Introducing, The Duke of Rockhill

"Elevated upon your throne through a web of intrigue and political upheaval, you are the absolute authority of these lands and at the center of every plot within it. Every man, woman and child is envious of your position and would replace you in less than a heartbeat: Show them the error in their ways."

Subordinates: The entire town

Key Duties: Lead Rockhill to greatness. Protect your worth from attackers

Whether ascended to the throne of Rockhill by inheritance, political shenanigans or usurpation, one fact remains the same. You are the sole ruler of the Duchy of Rockhill. Nearly everyone in the city bows to you, and you have the forces of your ducal army, the Town Watch and the Bastion's Vanguard at your fingertips. You have direct subordinates within the court to delegate and co-ordinate with should the matters at hand require a hands-off approach.

As the Duke, the week lives and dies on your command. As the sole highest authority, your word is law - though rogue elements in your duchy may attempt to overthrow you if you take it to the extreme. You are an established local lord, try not to go out of your way to tempt a coup. Furthermore, the Church ultimately decides on who rules, and angering a man of the Gods is a sure-fire way to tarnish your reputation for life...

A Ruler's Basics

The Duke of Rockhill always starts his week perched upon his grand throne, alongside his family, courtiers and men-at-arms. You begin with the Master Rod, an enchanted sceptre that can shock and silence anyone who possesses a NERVELOCK account, and the Master Key, a skeleton key that can open most doors in town. Most importantly, however, is the Crown of Rockhill perched atop your head. This allows you to interact with the "throat," a mysterious voice in the Throne of Rockhill that allows you to make sweeping changes to your duchy, as well as use the Master Rod. Without the Crown, it's naught more than a gem-encrusted stick. To use your throne, rest upon its cushions and ask it for "help." The throat will tell you its commands, which are as follows:

Summon Crown - Summons the Crown of Rockhill to the throne. Only possible if none are wearing the crown; though the throat will tell you who has taken your ducal jewels.
Make Announcement - Broadcasts your regal speeches to the whole Duchy, letting all know of your plans, your punishments, and your idle after-noon musings. Any who wear the crown may use this function of the throat.
Make Decree - For more important announcements, a decree will be accompanied with bombastic horns and the rats of the SCOMs around Rockhill occasionally repeating whatever you have decreed. The populace will constantly be reminded of your authority; benevolent or not.
Make Law - The Laws of the Land will be amended with with your glorious decree, which your peasants and the refugees to the duchy are forced to obey, lest they be caught violating your authority and be brought to the mercy of the town watch or your marshal.
Remove Law - By telling the throne to remove a certain law, for example "Remove Law 3," the offending law will be struck out from the Laws of the Land.
Purge Law - Removes all Laws of the Land. Not recommended lest you come up with new laws swiftly.
Declare Outlaw - Marks anyone in the Duchy for death or capture. All who lay eyes on the poor soul are made aware of their outlawing. To remove the brand, repeat the process for the criminal scum.
Set Tax - Changes how much money is taken from deposits made into NERVELOCK accounts. Nobles are exempt.

You, of course, have access to the whole of Rockhill Keep. Being the busy man that you are, it's more like than not that you'll spend most of your time in your manor estate, ordering around your courtiers and being a stellar father and husband (or an awful one.) Your room is on the second floor, which contains some wine, perfume and your set of Blacksteel plate armour. Should you ever find yourself out and about and still wish to communicate with your people, a gemerald ring also sits in a closet in your office, which acts like a SCOM when worn. You can mute it with MMB, provided you're not in any special intent.

A Ruler's Court

As the Duke of Rockhill, you don't rule alone. Alongside you are your courtiers and servants, each of which have their own duties to support you and your grand duchy in its dae-to-dae operations. Work alongside them, delegate relevant tasks, and be sure to reward them for good work, and punish them for their mistakes. How your court acts reflects upon you, Your Grace.

