Aundair and Karrnath seem like they would have more of a meritocracy. While the nobility may have an easy life in Aundair, respect and influence come from working the land or unfathomable arcane forces and showing an ability to produce. It takes ability to penetrate Aundair's insulated power structure.
Karrnath is the same but different. The nation's actual governing power is in the hands of Warlords, they would never bow before some upstart unblooded noble, even if it was Kaius himself. In Karrnath, a noble has what they can take. Furthermore, you know Kaius is keeping an eye on the nobles. He needs to know who's ambitious (And is therefore going TO DIE!), he also needs to know his allies and enemies.
Don't worry about recreating authentic 18th century noble politics unless its the kind of intrigue your PCs demand and crave.
Aundarian nobles are more or less your classic fantasy nobles, often with Wizards in advisory positions, and knowledgeable in a few spells themselves. Lots of pomp, glove smacking, and rapier/magic duels over matters of honor wouldn't be out of place. I mean, Aundair seems to hold an air of sophistication above the other nations already, so I imagine their nobility to be especially cultured.
With Breland's strong independent streak, and increasing move towards elected individuals in positions of leadership, I figure the more prominent Brelish nobles are those who have figured how to work the political system. You're more likely to have nobles who didn't start out at the top of the totem pole, but worked their way up through shrewd alliances and weddings with others, and bread and circus events to win over their vassals/constituents.
Karrnathi noble families generally have rich military histories. Go into any home and you'll have statues of great great great grandfathers decked out in suits of armor in the gardens, weapon displays in the main chamber, and war paintings on the wall. Children will often follow the same military career paths as their parents- usually in a leadership position. Noble families are ranked by how prestigious their Warlord members are. I also see the Blood of Vol being more popular amongst the nobility than amongst the common people. They have that power and they want to keep it or at least see it continued forever, and the Blood of Vol is the path immortality in this world.
Thranish nobility is -predictably- full of faithful to the Silver Flame. Since there are no rules barring the clergy from getting married or having children, many noble families have prominent men (and women) of the cloth in their families. Nobles are expected to be very visible during religious celebrations and are held to a much higher degree of decorum than their counterparts in other nations.
I suppose titles are passed on by blood, but I don't see anything wrong with adoption or even bastard children for story's sake.
the unconventional feel of noblilty in that country makes for good role playing. also like the way the other countries come off too. each has its uniqueness. the Karrn warlords gave me a great idea. one with an old weather beaten statue of great uncle somebody and dark skeletons in the closet.
Aundair: I see Aundair as France under the ancient regime. The noble are cultured and learned, and the intrigue at the court turn around incredible subtilities. In Aundair, most noble prefer to buy land rather than possess worshop since they think that being a noble = owning a land and owning a workshop = being a burguess.
Karnath: Karnath is the Prussia of Khorvaire. I see the nobility to have a proud military tradition and their status depending on their ability to fight. But on the others hand, they learned discipline and how to maintain a large fighting force. They are not raging barbarian in the battlefield and don't choose their leaders solely on a test of strenght.
Thrane: Thrane really bug me, I don't know if I have to go for a clash of the nobility vs the church, or an acceptance by the nobility by this new regime.
as far as Thrane goes, i guess it would depend on your political opinions. Royalists would have a big issue with the new theocracy, but the other more liberal families may have found a new way to rise in status. and if i was the head of a low ranking noble house i'd find things i like about the new system quick. i'm sure there are a lot of families in the government now that are flourishing for one reason or another, noble and otherwise.
Aundair seems very French in it's government ( not really a bad thing if you want a more traditional nobility and sometime you do) and i can agree with that they most likely view land as what makes you noble and there are likely laws to enforce that view. Aundair is a rural country with lots of fertile farm land under its control, less now that the Reaches are gone but hey! so land is valuable, average commoners wouldn't have enough to purchase their own land.
P.S. heck all history makes me think of Eberron, not just European. You can find a hint of just about all cultures in it.
Aundair seems very French in it's government ( not really a bad thing if you want a more traditional nobility and sometime you do).
I don't see why the french model is a bad thing. It's actually the classical version of feudalism and nobility. England diverge from the model and built a kind of hybrid while France stay longer in a feudalism society.
P.S. heck all history makes me think of Eberron, not just European. You can find a hint of just about all cultures in it.
Of course, most nations have their own variation on the theme of nobility and can add something to a fantasy world. After all, most Eberron country are inspired by real world, but they aren't carbon copy of their real world counterpart. Variations exist and I hope so, the people of Eberron adapt to their culture and geopolitical situation.
And as a question too, any idea how would the lower nobility be in each nation? After all, PC could come from lower nobility, which is a great mix between having access to key persona without being themselves powerful. So I would be curious how to have PC who come from the nobility and still have interesting plot arc about them.
i think the Valenar would have estates, land, and ranches with horses and camels and the like. they would have rarely visit there estates and would have servents tending to them. it's a military culture to the nith, so the higher up the ladder you go the fewer peolpe you have to answer to. when you get really high you can basically do as you please. political power would be gained obviously by proving your prowess. you could also try to improve your influence with alliances within and between clans. just a guess....
