Corsair King/Queen

Corsair Kings/Queens are the rulers of the great houses of Rasht, situated in giant compounds the 7 families are each ruled by a Corsair King. Corsair Queens are not uncommon but until recently all leaders female or otherwise were considered Kings by law and many still have yet to update their language, as a result King will be used throughout (just to save typing really).   These Kings are universally skilled and ruthless individuals, picked from the best of their families, sometimes through familial lines and sometimes adopted in, no heir is allowed to coast on their name. They are expected to an example of the best the Corsairs under their banner can offer. While there are only seven Great houses they serve as the paragons for all other houses that share their focus, for instance, House Gen is all about the collection of magical and scientific artefacts, the Minor houses under their name may specialize further on the collection of books or alchemical reagents. The role of the King is ensure the allegiance of the many Minor houses that sit between two banner, one such example may be House Delat. With a focus on stealing magical buildings do they list themselves under the banner of House Gen, or House Crozen and its speciality in stealing mundane buildings? The Corsair King must woo, through skill, leadership and bribery these smaller houses to keep their banner strong.    The Kings themselves are rarely violent to other houses, there is a lot of animosity amongst the houses, both Great and Minor, but all Kings are expected to be above that. There are other ways to get back, including ritual combats, arbitration of the Roving House, or occasionally an intervention of The Rat Court. The Kings answer directly to The Seer Senate and while the Senate allows them a lot of freedom in how they conduct themselves the Kings are held responsible should any of the key aspects of The Pact be broken. Since its inception only a few Kings have been sanctioned, some for slavery and others for necromantic dabbling. The punishment has been severe and is the only occasion when a Great house has been dissolved and its role filled by one of the Minor houses beneath it.