Commanders in Akellon, which form the High Council, the highest authority within the Leaden Mace Society. Each region of Akellon has its own High Commander; Central, Coastal, Veld, Falaris, and Moscra.