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The Lord of a location is the ruler over it, a magical regent, those who hold the Lordship have charge of the domain which is under their protection. The position is treacherous, high risk and high reward.[1]

Methodology[]

Initial Ritual[]

The traditional version of the ritual invokes Solomon and his Seal, and makes use of one (of several) diagrams he established.[2] The diagram flows out from wherever it was drawn, growing to the size of a small arena in which they face their challengers.[3][4] Traditionally animals are sacrificed as a part of this ritual and used to draw a circle around the diagram, although they are not strictly neccessary[5] - three animals, one for the moon, stars, and sun.[6] This version of the ritual compresses the time in the claimed area, so everything within three days travel can come and contest the claim; with time only passing for the claimant and their allies during the periods where their claim is being contested (although this does not prevent wounds from healing - or growing infected - at a normal rate.) The world as seen from this bubble of time buckles and breaks under the strain, with the sky and surroundings being slowly but visibly damaged; but this heals back to normal as soon as the ritual ends.[6][7][8]

I, [name], hereby make my claim. Set here a throne of the Kingdom, as allowed and ordered by the compacts of Solomon Bin Daoud, sorcerer and binder of things above, things below, and things unearthly.  Binder of architect and destroyer. Binder of man, beast, and the oldest of Others. [Place diagram.] With one of Solomon’s marks, I lay my stake.  With my words, I state my borders. [State claim.] Let this be a throne of the kingdom, with reign over binding, practice, word, oath, and spirit.  Let the reign be mine own, until I should relinquish it to another, or until someone should take the crown from my head.  If anyone should challenge my claim, then by the accords, I give them three days and three nights to make their case. Let this be my domain, let the necessary tools for the rule of this domain cross my palm, and let all things spiritual and Other be under my order, unless they would usurp me as king.  I make my challenge.[2][9]

The challenges can take any form, just like in a Demesne claim, though one could conceivably win only by combat but one would have to be an excellent combatant.[10]

However, it is possible to stake a Lordship claim simply by making a public declaration.[11] Given power, such a statement reaches out through connections across the surrounding area and alerts potential contenders.[12]

The ritual to claim a new Lordship is successfully carried out roughly once in a generation[8] (according to current understanding that's something like 25 years.) It is an extension of the Seal of Solomon, specifically part of the accords.[4]

Effects[]

Fundamental to any leadership position is the recognition of that leadership.[13] In a world of Magic authority can have supernatural weight to it, usable as a source of power;[1] but it must be parlayed carefully such as convincing relevant parties to contributing power to the cities defense.[14] A Lord has only as much power as they are given, although even unconscious respect and acceptance carries some power; a Lord without subjects is no-one.[15]

Typically any newcomer must agree to certain terms before they can operate in a city, things such as freedom of movement and permission to practice must be granted.[16] If someone doesn't have permission to practice it will make it harder to do magic, the spirits might work against them and diagrams will use the worse possible interpretation.[17]

As a rule, Lords do not communicate with Exiled Fae or allow them in their cities, presumably as part of the Courts trying the keep the banished down.[18]

As a more personal benefit, control over an area helps them cultivate certain Others they may use for power, place allies in favoured positions, or generally enforce their own interests.[1] It also makes Lords aware whenever someone enters their territory and grants them claim over anything not already accounted for.[19] One family practice requires a lordship in order to create Magic Items.[20]

Duties of Lordship means keeping local Others and Practitioners in check, preventing them from harming innocent and uninvolved people. They also preside over cases of forswearings that happen in their domain[21] and are charged with swearing newly created Others to the Seal of Solomon.[22]

Sometimes an ineffective or weak lord will be left in place to prevent power conflicts and because they are hard to kill.[23][1] Keeping the area stable.

The power of a Lord naturally opposes and can be used to banish that of the Fifth Choir of Demons, the Choir of the Feral, who upend the hierarchy of the world.[24] On the other hand, as the highest rung on the natural order, this Choir is eager to target them and bring them low.[25]

Council[]

Lords may be advised by a council but do not ultimately answer to them.[26] An area may even have multiple councils under the same Lordship.[27]

Assistants[]

Lords may select people who can cover their deficits, such as one that can move within human society or a champion that can take on challenges by combat.[28]

Pseudo-Lordships and variations[]

There are positions and roles that are similar to lordships without being a direct equivalent. Others that lord over parts of certain realms for instance. Judges can fulfill the duties that would otherwise fall to a Lord in areas that lack one.

