Regalian Court Protocol

This page contains a reference to all Court Protocols which describe social interactions between Commoners, Nobles, and Royals. This Page is part of Regalian Law, a category page that contains links to all legal documents in Roleplay.

Explanation

The Imperial Court (the royal house and its administration) enforced a so-called Conduces or Court Etiquette which dictates the social conventions between the social classes in the Regalian Empire. A lot of this pertains to public appearances but also contains some rules for behavior within the privacy of one's home. To this effect, the Court Protocol is split between "Public" and "Private" rules. Public involves any kind of setting where a stranger is present, while Private is only ever among family/friends/servants inside the home. To help understand how each rank interacts with each other, first a listing of all the ranks viewed by the Court Protocol:

Commoners are the lowest rank in the eyes of Court Protocol, which contains all non-Noble individuals including untitled Artistocrats.
Knights are the second rank, which includes all Knights of Regalia-legal Knight Orders, though not including squires.
Nobles are the third rank, which contains all titled Nobility and their direct kin. Adopted relatives are not recognized.
Grandees are the fourth rank, which includes Dukes and Government officials. These are almost always Staff DM's.
Royals are the fifth rank, which appear extremely rarely and only during events. These are always Staff DM's.

Dress Code

The first and most obvious aspect of the Court Protocol is the Dress Code. The Imperial Family does not enforce a Dress Code that dictates the maximum length of skirts, or how much percentage of skin is allowed to be shown. Even at the Imperial Palace, any visitor can wear as much or as little as they want. However, there is a so-called interpretation of preference. Even if there is no hard rule against men appearing bare-chested, or women wearing pants at the Imperial Court, some Princeroyals have preferences for specific clothing styles and may show more appreciation for those who comply with those styles. For example, the Emperor is very fond of old Anglian fashion such as large hoop skirts and collared necks (because he is old fashioned), which is often misconstrued as the Emperor disliking exposed shoulders on women and men. This is not the case, nobody ever gets punished for wearing too little clothes at Court, though if one seeks to impress specific Imperial Courtiers, dress-to-impress is the rule of the game, and through this loophole, a Dress Code is somewhat manifested. Each Princeroyal has a different taste in dress code, and the best way to figure it out is to observe their reactions and compliments. In short, there is no punishment for wearing the wrong clothes, but wearing the right fashionable style of clothes can marginally help improve attitudes and odds of success when interacting by catering to preferences.

Title Address

A great way to insult a person of a higher social class is by using the wrong titular address. each social rank has a standard address, and then some permutations exist. Conventionally, you can get an address wrong once and should be corrected, but are in an affront to this rule after repeatedly refusing to correctly Title someone. When this pertains to nobility, refusing to correctly Title someone is a Low Law crime.

Commoners have no Title address, though Nobles and higher may sometimes refer to them as "Honorable" if they deem them respectworthy.
Commoners can be referred to as Mister/Miss, Mister being masculine and Miss being feminine (Missus is unused, Honorable is non-gendered).
Knights are addressed as Sir/Ser/Sera/Dame. Sir and Ser are masculine, Sera is non-gendered, and Dame is feminine.
Nobles are addressed as Lord/Lirh/Lady. Lord is masculine, Lirh is non-gendered, Lady is feminine. This also applies to non-titles Nobles.
Nobles can in some sentences be addressed as your Lordship/your Lirhship/your Ladyship, depending on grammar necessity.
Nobles may also be addressed by their title, but this requires knowledge of their title, for example, Count of X or Baroness of Y.
Nobles may also be addressed culturally appropriate, for example, Comtesse, Marquise, or Gravin, but this is considered ostentatious.
Nobles may also be addressed by their title name for example Count Eaton or Countess Marinneburgh. This is the Cearden Style.
Nobles may also be addressed by their title name for example Monsieur de Harrickhall, or Madame de Pontifrac. This is the Ithanian Style.
Nobles who apply the Ithanian Style but are non-gendered or non-binary use Mixte, pronounced as "me" followed by "step" without the p.
Grandees are addressed as your Grace, which includes all and non-genders. Government officials (including foreign) are your Eminence.
Royals are addressed as your Highness, which includes all and non-genders. The Emperor is His Imperial Holiness or His Serene Highness.