If you want to split it up, i'd go something like this
Aundair: french style aristocracy, pre: french revolution
Breland: British style government with peerage, monarchy supported by elected officials, parliament etc
Karnath: Prussian style, with strong military background to the nobility, organsied along military lines
Valenar: Clan based, like the mongol horde, smaller clans owing fealty to larger clans
Talenta plains: Tribal, like original native american culture
Thrane: Theocracy, like Italy, with the Pope in charge and the nobles owning the land.
The US Embassy in London is actually not owned by the US (like other embassies are) because it was established 200 years ago when selling/losing land was pretty much the greatest sin a noble could commit. According to the terms of the lease, the US actually pays the sum of one peppercorn per year (a peppercorn being the smallest unit of exchange in British law at the time) for use of the land.
I see a similar thing happening in Eberron - nobles don't want to actually sell off their land, but between the powerful middle class and the declining fortunes of many nobles in the Last War, they no longer have the money to maintain themselves like they did in Galifar. So while Lord Poorhouse may technically own his ancestral lands, he may have leased them to private individuals for a century (or perhaps longer, with all the elves and dwarves running around.) Likewise, it's been mentioned that the Crown holds a number of noble estates whose owners were all killed off in the Last War. Some of them go to newly lorded adventurers (there's probably a good deal more social mobility in Eberron than RL feudal Europe) but others probably get rented out to raise funds and lift the burden of overseeing the land directly from the Queen.
Breland's nobility has declining legal powers, but they still own a great deal of the land. While they may not be able to exercise the power they used to, they still have a good deal of "soft power." Sure, Lord Prissypants may not have a legal right to throw a peasant in the stocks for an insult anymore, but a few words to his drinking buddies and said peasant finds himself evicted from his house and out of a job!
The Aundairian nobles by contrast, might have more direct power but they're still probably growing uncomfortably aware of their peers who have fallen on hard times, and the decreasing power of the nobility in Breland and Thrane (and the fact that they don't have the military might of the Karrnathi warlords.) They compensate for this by holding on to noble privilege as hard as they can, throwing fancy parties, and generally doing their best to pretend the world is the same as it was before the war.
The Thrane nobles are likely divided into two camps: those who support the theocracy and royalists. Both sets make extravagant displays of religious fervor, but they all know who's who, and both groups tend to stick to their own. Only a few of them actually take real action on their views, but they've all taken a side. Additionally, all the empty estates that resulted from the Last War went to the Church instead of reverting to the Crown. A good deal of the land was probably sold off to fund the war (meaning that Thrane probably has the highest private land ownership) but other tracts may be run by a church-appointed overseer who runs the land for the benefit of the Silver Flame. Of course, there's plenty of wealth coming from those old estates, and no one would miss a little off the top...
I suspect Karrnath is something of a meritocracy. The warlords are constantly trying to prove themselves worthy of their position (or the next rung up!) which accounts for Kaius's difficulties getting them to accept the peace. After all, without the Last War, there aren't nearly as many positions to gain battlefield renown on. The warlords near the Talenta Plains suddenly have an advantage, since they are currently the only ones who can earn prestige. Meanwhile, the lower nobles are where the officer corps is drawn from. The families assist their warlord in ruling his land while sending their children to the army. Nobles and warlords who consistently fail may find themselves ignominiously reassigned to a backwater fief with few responsibilities. Meanwhile, the common folk are kept in line by the Code of Kaius. Many of them join the military in hopes of getting an officer's commission on the battlefield, bringing them and their families up in the world.
Valentar elves are more interested in excelling in their warbands then ruling land or the peasantry. Each warband probably has a human village that the court designates as theirs to collect taxes from. Direct rule is probably minimal - the villages police themselves because they know that if things deteriorate to the point where the elves need to step in, it will not be pretty. They might have hereditary or elected mayors and sheriffs who deal with local problems, with the elves only showing up when they need supplies.
Q'barra nobles are (with few exceptions) nobles in name only. They fled the last war to a jungle full of lizardfolk with whatever they could fit in their luggage. A few who left with the first wave might have positions of authority, but most of the displaced nobles have come down in the world.
It's possible that all the land in some countries (Breland and Aundair in particular) is officially owned by the Crown, nobles, or dragonmarked houses, who rent it out to tenants. They could offer very long term leases instead of outright sale to nonnobles.
(etc...)
Good stuff, very well thought out! I'm going to try to keep these ideas in mind.
Because someone's going to nitpick it sooner or later, I'll point out that the dragonmarked houses aren't technically allowed to own any land (I can't recall if this is limited to Khorvaire or not.) Of course, the houses have been skirting the edge of the law more and more as of late...
(I can't recall if this is limited to Khorvaire or not.)
It is, that's why Stormreach is such a great place for the dragonmarked houses. It's also the place where Cannith are thinking about putting up a new creation forge.
It is, that's why Stormreach is such a great place for the dragonmarked houses. It's also the place where Cannith are thinking about putting up a new creation forge.
There's also the more flagrant violations by House Lyrandar, which has the island of Stormholme in Aundair, and is growing increasingly more powerful and influential in Valenar.
They seem hell bent on claiming some form of soverign territory, likely to create a independent homeland for Half-Elves.
The answer seems to be a combination of both. Becoming a vassal of Karrnath and Galifar didn't eradicate Dwarven traditions. It just piled more stuff on top of them.