There can be a hierarchy of Lordship with greater lords in bigger cities claiming influence over lesser ones in smaller nearby towns. Practitioner families may try to make the position hereditary.[29] It is possible for, for example, a married couple to share Lordship[11] or a triumvirate of powerful beings to share Lordship over a large area.[27]

In fact being the head of a family is a position in itself.[citation needed]

Mentioned Lords and Dominions[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 “Keep in mind, too, that this is his city.  There are quite a few reasons why practitioners and Others often want to be Lord over a city.  There are mundane reasons, wanting to protect one’s interests, or keep the riffraff out, cultivating a certain flavor of Other and practitioner to occupy your domain.”

    “If you were to become a Lord,” Rose said, “It’d mean keeping out the likes of Laird, and putting your friends in better positions.”
    [...]
    “And there’s nothing remotely redeeming about it,” I said.  “I mean, I can see the broader appeal.  When you claim a demesne, you make a challenge.  If there’s less in the way of individuals to reject that challenge…”

    Rose finished my sentence, “…You can be bolder about the claim.  More power for you, more power for the people under you.”

    Fell nodded.  “That’s another reason.  Respect is one kind of power, and it’s a power you can use as fuel or currency.  Few things command respect like being Lord of a city.”

    “But like all things, that comes at a price,” Rose said.  “Thus the figureheading of Conquest.”

    “Yeah,” I said.  “Too many knives aimed at your back.”

    Fell went on, “Getting back to my original point, outside of mundane or common sense reasons, there’s something to be said for the fact that the city is yours.  When you own something, it’s a one-sided relationship, and that means an uneven exchange of power.  One way or another, you influence that which you possess.  If you are the Lord of a city, then your substance runs through that city.  This isn’t something you control, but is more incidental.  When Conquest is passive, biding his time and building his strength, then the city is too.  When he is at war, then so is the city.”

