Nobility in Benaajab
The Great Houses of Benaajabi nobility trace their roots to the fashions of the Guatama Empire. Though there have been many substantial changes and reforms since then, they often use the same titles and refer to the old traditions. The noble class is intimately related to the Caste System in Benaajab, forming a major part of the Niranjan. The traditional role of nobles was to correctly allocate the resources of a given district and to sustain the local religious figures. Like many aristocratic governments, however, the nobles are often criticized for prioritizing their elaborate lifestyles over the needs of the community.
Role in Society
Ennoblement
Transforming a family into a great house is an arduous process which is, above all else, extremely expensive. Entire families have gone bankrupt in the pursuit of the coveted status, but most simply shy away from the attempt, preferring the lesser honors available to them at relatively low costs and risks.
The first and most important standard of ennoblement is patronage of the pursuit. A family often achieves this by some combination of (a) building a new temple or monastery, (b) devoting a certain number of its descendants to asceticism, (c) the renunciation of certain material pleasures, (d) providing an extraordinary service to a School, or (e) performing an extraordinary act of understanding. Since the Schools are dependent on the Great Houses to finance their operation, there is a balance between the School’s need for revenue and their desire to remain independent from the influence of the aristocracy.
Since all of the aforementioned methods of ennoblement rely on the confirmation of a School, contenders for status are often already closely associated with the School they hope to ultimately be promoted by. This leads to a secondary source of revenue for the Schools, since they accumulate a great following of lesser houses that attempt to attract interest before even seeking ennoblement by giving large donations and following the various ethical codes promulgated by the Schools. There is also an unofficial element of public oversight; contenders almost always have a gallery of witnesses who are allowed to express their approval (if any) of attempts to gain status.
Once a house achieves greatness through their acts of patronage, they must then undergo the process of ennoblement. Rituals differ from school to school, but there are a few commonalities. Great Houses are forbidden to engage in commerce or seek any kind of personal gain--their role as Dharmic arbitrators is considered paramount. All personal wealth is appropriated and becomes a public resource (albeit under their direct supervision); it is a kind of endowment that is used to sustain the family and to help them fulfill their Dharmic role by re-allocating their wealth to their subjects when needed to restore the balance of their lives. The children of Great Houses become the wards of their School--their education is typically focused on preparing them for their future role as aristocrats. Children are sometimes forced to become ascetics if they cannot complete their education in childhood, though this is rare. Great Houses are carefully regulated by their parent schools and failing to uphold the ethical code and strict behavioral guidelines can lead to censure.
Certain titles and awards are passed to members of Great Houses to distinguish their status. At minimum, everyone in the Great House is granted the honorific “Bara” (বড়). Important functionaries are also granted additional titles such as “Udbhāsa” (উদ্ভাস, for heads of houses), “Kyāriẏāra” (ক্যারিয়ার, for the manager of an estate), and “Nirīkṣaka” (নিরীক্ষক, for the family disciplinarian). Additional awards are given to the family when they perform additional services to the school or state. Giving up a child for asceticism, for example, grants the mother the honorific “Balidāna” (বলিদান).
Privileges
While monks oversee the Great Houses, Benaajabi aristocrats do not live the lives of monks. Family estates, while the nominally become public property remain the homes of the families, which is why many build enormous palaces right before seeking the high status and many take it as a sign of the same. Festivals are an extremely important part of the duties of a Great House, which is why the estates of the Great Houses are seldom without flamboyant decoration. Great Houses are free from the common laws of the nation and are instead held to the standards of their School and their peers in the Royal Assembly, which codifies important parts of the Schools’ codes of conduct. This includes taxes; Great Houses are not required to pay taxes of any kind on their land or wealth, since both are classified as public property.
All Great Houses are granted representation on the Royal Assembly and the Outer Court (which makes appointments to orders of merit). The Great Houses are also granted specific ceremonial functions at the national level as well as many more in their jurisdictions. A small number of Bara also serve as the religious judges, who may be requested to adjudicate religious matters. Finally, Great Houses are allowed to propose redistributive legislation to their local legislative bodies, which they often also sit on as parliamentarian. Some Houses have additional rights within their local jurisdiction, such as oversight of the education budget or control of any lesser houses.
Censure
There are many paths to ennoblement and there are equally numerous ways to lose the status. The most common way a Great House loses its status is to violate the conditions of their original ascendancy. For example, a Great House which originally built an elaborate temple eventually exhausts their wealth and can no longer maintain the building, or a Great House promises so many sons will be given to the School as ascetics but fails to produce enough male children. There are also broad rules of conduct that have been passed by the Royal Assembly to govern the behavior of Great Houses, such as the Fiduciary Interests Act, which makes Great Houses fiduciaries of the funds they control for the public interest. Acts regulating Great Houses are enforced by the Monarch who may censure any house that he believes is violating the standards. Once censured, Great Houses lose their privileges (though not their status or their responsibilities) and if the censure is not lifted, the House will quickly lose its status both through financial strain and the desire of their parent School to maintain their reputation.
Sometimes penance can be extracted to remove censure. Flagellation of the entire family (including the very young and very old) or an order that they repeat their original act of patronage are common example of penance. Penance is issued jointly by the School and Monarch.