Esteemed Peers in Swynfaredia
This is an admittedly abstaract and metaphorical take on a "collector of lost things." In this case, the lost thing is a "wayward magical birthright"
Swynfaredia's nobility is based on sorcerers and sorceresses, and they used arranged marriages to try to maintain sorcerous bloodlines. The problem is if a sorcerer and sorceress marry and have babies, statistically speaking, only half of their children will breed true and the other half will be quiescent or "squibs" to use Harry Potter parlance. They are still part of the nobility, just a lower tier. Sorcerers and sorceresses in Swynfaredia typically have the honorific "Lord" or "Lady". Non-sorcerous members of the nobility have the honorific "Peer". Note, a child is a "Peer". Sorcery doesn't manifest until puberty or young adulthood, in this case a Peer becomes a Lord or Lady. "Esteemed Peer" is an honorific title in Kingdom of Swynfaredia that is above "Peer" but below "Lord" and Lady. To become an "Esteemed Peer", a Peer needs to have a sorcerer or sorceress son or daughter and the son or daughter needs to be the product of a recognized marriage with a member of Swynfaredia's nobility.Brigid's second portrait by Eron12 with Hero Forge"'Esteemed Peer', or Cymar Vir in the @the courtly tongue is a polite euphemism for 'sorcerous stud horse' or 'magical brood mare'." -Brigid, expatriate Swynfaredian sorceress
Benefits
Brigid, Swynfaredian expatriate sorceress.Brigid's second portrait by Eron12 with Hero Forge"Esteemed Peers wield no formal power, but they get a lot of informal status and are able to ride their son or daughter's coattails into high society functions. They get a seat of honor at banquets and other formal events. Outside of courtly events, they can enjoy nepotism. If a Peer and an Esteemed Peer are both competing for the same civil service position, the Esteemed Peer will almost always win. If a commoner woman somehow gives birth to a baby sorceress, she is not going to get any invites to fancy parties, or get any cushy civil service jobs. She'll be lucky if she can even see her daughter again after the nobles snatch her up...."
Accoutrements & Equipment
The standard insignia of an Esteemed Peer is the person's normal house heraldry plus a dragon egg. Normally it's only worn at formal events. Wearing the insignia too much seemingly reeks of desperation as if the only thing the person has going for them is their son or daughter.
Cultural Significance
The core of Swynfaredia's political doctrine is as follows.
Spell-casters are superior to non-casters.
Sorcerers and sorceresses are superior to all other casters (especially wizards and warlocks who are little better than usurpers).
Swynfaredian Coat of Arms by Me with Worldspinner's Heraldry program
It's expensive and time consuming to provide full noble treatment to Esteemed Peers, but it is quite necessary. Few like to admit it, but our sorcerous bloodlines are getting thinner. We can't afford to let any sorcerers or sorceresses fall through the cracks. By honoring Quienscents who birth or sire sorcerers, we encourage Quiescents to marry each other rather than to marry commoners. If they marry commoners their sorcerous blood might be watered down to nothing and lost forever...or worse. They might end up spawning rogue sorcerers who join anti-governmental groups or defect to rival nations."
How to Address Swynfaredian Dragonbloods
A sorcerer that is part of Swynfaredia's nobility from a proper marriage is Lord Boy's Name ap House Name A sorceress that is part of Swynfaredia's nobility from a proper marriage is Lady Girl's Name ap House Name. If a sorcerer or sorceress is a bastard or a "wild mage", Swynfaredia STILL wants them in the nobility but they use a SLIGHTLY different form of address. Lord/Lady Name par House Name A quiescent born of a proper highborn marriage is Peer Name ap House Name and Peers who have sorcerous children get to be Esteemed Peer Name ap House Name If you want to use the Draconic langauge titles instead: Lord is "Argdomine", Lady is "Argdomina", Peer is "Cymar", and Esteemed Peer is "Cymar Vir".Drannor the bard gives a crash course in Swynfaredian formal titles. If you want to avoid offending a Dragonblood, you need to make sure you understand what formal address to you. You can use the titles in Swynfaredian Draconic dialect if you want, but you are rolling the dice, but sometimes Dragonbloods are flattered to hear these titles, other times they are annoyed when a filithy commoner is using their courtly tongue.by me with Midjourney
Type
Nobility, Honorific / Ceremonial
Form of Address
Esteemed Peer
Source of Authority
birthright...sort of
Length of Term
life
Related Locations
Related Organizations
Comments