    When the city is at war, then there’s fire, people in the hospital, and a general ambiance of fear. - Excerpt from Subordination 6.9
  2. 2.0 2.1 “Set here a throne of the Kingdom, as allowed and ordered by the compacts of Solomon Bin Daoud, sorcerer and binder of things above, things below, and things unearthly.  Binder of architect and destroyer. Binder of man, beast, and the oldest of Others.”
    [...]
    “With one of Solomon’s marks, I lay my stake.  With my words, I state my borders.  Let this be the center of my territory.  I claim everything within a day and a half of walking in every direction, except that which is claimed already, and I claim the water, out until it is too deep for a man to reach the bottom by a single breath.”
    [...]
    “Let this be a throne of the kingdom, with reign over binding, practice, word, oath, and spirit.  Let the reign be mine own, until I should relinquish it to another, or until someone should take the crown from my head.  If anyone should challenge my claim, then by the accords, I give them three days and three nights to make their case.” - Excerpt from Fall Out 14.z
  3. He let the paper fall.
    The diagram, blood red, spilled out from the point of contact on the ground.  It stopped as it reached the front hooves of a sheep.  A red glowing mark in the middle of a parking lot where the paint had long since washed away.
    [...]
    A woman, a practitioner, who seemed to be some form of hedge witch.  She didn’t take up the challenge, and instead moved to the side to watch.
    Then Others.  Bogeymen.  The first of them crossed the circle’s boundaries, stepping over blood.
    - Excerpt from Fall Out 14.z
  4. 4.0 4.1 The diagram flowed from the paper and marked out the dirt, ink black.  One of Solomon’s marks.  Each part of Solomon’s accords had a mark, and this was the one dictating Lordship. - Excerpt from Fall Out 14.z
  5. Grayson Hennigar, Hadley Hennigar, and Abraham Musser led animals from trucks.  The animals weren’t strictly necessary. [...] Anthem walked over to the first animal, the sheep, and slit its throat.  By sheer strength alone, he dragged it.  A bloody streak traced the edge of the diagram, about a third of the way before it got thinner.
    He’d reached the calf.
    He slit its throat.  The process that followed was the same.  He dragged it.
    To the ox.
    A little bigger.
    The animal didn’t resist as he drew the blade through its throat.
    Abraham Musser and Grayson Hennigar helped to drag the massive animal.
    Closing the circle. - Excerpt from Fall Out 14.z
  6. 6.0 6.1 Milly Legendre stood in the cleared space they’d marked out for the ritual.  Three sheep remained ready for slaughter, quiet at the sidelines. [...] He pointed at the three sheep.  Milly was one of the people to hop to getting the animals into position. [...] He used the blade Braxton had given him to kill the first sheep.
    He wasn’t as strong as Anthem Tedd was.  He accepted help from Braxton, dragging the sheep around.
    “Good man,” Braxton muttered.
    One sheep for the stars.  One for the moon.  One for the sun.
    The ritual set apart from everything else.
    Only a few seconds seemed to pass before the universe ground to a halt.  The sky seemed to tear as stars were forced to an abrupt stop, as if they’d dragged against paper.
    [...]
    Time stopped, and the sun blistered the night sky like a hot flame held to plastic.  Damage that would heal as soon as time started moving again.
    Time stopped again.  Late evening.  Stars shattered as they halted, casting fine dust across the cosmos.  Goblins.  The ensuing fight was short but left him a nasty cut on one forearm. The next was an echo, so weak it was banished in one backhand swing of the goblin sword, using his injured arm.  The cut on his arm had festered badly in the meantime. [...]
    Sweating, dizzy, he saw the celestial movements above grind to a pained halt once again. [...] Breathing hurt.  Simple passing strikes to his arm from what felt like minutes ago had become aching bruises. [...] Time passed, and the herbal poultice worked its magic in that accelerated timeframe. [...]
    Time stopped again, moon heavy overhead.
    Basil rose to his feet, not entirely ready for the next challenger.  But he had to be.
    Time resumed. - Excerpt from Fall Out 14.z
  7. The stars moved across the sky like they were falling, and the moon traveled at an accelerated pace. [...] The first tentative figures approached, and with their arrival, the stars stopped streaking across the sky, and the moon stopped with a suddenness that made the distant water roar, slosh, and crash, as if the tides were protesting the abuse. [...] The sun cut across the night sky without brightening anything.  Red and orange, white, shrinking, growing.  Too brilliant to look at, it reflected most brightly in blood.
    And just before it set, the accelerated timetable stopped.
    Another set of contestants.  Three female ghouls.  Old.
    [...]
    The sun streaked across the sky one final time, bringing night and the moon, which reached its apex before settling.
    The diagram went quiet.
    Anthem Woodward Tedd became Lord of a tiny, quaint town above Thunder Bay, and Anthem Tedd immediately abdicated his seat, giving it to the eldest son of Hugh Legendre.  The Lord of Thunder Bay didn’t seem to like that he abdicated, or that they’d functionally cheated the contest, but she didn’t intervene.
    If someone didn’t like the Lords they chose, they were free to contest it. - Excerpt from Fall Out 14.z
  8. 8.0 8.1 It did Basil’s head in, the rituals with their accelerated passage of time, the import, where the staking of a Lordship was meant to be something seen once a generation.- Excerpt from Fall Out 14.z
  9. “I, Basil Zacharias Winters, scrivener, keeper of fancies and bugges, gentleman thief, hereby make my claim.” [...] “Set here a throne of the Kingdom, as allowed and ordered by the compacts of Solomon Bin Daoud, sorcerer and binder of things above, things below, and things unearthly.  Binder of architect and destroyer.  Binder of man, beast, and the oldest of Others.” [...] “With one of Solomon’s marks, I lay my stake.  With my words, I state my borders.  Let this be the center of my territory.  I claim everything within a day of walking in every direction, except that which is claimed already.  Join my borders to my brother and sister Lords, those who call themselves my allies, and who have sworn to oblige the contracts outlined by Abraham Musser.

    “Let this be a throne of the kingdom, with reign over binding, practice, word, oath, and spirit.  Let the reign be mine own, until I should relinquish it to another, or until someone should take the title and metaphorical crown from my head.  If anyone should challenge my claim, then, in accordance with the Seals, I give them three days and three nights to make their case.” - Excerpt from Fall Out 14.z
  10. “I challenge you not to combat, Anthem Woodward Tedd,” the oldest of the three ghouls said. “But to questions of history.”

    “And I challenge you to combat,” he answered. “You can ask your questions, I’ll hack at you with blades and shoot you with guns. We’ll see who comes out ahead.”

    “You weaken your claim.”

    “I fight well enough I don’t need to worry about that. Do you accept my challenge of combat?”

    All three shook their heads. - Excerpt from Fall Out 14.z
  11. 11.0 11.1 When she spoke, it was with power, without hesitation.  “In joint partnership with Alister Behaim, I would hereby like to declare, to your ears, and all who would hear it, that we hereby claim ourselves as sovereign Lord and Lady in Jacob’s Bell, with all associated rights and powers.”

    The words vibrated, carrying.

    Rose could see the connections forming, the connections breaking.  Some were major in scale, while others were to very distant places and things.

    Faysal’s head turned as he watched the aftermath of the statement, disappearing into the distance. - excerpt from Possession 15.7
  12. “You put power into your declaration,” Faysal said.  “You made it known.”

