Regent

I will hold the Crown until the Monarch's return

In the Game of Tomes, a Regent is the acting leader of one of the Great Houses.

A Regent is a person who temporarily rules or commands one of The Great Houses in lieu of a House Leader. During their term, they govern one of the Protectorates, which are geographic regions of various sizes and populations they are charged to protect against The Undead Horde. There could be a number of reasons a Regent may be necessary. Most commonly, it is the result of a Monarch dying without a House Heir, or dying before the Heir is ready to take the throne. In recent years, with House Leaders being so intimately involved in conflict against supernatural threats, it has also been the result of a House Leader being declared Missing in Action, or being temporarily indisposed due to illness or other incapacity. If the House Leader fails to resurface, or if there is no Heir, a Regent may end up being declared the House Leader after an interim period.

Qualifications

The Leader of a House must be a Literomancer. Often, they are also required to be a Werebeast of the sort that is associated with a House's totem animal.

Requirements

A Regent is usually appointed by the House Leader or House Heir, if there is no active Monarch. Failing this, a Regent may also be appointed by the House, or by the Great Houses in council.

Game Mechanics

A House must have a leader. In practice in the Game of Tomes, Regents, if not appointed by a House Leader, are usually volunteers from a House who agree to hold the position temporarily, until someone else can be found, or until it becomes clear that the House Leader is not returning to the game. As with all House Leaders, this is conditional upon the acceptance of the Organizers and game owners.

Appointment

A Regent is formally recognized by their House and House Librarian in a variety of traditional ways, most of which are House-specific.

Game Mechanics

If a House doesn't wish to accept a particular Regent, another Regent from that House's members will be sought.

Duties

A Regent has all the same duties as a House Leader for the length of their term. They are the heart of their House. They offer an example of leadership, courage, and hope to aspire to. They actively encourage and support the Tome Knights under their command. In a way, they are living banners, representing all that their House stands for.

Game Mechanics:

If a House is led by a Regent, and that Regent falls to the Undead Horde during a war, a House is considered to be defeated/destroyed.

Responsibilities

Just like with a permanent House Leader, Regents are responsible for governing and guarding a Protectorate, like a medieval King or Queen. They command the troops of their House on the battlefield, making strategic decisions on their behalf and often taking the field of combat themselves. Diplomatically, a Regent is the representative of their House, with the final authority to engage in alliances, trade agreements, treaties, and so forth. They are the leaders of their nations, in wartime or peacetime.

Game Mechanics:

A Regent's primary job is to be a shining light of encouragement in the Game of Tomes. They are also responsible for seeing all the jobs within a House get done, and for making strategic decisions (like which House they will support when their House falls, and who they will make alliances with.)

Benefits

As what is essentially a temporary Monarch, benefits include political authority, wealthy and prestigious quarters and clothing, and food and healthcare provided by the state. They are almost always provided with Bodyguards for their personal protection.

Game Mechanics:

A Regent may have up to TWO of a House's permitted five Bodyguards assigned to their protection vs. The Undead Horde.

An additional benefit to being a Regent is that when the Monarch assumes, or resumes, the throne, their service is usually remembered, and they often continue to hold the Monarch's ear.

Accoutrements & Equipment

This varies broadly, depending upon House traditions. Some choose specifically not to provide royal accouterments to their Regents in order to avoid confusing the issue of succession. For example, Regent Dazzlinkat of House Sauropoda, and Regent EGryph of House Avis specifically differentiate themselves from royalty. Others allow their Regents to hold all the trappings of power and ceremony, such as with Anassa JaySeaBoom's Regency of House Mollusca. From time to time, some of the signature powers of a House's monarchy will also manifest in a House Regent, such as Regent Dazzlinkat's ability to take on a larger dinosaur form, and Regent JaySeaBoom's incipient Cosmic Kraken powers.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

When a House Leader returns to duty, or is coronated, the Regent steps down. Regents might also be coronated in the absence of a Monarch, and as such, their Regencies end at that time. Regents can also be removed by the will of a House, or by the will of the Council of Great Houses.

Game Mechanics:

Assuming a Regent is not holding the fort for an inactive House Leader, they may be coronated if approved by both their House, and the Organizers and game owners. The House and the Organizers can also choose not to approve the coronation of a Regent, or can ask an absent or indisposed House Leader to appoint someone else in their place.

WIP

This article is a work in progress, and may be subject to changes.

Streamer

This article is part of a series related to streaming the Game of Tomes. For more information, see Streaming Game of Tomes.

Missing

Status: Location Unknown

Deceased

Status: Deceased Character

Retired

Status: Retired Character or Article

Type

Royalty, Military

Status

Active

Form of Address

Your Excellency unless they are royalty, in which case, Your (Royal) Highness first; "Sir," "Sire," or "Madam" thereafter. His/Her/Their Excellency or His/Her/Their (Royal) Highness (HRH/TRH) indirectly.

Alternative Naming

Governor-General, Viceroy

Equates to

In effect, a Regent's powers are identical to that of a permanent House Leader, but they are held until either the Monarch takes up or returns to their duties, the Regent is confirmed as a new House Leader or Monarch, or someone else is coronated.

Source of Authority

The people of their House, the recognition of the Great Houses

Length of Term

As needed. Is understood to be temporary.

Current Holders

Past Holders