The Consort and the Heirs
- Your immediate family. The Consort is your spouse, and may not always have been married into your family out of love. Similarly, the Heirs are not exclusively your blood relation. Your family all have claims to the throne in event of your death, and can sway power towards themselves through courtly intrigue, so it's best not to scorn them frivolously. Certainly not if you intend to have them take regency.
The Hand
- As your best friend for many years, your right hand man acts under your direct authority. A loyal Hand may bring about even greater cohesion in your court, and a disloyal one may seek to stir discontentment within your ranks. Keep them close by your side, listen to their counsel, and encourage them to work with your other subordinates. The Hand can also make a decent spymaster.
The Marshal
- The superior of your duchy's team of legislators, the Marshal can enact your judgement on the populace in your stead. He is able to suggest to you amendments to the Laws of the Land and hold court for issues that don't require your immediate presence - on top of this, helping you to organise your forces as a middle-man between you, the Knight-Captain, the Vanguard's Warden and Rockhill Town's mayor.
The Steward
- Your coin counter. The Steward and his clerk handle the financial dealings of the duchy, co-ordinating with the Merchant and craftsmen around Rockhill to bring treasures into your vault, and handling imports, exports and NERVELOCK banking. Sometimes, this errant paper-pusher may need a little reminder of his duties, as payments for your men are oft missed.
The Court Physician
- Once a leper brought into your court to practice the ways of Pestra out of sight and mind of the rest of world, the now-cured physician stands as one of the only forces between your court and Necra's realm. Adept at sewing wounds and brewing potions, the Court Physician is life-saving part of your court... though his knowledge of alchemy could be your downfall.
The Court Magos
- An eccentric mage who performs his studies into the arcyne on your manor grounds. His knowledge can provide great boons to you, and the scrying orb in his possession can find most people who the mage already knows of. Be wary of his magic, however. It can easily be turned against you.

A Ruler's Strength

What would a ruler be without an army? Dead or deposed of, of course. Fortunately, the garrisons of Rockhill are robust and plentiful, with three factions within that are deployed in different sections of your land. The crown retinue consists at most of its Retinue Captain, two knights, three squires, six men at arms and a gatemaster. These are your manor guard, and will often remain in the keep unless you deploy them elsewhere. The town watch consists of its Sheriff, and at most eleven watchmen. Their duties are to maintain peace in the high-town, and have the authority to detain and imprison petty criminals and drunkards. Finally, the Vanguard consists of its Warden and at most ten Vanguard troops, who work to keep the lowtown safe and ensure the Bastion leading into Rockhill proper stands.

If the Gods will it so, your men shouldn't have to see much bloodshed in the week, but bandits and the undead make sure that your garrison all earn their pay by the end of the week. Be realistic with how you deploy your men, it's unwise to leave one part of your lands unguarded to bolster the strength of another. The garrison can tend to be blood-thirsty, so keep them in line with rewards and punishments - a round of ale amongst soldiers can prevent an unfortunate "accident" with a peasant.

A Ruler's Prudence

Being the Duke does not mean you can do whatever you like with no consequences. In fact, anger enough people and the weight of this foolishness will put a large burden on your shoulders, which people will be more than happy to remove... along with your head. Should you make a decision the commonfolk dislike, you should expect a decent amount of resistance and friction, which you will have to deal with before you find yourself at the mercy of the rebellion. Here are some some Do's and Do Not's for any good Duke to consider, evil or not:

DO:

Propose novel laws, such as crop donations or emergency levies
Elevate notable commoners to a higher standing for their contributions
Use intrigue and meticulous planning to dispose of enemies to your agenda with little pomp and ceremony
Be unique. A good gimmick can turn a decent Duke into a memorable Duke
Delegate tasks to your courtiers to ensure everything runs smoothly
Be subtle in your less-than-moral habits and vices
Give trusted courtiers regency if you want personal time

DO NOT:

Be cartoonishly evil. A tyrant is fine, one who orders his men to kidnap women for him to defile is not
Act like a commoner. You are of the highest standing in the duchy, act like it
Ever turn against the Church. Your legacy will be tarnished if you're declared a heretic, and the curses will only whittle away your duchy's strength if the Priest ends up dead
Leave the manor alone. You may be able to fight independently, but overconfidence will leave you rotting on the streets
Over-rely on executions. Death is hard to make interesting
Actively hunt villains. You only invite trouble by sending your men into the bog unprepared, it's wiser to form an ambush