Standard Royal Court: Difference between revisions
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* Any number of special favourites, courtiers who are important not because of their inheritance and offices but because the regent has an affection for them. They usually have a certain something about them which can be charm, boldness, honeyed tongue, cleverness, honesty, strength, beauty and other quirks and abilities. The important part is that their influence on the leader is not easily measured. The writers might add as much spicy [[Subtext]] as they like.
** A common ploy is for a patron to introduce suitable candidates to the ruler. If any of them find favour, the patron can then influence the ruler by passing suggestions through the favourite, though ambitious favourites will turn on their patrons the moment they have a better one.
**A more serious kind of courtier is there for serious political reasons. Some are spokespeople for a guild or other special interest. Some are high-class prisoners of war awaiting ransom. Some are hostages from another royal or noble family keeping their daddy in line with their own neck but treated regally until the threat has to be enforced. Some are pretenders to another throne kept in style either to foment civil war in a rival or just as a [[Take That]].
* Any [[The Mistress|mistresses]] the king has. Essentially the same role as favourites, but less respectable. This doesn't stop ambitious courtiers parading their sisters in front of the king.
* If there are enough nobles, they might form a separate body within the court that acts as a kind of legislature for the nation. [[Expy|Expies]] of the [[British Political System|British House of Lords]], the French Estates-General (or just the First and Second Estates), the [[Roman Republic|Roman Senate]], and the [[Holy Roman Empire|Holy Roman]] ''Reichstag'' are common.
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