Before we dive into the details, we want to be very clear: this page describes how the IC world works. Players are all equal and are expected to treat one another according to the Code of Conduct. If you aren’t happy with how your character is being treated, it’s fine to work out something player to player that you’ll both be happy with — but it does need to be something you’ll both be happy with. Both the tyrannical overlord and the cheeky rebel will need to compromise.

With that in mind: Kithain society in England is still run very much along traditional lines, which is to say, it’s fundamentally a feudal system … but a feudal system where oaths of fealty have actual weight, and, unlike in the real world, cannot be easily and opportunistically betrayed at the drop of a hat. Some readers probably have a pretty good idea how this works already; some may not. This page exists to try to make sure everyone is working from a similar point of view.

If you are a socially accepted Kithain in London, you owe fealty to someone. There are probably some NPC fae who keep entirely to themselves and participate only in passing in the Changeling world, but they are not really a part of the sphere by their own choice (and are likely mistrusted as potential Thallain agents by everyone who is part of the sphere). Your overlord can be anyone who outranks you — some commoners are sworn to knights, some knights are sworn directly to the count or countess rather than to a baron. You may not see them often, they may not ask much from you, but you have one.

Each overlord in turn has their own overlord, all the way up to the King (or, at present, the Regent); this is what is meant by the “chain of fealty.” Each link in the chain is an oath of support and obedience owed by the Kithain who swears it to the Kithain they swear it to, and an oath of protection owed in the other direction.

Even if someone is not in a character’s chain, respect for their relative ranks is expected. Alissa the Sluagh Commoner is expected to behave with respect toward Betsy the Baroness, even if Alissa’s overlord is Bill the Baron. Alissa doesn’t necessarily have to do what Betsy tells her, especially if it goes against what Bill has previously told Alissa, but if Alissa acts rudely, Betsy is within her rights to demand that she be disciplined. 

Not only that, but the higher nobility will almost universally side with Betsy. Even Bill will probably side with Betsy. None of them wants to set a precedent that encourages their vassals to disrespect them, and they all want their own overlords to side with them if that does happen. 

“Respect” can be a slippery concept. It doesn’t mean that characters are expected to bow and scrape and obsequiously flatter anyone who’s even one step higher in rank than they are. Etiquette at the higher ranks can be strict, but at the level PCs are at, simple courtesy is all that’s expected. It also doesn’t mean you have to be friendly, especially if you’re dealing with a bitter rival or someone from the opposing Court: it’s entirely permissible for Seelie knights to be pointedly unhelpful to Unseelie barons. They just have do it with grace and manners.

The chain also works in the other direction: overlords in turn owe protection and patronage to their vassals. If Betsy decides to start behaving abusively toward Alissa, it’s Bill’s responsibility to step in and defend Alissa. Even if he thinks Alissa is in the wrong, it’s his job to correct her, not Betsy’s. That doesn’t mean Alissa can do whatever she wants — Bill is ultimately answerable to his overlord for her behavior, and, as mentioned above, the upper ranks have strong motivation to avoid setting a precedent that would come back to bite them. But the upper ranks also want their overlords to defend them if someone still higher up takes an irrational dislike to them, and they’ll hold Bill to the same standard.

Ultimately, the system of interlocking fealties and allegiances in Changeling is a roleplaying tool. It’s not intended as a straitjacket; it’s meant to help emphasize the difference between Kithain and mortal society, to provide contrast, and to underline the themes undergirding the game.