Crisis of Nobles is a system that is not a one way or the other, but a meeting halfway compromise between lore canonization of Survival Factions, and Regalia. Obviously, the adaptation issues are both ways. Survival is usually too chaotic and unstable to suit long term investment lore and moves very quickly as opposed to a slow moving roleplay world. Inversely, Survival's claims to grandeur are seen as unfair or unfitting in the roleplay world. While Lore Canonization is currently a thing, we have been asked numerous times to clarify what this Lore Canoniation actually means in Regalia. This thread gives an explanation on this concept. How Regalia sees Hadar & Great Houses Regalia is a spanning global Empire in lore with armies that count into the hundreds of thousands of soldiers, with millions of inhabitants. Other great states in the world have similar numbers, and they are all constantly at odds with each other as recognized states. Great Houses, in comparison, are private armies, local microstates such as Viscounties or Duchies, and largely retain their independence for one solid specific reason: they do not pose a risk to the geopolitics of Aloria. At the same time, invading these microstates would be considered a waste of resources, having to deal with revolt risk and generally speaking just not worth the effort. As such, the summary of Regalia is this: Regalia is indifferent, which is not inherently a bad thing. While it removes the pride from being recognized in Lore by the greatest state, it also provides the freeom and autonomy factions want. How do Regalian players see Hadar & Great Houses While the easiest conclusion here would be indifference, this is not entirely true. There are three distinct ways in which Great Houses can and will be recognized and acknowledged by the players in Regalia. These are: Passive, Active Subjugation and Active Enforcement. The information in this section is purely based on the idea that the Great House coming to Regalia is in fact not claiming royalty etc. and is just trying to integrate. On the matter of titles, refer to a section further below. Now follow the explanations of these three terms: Passive You will find that most Roleplayers will passively recognize Great Houses and Crisis of Nobles just because there is no reason not to, and because it has the capacity to drive roleplay. This means that, for example, a CoN member could walk into the tavern and start having a roleplay discussion and tell tales of Crisis of Nobles to random tavern goers. That being said, Passive recognition is just that: Somewhat minute, and it often leaves one feeling underwhelmed or just marginalized. A tavern roleplayer might be entertained by a CoN tale for about half an hour, and then wander off to go join an event at the Prison, and all of it will feel rather pointless. Active Subjugation The problem with CoN being "rewardingly" recognized in Regalia, is largely the Noble System. The Noble System is in many ways similar to CoN, it takes an investment, rewards with positions, it just uses different system mechanics to reach the same goal. There-in also lies the problem: for both CoN and Nobility, they engage in a different activity that grants them prestige, but they are not compatible with one another which leads to mutual disinterest. There is no reason for a CoN member to recognize the Duke of Calemberg, as little reason there is for the Duke of Calemberg to recognize the Viscount of Rauru. Active Subjugation forces title recognition into the system by a formal loyalty declaration by the CoN faction. This doesn't affect CoN, it doesn't cost or gain any points, it just means the faction declares itself a client state of the Regalian Empire, which means they become loyal supporters of the Empire. Their titles (where canonized) are maintained, and it makes no difference for their CoN activities, but it forces the nobility in Regalia to recognize their titles and consider them part of the system. Inversely, it also means that in Regalia at least, the CoN members lose their foreign independence. They are still able to diplomatically struggle with CoN houses, but essentially in Regalia lose the right to proclaim independence. They become part of the system, instead of being outsiders. This may not be for everyone, which is why Active Enforcement exists. On an unrelated sidenote, Actively Subjugated factions are likely permitted to receive a Regalian Embassy in the countryside or in Regalia proper, or to receive a countryside estate for their Great House. Active Enforcement Active Enforcement is by far the hardest and requires (as opposed to no input or a single act input) constant roleplay in Regalia to upkeep. Roleplayers respect investment, and investment translates to regard among them. A faction is able to maintain its independence, and through clever roleplay in Regalia enforce it's lore onto the roleplayers in either an intimidation tactic, or public relations offensive. If a Great House goes out of their way to make good relations with noble houses, these noble houses are very likely to acknowledge their lore openly and respect it. This could be including but not limited to hosting dinner Soiree's at an Estate, attending parties and getting involved in the scene. There is however also a more intimidation based manner, where a Great House would get a charter or gang together, and simply start blackmailing and intimidating the nobility into recognizing them. Either way it is done, it requires weekly roleplay in Regalia to maintain and most importantly of all: Not for the Great Houses to just barge into Regalia and proclaim themselves royalty. Noble house Roleplayers have a very allergic response to feigned royalty claims in Regalia that cannot be backed with actual Noble politics, and will as such just either laugh at the pretense, or become indifferent towards the proclamation. How are titles seen in Regalia There are multiple ways titles can be seen in Regalia. When it concerns a Passive relation to roleplayers, it's usually a bit of a coin toss. Some roleplayers will respect the Viscountess of Rauru or the Duke of Insani just because they said they were, others might not and simply say "Well you're a foreigner, I don't have to recognize you". The latter is what will happen in nearly all cases with Nobility (one or two houses might do it differently, but the same sentiment applies). Legally speaking, whatever Title your faction is approved for in Lore Canonization, is legal. It's a title that can be (locally) legally be backed, but globally speaking, Regalians don't have to recognize it, because Regalian law dictates that foreign nobles have no right to claim nobility in the Empire. It'd be like being a politician in one country, walking into another and claiming to be part of the Parliament. You're just a foreign tourist in that nation. Titles can be respected and recognized if they are enforced by Active Subjugation. By Subjugating, the title (Duke/Viscount/Warlord etc.) remains the same, but becomes a suzerain of the Regalian Emperor. That immediately makes the title part of Regalia, and the Great House no longer a foreign entity. It's like handing the entire faction Regalian citizenship rights. At that point, the nobility have to recognize the title because the Emperor said so. That being said, they can still insult the Great House by refusing to acknowledge it, which is part of Noble Politics. Titles can also be respected if a Great House retains its independence, and tries to either charm or intimidate the nobles into recognizing their title. In this case, goodwill usually wins. Roleplayers feel safe in the knowledge that a Faction can never threaten the Empire, because their x thousand of troops is always outmatched by the x 100 thousand of troops Regalia has. Roleplay usually also works both ways, you have to give some respect to get it back, which is why intimidation based Active Enforcement is usually not recommended. In this case, it truly is better to be loved than hated. The Royal Title of Hadar The Royal Title of Hadar is a really touchy subject. To many looking at CoN from the outside, the royal title of Royals of Hadar is chaotic. It can change in the blink of an eye during a progression in CoN, which would invalidate a lot of roleplay and make a bunch of Character Applications invalid. As such, as a general rule of thumb, Royal Titles are not to be used in Character Applications, in-Regalia proclamations or in-Regalia roleplay at all, ever. Regalians get a very allergic reaction to claims to royalty, because royal right to rule is derived from the Emperor, and unless specifically granted, it goes against their laws and religions. It is also extremely pretentious in their minds, that a Great House that would (in lore) rule less square mileage of land than they do in the Archipelago, and they somehow are royalty while the Nobility is not. The Royal title is, as such, best left unmentioned or uncovered. It invites a lot of trouble, especially when it is illegal to make royal pretense in Regalia and it could land a character in prison in roleplay. Active Subjugation Active Subjugation can be achieved through an event. Coordinate this with the Noble Managers if you want to engage in it as a CoN faction, and be sure to consult with Noble Managers on the stipulations of what this means for you and your faction in Regalia and outside of Regalia.
