Chamberlains in Northward

Chamberlains in Northward are a magnate class, second to the immediate royal family. Chamberlains were introduced to Northward by the Malthusian Empire in 152 MR, as administrative officials of the various holds in each region, as well as their families. As the empire crumbled, the Chamberlain class remained, seeing themselves as the de facto rulers of their holds, despite no longer having Firsts to answer to. Over time, Chamberlain families rose and fell, holds changed hands or were consolidated, and sometimes given over to anchories as religious donations. In Northward in 663 MR, there are hundreds of people who can call themselves members of the Chamberlain class, and enjoy considerable privilege as a result.

Role

Chamberlains in the Malthusian Empire acted as custodians for holds, overseeing land owned by Firsts, collecting taxes, raising armies, and maintaining any halls or keeps therein. Those tasks continued on in much the same way once the tradition was transplanted to Northward, but after supplanting the druids, Chamberlains inherited a responsibility to the people living within the holds as well, answering to them and their needs. The most famous Chamberlain of this era was a devout Heironeon named Constant of Malthusia, whose Constantskeep on the shores of Constanz Lake is a magnet for pilgrimages from all over the former lands of Malthusia.

During the Age of Tyrants, any Chamberlain that did not flee back to Malthusia seized upon the power vacuum, and Northward was divided into many small holds, each defending their lands from other tyrants, war-chiefs, orcs, and elves, while attempting to take over others. Over the two centuries of this era, holds and keeps alike rose and fell again, while small kingdoms were established and dashed apart again. In 547 MR, the most important Chamberlain of recent history arose out of the richest hold of Jokastria: Okko the Lance, who went on a decade long campaign to create the Lancine Empire.

The rule of Chamberlains continued the Malthusian ways fairly evenly after the establishment of the Lancine Empire, but for several decades halls and keeps were neglected; without internal struggle, only the frontier holds still required fortification. When the Woodhold Wars began in 590 MR, however, many Chamberlains and their families rode into combat once again as protectors of their realms, and raised armies from their populations, and the vision of the idle administrator changed drastically. The Diminishing began in 645 MR, when the aged son of Okko Elfscourge, Boldson, took the reins of the empire, and many Chamberlains, with smaller populations and with an aged emperor, began needing to sell off their lands, retaining their titles while no longer having jurisdictions. These Chamberlains would go on to buy domiciles, typically within larger villages or cities, as well as keep small halls on their former lands.

In present day Northward, a Chamberlain with a hold continues to be responsible for many things, but is beholden to his king instead. Chamberlains of defunct holds spend their time needing to make a living, so will own businesses, mines, or work on the behalf of kings. These Chamberlains are unlikely to be related directly to any slaves, but will be much more likely to be related to freemen than their landed brethren.

All Chamberlains take great pleasure in wearing purple, the color of their class, and many grow their hair as long as they can, to emphasize how unnecessary work or combat is to their lives. Rarely will a Chamberlain wear leather, and their clothes are more likely to be silk or fine wool than linen or cotton. Many still wear their clothes in the Malthusian fashion, draping fabric around themselves as opposed to wearing more utilitarian, tailored pieces, such as trousers and tunics.