Ranked versus Unranked

Ranked describes interactions from a lower social class to a higher one, for example from a Commoner to a Noble. In such a case, the Commoner is "Ranked" by the Noble, and they must observe Public Protocol. If an interaction occurs from a higher social class to a lower one, this is called "Unranked", for example, a Duke to a Noble. Unranked interactions do not need to hold to Protocol. In essence, it is the privilege of the powerful to be above protocol towards lower ranks, though social convention holds that those who engage in abandonment of Court Protocol just because they are more important, are considered uncouth, and most people who rub shoulders with politicians and would avoid this label at all costs.

Public below-Grandee Protocol

Public Protocol contains a list of all rules that must be observed when Ranked, from a lower social class to a higher one. This section covers the below-Grandee Protocol, meaning anywhere from Commoner/Knight/Noble and their interactions. For Dukes or Princeroyals, see further below.

Always use the correct Title, either in Regalian style (Lord/Lirh/Lady), or Cearden/Ithanian Style.
Always show a basic curtsy or gesture of respect, for example, a head nod, head bow, or bow when greeting.
Always refrain from touching bare skin. Only touch when invited to, and always through a glove or handkerchief.
Always be polite and respectful. Refrain from sarcasm, double-speak, nicknames, or double-entendres.

Private below-Grandee Protocol

Private Protocol contains a list of all rules that must be observed when Ranked. Keep in mind that even if Private Protocol allows certain liberties, many nobles insist on using Public Protocol, even when they are in private because they find it comfortable to make boundaries.

First Names may be used, though nicknames or pet names are strongly discouraged unless for children.
A basic curtsy though a head nod is still strongly encouraged, though bowing is considered ostentatious in private.
Always still refrain from touching bare skin. Only touch when invited to, though a glove or handkerchief is unnecessary.
Always be polite and respectful, but speak freely in how far the Ranked person has given you the freedom to speak.

Public above-Grandee Protocol

Public Protocol contains a list of all rules that must be observed when Ranked, from a lower social class to a higher one. This section covers the above-Grandee Protocol, meaning anywhere from Duke/Princeroyal and their interactions with lower classes.

Always use the correct Title, either in their full title or the correct address (your Grace, your Highness etc).
Always show a perform a curtsy or gesture of respect, a head bow or upper body bow. A head nod is considered rude.
Always refrain from touching bare skin, period. Especially for Princeroyals, touching is a very severe crime.
Always be polite and respectful. Refrain from sarcasm, double-speak, nicknames, or double-entendres.
Never speak to a Duke or Princeroyal without first being introduced by someone who is already familiar with them.
If one is seeking an introduction, discreetly speak to someone else to request an introduction to the Duke or Princeroyal.
Never outwardly disagree with a Duke or Princeroyal in conversation and never question their decisions to their faces.
Never tell a Duke or Princeroyal what they should think, do, or believe to their face, though suggestions are permitted.
For the Emperor, it is considered respectful not to look him in the eye, but this is considered an outdated archaic rule.

Private above-Grandee Protocol

Private Protocol for the above-Grandee Protocol is identical to the below-Grandee Private Protocol as listed above. There is no Private Protocol for Princeroyals, one must always behave in Public Protocol around them. It still applies to Dukes, though Dukes may similarly choose to enforce Public Protocol depending on their personal preferences.

Other Assorted Rules

This section contains a list of miscellaneous rules that did not fit in any other category.

Courtiers, servants, guards, or other forms of hired staff in a Noble Household, are considered to be at their best behavior because their crude and uncourteous behavior is a reflection upon their master and employee, who can fire them very quickly if they make them look like a fool.
Adoptions in Nobility are not recognized conventionally. They are given legal privileges when adopted, but one does not become blue-blooded by simply being adopted. As such, the Court Protocol need not apply to adopted Nobles, as they have no birthright expectation of the high class.
Courtiers, servants, guards, and other forms of hired staff are technically meant to get a sign-off from their employees to have romantic relations with people outside and inside of the court. This is because a master must always be aware of the particular investments of their staff.
Some Courts may apply specific rules not mentioned on this page. For example, the Vultarin Court (Duke) has a strong Eronidas presence, which disallows exposed skin on legs as this is thought of as vulgar body language. To discover hidden Court rules, it is best (and acceptable) to ask.