Every player-character in the game will be a noble owing fealty to another noble from one of the Kingdoms - even though you will likely have no contact with them while within Haven. As a noble, your character holds Title in their kingdom, often based on the population you possess. Your character does not own the domain or population - these things belong to the lord of your Kingdom, which they have parceled to you as their vassal in exchange for your fealty. However, in Haven, your lord is largely irrelevant, and your population looks to you to protect and care for them. Nobles can gain and lose population through courtly intrigue, military conquest, and so on. Note, however, that in Haven, nobles from many different kingdoms are intermingling, and not all will acknowledge the title you claim.
Joining a New Domain
The domain to which a noble is sworn is a central element to their life. A noble departing their domain is rare, but it can happen through a number of ways. A noble may choose to break their Oath of Fealty and leave a domain (not a decision that should be made lightly), their lord may choose to banish or release them from their oaths, or the fall of a domain or its lord may invalidate existing Oaths. Regardless of the cause, the following will apply.
Any noble who leaves the service of their lord to join a new domain will be considered to have broken their Oath of Fealty unless explicitly released by their lord. A new Oath of Fealty MUST be sworn to another noble (PC or NPC) in another domain. Failure to do so will result in the noble no longer being Dischordian (and, therefore, in the case of PCs, no longer playable in accordance with the premise as defined above). If you left your previous lord on bad terms, this may incite conflict between your former domain and your new one. When a noble leaves a domain, their population may suffer. As described above, the population belongs to your lord, not you. Not everyone will be willing to uproot their lives and follow you to another domain, and some may possess more loyalty to your lord than to you. A noble leaving their domain may experience a reduction in their population, as determined by the Storytellers, based on several factors surrounding the nature of their departure. In addition, joining a new domain
Joining a new domain has its own difficulties. As defined in the Influence rules, each given domain has a maximum of each influence category. If another character already has between 6-10 points in an influence, and the available slots are taken up, you move down to the next available slot in that influence. When a PC joins a new domain from an old one, their influences are the ones that decrease if the slot is already taken by an existing PC or NPC in that domain. As the new guy, you lose out as your influences, background, and population are coming in to an already defined kingdom. You will retain this population as Domain, which can be trained into other available influences or population backgrounds.
Hosting Court
Each month, a domain is selected to host court. A hosting domain must choose one other kingdom from outside Dischordia to invite to their court, and a second invitation will be chosen by the Imperials. Players from the hosting domain are encouraged to collaborate with each other and the storytellers to provide a unique court experience. Additional decorations, entertainment, and refreshments are not required, but can make an impression. Domains known to host a good court may find themselves chosen as hosts more frequently. At the end of each court, the next hosting domain is selected by representatives of the current host, the imperials, the Voice of Balor, and each of the visiting dignitaries.
Benefits of Hosting Court
In the first era, known as the Foundation Era, hosting domains earned Growth Points which allowed them to expand and establish the foundation of their domains.
In the second era, known as the Surveyor's Era, hosting domains earned the favor of the Imperials in the form of Imperial influence.
In the current era, known as the Court of Empires: Domains hosting court earn 5 points of International influence per player from that domain in attendance. These influences can only come from one of the visiting domains and will be subject to the rules for International Influences.