    Rose nodded.

    “You manipulated connections.  Ones tying you to Toronto.”

    “Yes,” Rose said.

    “You let them know,” Faysal concluded.  “The residents of Toronto.”
    [...]
    “Faysal wants things neat and tidy,” Rose said, staring down the angel.  “He wants us swept under the rug, so the demons can go back in their box and he can go back to angel business as per usual.  In the interest of making that very hard to do, I’ve-”

    “Declared yourself to be someone very important, to Toronto, for some reason,” Peter concluded.  “Making things very messy, for Faysal.” - excerpt from Possession 15.7
  13. “You should be aware,” Lewis said, “That the only power you have as Lord is the power others give you.” - Excerpt from Possession 15.7
  14. “The Lord of a City often imposes rules of conduct.  In Toronto, as you’ll find in many places, the very first time you go to ask the Lord of the City for something, you’ll be asked to agree to certain terms.  One of those terms is that you need to be ready to stand in defense of the city.  These vessels would be the token offering from the Sisters of the Torch.”

    “In case some aspiring Lord comes and decides to unseat Conquest?” I asked.

    “More or less.” - Excerpt from Subordination 6.8
  15. “You should be aware,” Lewis said, “That the only power you have as Lord is the power others give you.”

    “Yes,” Rose said.  “But Johannes is dead, and Sandra knows she’s lost.  How many people out there are utterly unsurprised to be hearing this declaration right now, resigning themselves to the fact that the war is over?  Is Briar Girl?  Maggie?  The hag?  Are the goblins nodding themselves and remarking that they expected the side with demons and diabolism to come out on top?  There should be enough people in Jacob’s Bell who can believe Alister and I have become Lord and Lady that the belief holds some weight.”

    “Enough weight to matter?” Faysal asked.  “You have no realm, your soldiers are few in number.  The spirits, as an extension of the world as a whole, can see you and evaluate you.  They know that you aren’t much of a Lord at all, and that counts for a great deal more.” - excerpt from Possession 15.7
  16. He had permission from the old Lord of the City to travel throughout Toronto.  Now, with things in a state of flux, that permission had been revoked.  It made for some difficulty. He hadn’t ever needed a car.

    Now, with the current situation, he was braving Toronto’s rush hour traffic for the first time.  A great many complaints and comments he’d heard over the years were suddenly making sense.  He’d lived in the now for years, and the act of waiting in traffic was maddening.  He couldn’t read without feeling ill, he wanted to stay reasonably sharp, and somehow the congestion of Toronto extended a good hour and a half after they had left the city, with no sign of abating. - Excerpt from Interlude 9
  17. “Permission revoked to the intruders, Ann and Avery.”

    “Don’t try anything!” Avery called out.  “No muttering!”

    It wouldn’t stop them from practicing entirely.  But the practice would not be on their side.  The spirits might confound, fluster, fight, or conflict.  Diagrams that were left open to interpretation would take the worst possible interpretation.- Excerpt from Left in the Dust 16.Y
  18. Exiled faerie were kept out of towns with Lords as a matter of course.  The Court apparently didn’t want exiles making deals or gaining power, so they stuck them only in small villages and towns, or even in areas well out of reach of humans. - Excerpt from Signature 8.2
  19. She was Lord of this territory, and that responsibility came with power.  She could sense the Others here and there.  The people who entered, and the people who didn’t.  Her claim over the area was extensive, and it came very close to a default assumption that anything that wasn’t already claimed was hers.- Excerpt from Left in the Dust 16.y
  20. You’re ten and nine years behind your oldest siblings, the family practice requires you to have a Lordship, you must work to catch up, if you want a region like this and not a patch of desert around a small town.”- Excerpt from In Absentia 21.2
  21. “We’re not wanting to forswear her,” Avery said.  “Especially if that would destroy her.”

    “I recognize and agree to that.  I’m asking, are you familiar?”

    “We know the basics, I think,” Verona answered.

    “The process here is to be much the same.  It is not necessarily enough to say someone’s word is broken.  Local Lords and forces like myself will often decide or put it to tribunal, whether someone is present or not, and the person will have a chance to defend their word. - Excerpt from Dash to Pieces 11.3
  22. Most Others who are created naturally and created on Earth after the date of the Seal’s origination are bound.  All of the Others of this town are bound.  In places without any Judges, where Lords arbitrate instead, more may slip the net, but Lord, Practitioner, and Other are all obligated to enforce the seal at the earliest opportunity.” - Excerpt from Dash to Pieces 11.3
  23. “He’s a figurehead,” Fell confirmed.  “He’s predictable, he’s something we can manipulate in a pinch, and he’s got the job that nobody here wants.  If Conquest fails, someone else has to take the job, and unlike Conquest, the rest of us aren’t immune to the thousands of very creative means of assassination that the practitioners of the world might employ.” - Excerpt from Subordination 6.4
  24. Rose drew a small knife from her pocket, and pricked her hand.  She handed it to Alister as she let the blood drip.

