Nobility of Tosgiv

The nobles of Tosgiv are the second tier of society, only directly below the Emperor and members of his chosen Council. The most influential among them run the Empire’s tiered cities from the tops of the mountains or hills they are built upon, while lesser nobility own estates and serve their superiors by administering day-to-day operations in several facets of society, both within and outside of the cities.

While Tosgiv has a comparatively small total number of noble houses, they make up for it by having large families. Having many children is encouraged for Tosgivite ladies, and it is this practice that has seen many of the nobles’ names survive for generations. The only thing that has drastically changed over time, especially in the more prominent noble houses, is the ethnic composition of the families. Intermarriage after conquests has seen many different peoples integrated into the ruling class, making them one of the most racially diverse layers of society as a whole.

Noble families are usually led by a single person, usually the oldest living male member. Everyone else is subordinate to him, though actual importance within the family differs greatly between members. Close relatives to the head of the house enjoy more influence than distant cousins. However, those who are at the end of the line of succession of a prominent noble house but train to participate in the Succession Trials as the family’s champion do enjoy a lot of respect from their kin as a whole. If a champion wins the Trials, the head of their house is charged with selecting the new Emperor from within their ranks, though this usually ends up being the head themselves.

On several occasions, a woman has taken the reins of a noble house, whether by sheer will or because the men were too incompetent to rule effectively. Therefore, it is entirely possible a house led by a matriarch emerges victorious in the Succession Trials, sometimes even with a female champion. Because there is no law stating that the head of the house needs to be male, a matriarch can end up selecting herself as the new ruler of the Empire, as has happened before in the history of the Tosgiv Empire. However, they are still called the Emperor in this case, rather than Empress.