    Alister added his blood to the mix. Replacing the sigil of solomon with the power of a Lord.  Even a small, temporary Lord. The choir of the feral reverse the natural order.  Here, we reclaim it. The diagram flared, and the imp was cast out. - excerpt from Possession 15.7
  25. - excerpt from Collateral 4.5
  26. “Fell,” Conquest spoke.  “See Mr. Meath out, then stand guard.  Nobody comes or leaves without my word.”

    “I’d like to ask that you keep me updated, Lord,” the drunk said.  “On him and what you do with him.”

    “I can,” was the reply.  “Why?”

    “I have further business with him. In exchange for my continued cooperation, can I ask that he be kept within the city, for the time being?”

    “You can ask,” Conquest said.  He seemed to consider.  “You take no actions to work against me in this endeavor.”

    “Done.”

    “That is all I need.  I will see to it.” - Excerpt from Collateral 4.3
  27. 27.0 27.1 “Montreal has three Lords and five small councils… five that count.  The Lords are like the kings and queens, with the final say and the ability to create and abolish councils.  The system of small councils means you need permission to attack your council or declare war on another.  If you don’t, you get the Montréal spirit, the Owled Dame, and the Sinful Creature coming after you.  It’s made Montreal a place to be if you want to set down roots and you don’t ever want to be a Lord.  There are a lot of bit players here, and a few major players who have ambitions that have nothing to do with ruling anything.  Your parents included some of them.
    [...]
    June: “How powerful were our parents, both politically and... ‘magically?’ Compared to the Lords and the Councils, maybe using your master as a baseline.”

    “For a long time, they were a weak council.  In the last five years, they’ve come to be on par with one of the others, Mont Royal.  I’m afraid I don’t know much.  Certainly not close to the Lords.  Politically?  I think you would know better than I.  They had influence.  The Justaforts especially.” - Mile End: Awakening
  28. “But you argued. You describe these baby steps, but those steps took you to a place where you’re holding your ground okay. I know you guys have made friends with people like Liberty and McCauleigh. Have you talked about the whole political dynamic around those combat practitioners? [...] There’s a certain power that comes with being the toughest person in the room. Or someone the toughest person in the room can’t beat up and toss aside without blinking an eye. A whole part of the Blue Heron was about that. Establishing pecking orders. I think you’d be surprised, Lucy, if you keep going down this road, how you can pass a certain threshold, and all of a sudden there’s a lot of respect, and recognition, and the ability to sway politics, because you being friendly with someone means they can become a Lord and have you back them up if they’re challenged. Lets the bookworms who can’t fight take a seat.”

    “I don’t think I want to be someone else’s enforcer.”

    “Yeah, I get that. But the principle holds, you know? That one person can be strong enough that being friendly with them or friendly with their friends can change the politics of things. We saw a lot of that with Musser. We could see it with your market and Kennet. Don’t get discouraged.” - Excerpt from In Absentia 21.9
  29. John said.  “A seat of Lordship invites challenge in the same way the Carmine Throne does.  It also sets standards.”

    “Like?” Lucy asked.

    “Not being able to keep a perimeter and limit the access of practitioners.  We’d be subordinate to greater Lords of more powerful areas.  Some with subordinates who might take over our Lordship to expand the territory of that superior.”

    “Some are practitioners, right?” Verona asked.

    “Yes.”

    “With kids?  Keeping it all in the family?”

    “Yes.” - Excerpt from Dash to Pieces 11.3
  30. - Excerpt from Judgment 16.3
  31. “Certain regions are disqualified, because they are already under the power or sway of Lords or other Practitioners.  Thunder Bay, for example, is managed by an elemental.  Perhaps that elemental is violent and powerful enough to rule, but it is beholden to other interests and roles.  Other areas are too messy, to untouched by humanity.  They have less strength than John and offer less stability or longevity than the Choir.” - Excerpt from Lost for Words 1.7
  32. In another town or city with these same circumstances I could imagine the city or township spirit taking over the council– many city spirits are in fact Lords and trade on the power of how distinct their city’s image is. - [8.7 spoilers] New Other Correspondence #2
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