Guild Wars 2

I still find myself at a loss with Question 2. The Nightmare Court have a Grand Duchess, and a Marquis, so since they are evidently inspired by a kingdom-like court, does this mean they directly utilized already existing human titles? I would like to believe so, as that would confirm their existence in human hierarchy but I rather not leap to a final conclusion without direct supporting evidence. There is also a jesting mention of a Viscount.

Thank you for responding everyone, I have already gathered some new information that I have discovered through looking into what has been said so far.

The hardest inquiry to answer appears to be question 2. Based on the given NPCs, the only titles of nobility are Duke/Duchess, Count/Countess, Baron/Baroness, and Lord/Lady. Any titles that we know exist in between these fail to appear anywhere. The Nightmare Court has Grand Duchess, so it causes me to ponder if the sylvari took inspiration from human hierarchy, however, I have never seen a human Grand Duke/Grand Duchess in either games.

In regards to Lord/Lady, I will suppose that the title is not only given to the children of a higher ranked noble, but a Lord can also have power in his own right as it appears to be in the case of Lord Arrin Claypool who owns Claypool and its surrounding lands.

Now, royal inheritance has been discussed, but what of nobility? Is it stricter and are matriarchal families lore abiding?

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QUESTION 5: The Ministry
Politics play a large role in the direction humanity takes. The NPC Minister Rachel speaks of the Ministry as a place for prominent figures of their respective communities to take seat and speak for the people of said communities, even emphasizing that not all Ministers are of the high class. However, in the podcast, it was mentioned that to be eligible for a seat in the Ministry, one must be of nobility. Is this true?

QUESTION 6: Behaviour & Reputation
How important is proper behaviour and reputation in Tyrian nobility? Is there a superiority complex present in certain nobles where speaking and interacting with those of lower social standing is not advised? Are nobles expected to strictly abide by social distinctions and remain within their given echelon?

QUESTION 7: The Origins
If there are titles and social structures, there are also tales of how families got to where they are. Is the monarch of a kingdom the only source capable of bestowing titles? Would political, economical, and military ambition raise someone into a state of nobility as well?

QUESTION 8: Primogeniture
Our history tells a tale of a male dominated system where inheritance was bequeathed unto the first born sons, and the general center of focus was around male inheritance. Are matriarchal families a possibility in Tyria and does a woman have the ability to be a noble in her own right as potentially assumed with Countess Anise?

Thank you in advance to everyone who provides answers and assistance on this topic. I pray we may come to some enlightening conclusions together.

Good day everyone, for the longest time now, I have held some unanswered inquires to myself regarding the aspect of lore that dealt with nobility. Not only Krytan, but of all the former and potentially present kingdoms.

The role play community has welcomed the presented concept of human nobility rather well, and through Guild Wars 2 Wiki research, in-game NPC information, and my best understanding of the lore, I have developed this thread which has acted as a non-forced guide for players whom wished to endeavour into playing a character of higher social class.

However, a vast majority of information eludes me and the players who have also researched into the topic. The issue appears to be that the NPCs nor the development team provide explicit information, or perhaps I have merely failed to find it. I recently stumbled upon this podcast, where Angel McCoy and Scott McGough speak about nobility quite a lot near the conclusion, however, I have failed to find a transcript of sort.

Thus, I wish to present a set of inquiries here with the hopes that players and perhaps even the ArenaNet team could provide some answers on this occasionally debated topic of the Guild Wars 2 universe. Please feel free to quote an inquiry or multiple ones if you are answering. In fact, I recommend it as it will allow me to structure information with more ease. With that said, here are the questions:

QUESTION 1: The System & Structure
The inspiration behind the noble hierarchy of Kryta and the kingdoms seen in Guild Wars appears to be the well known European feudal system, is this true? If so, do all human kingdoms have the same structure and how has it changed through the times as we entered Tyria’s modern age?

QUESTION 2: The Titles
There is an evident hierarchy displayed by the nobility in Kryta with titles such as Baron/Baroness and Countess. Are there more titles in Tyria that we have simply not seen from the given pool of NPCs such as the Marquis/Marchioness and the Viscount/Viscountess? There also appears to be no Dukes since the days of Guild Wars. Have these titles ever existed and if so, have some fallen out of use?

QUESTION 3: Styles of Address
One is not of the high class without the manners to accompany the titles. The real world styles of address for nobility are rather complex, and I have noticed a simpler approach was taken in the Guild Wars universe. While a majority of the nobility in the real world would be addressed as Lord/Lady despite the actual title, Tyria seems to emphasize on the given title in everyday speech. Is all nobility addressed as [Given Title] [First Name], or are there other intricacies at play? Further evidence also suggest that a Lord/Lady is a title in its own right, not a style of address. Is this true?

QUESTION 4: Estates & Residencies
Many players recall Duke Barradin’s estate in Ascalon, and in the podcast, Scott McGough mentioned that a Baron, for example, would have owned proper amounts of land and utilized taxes. We also know that Minister Caudecus has his estate in the Shire of Beetletun. Does any nobility reside outside of cities and villages or have the days of stately homes ceased to exist, prompting all of the higher class to remain within the confines of urban life? If so, why?

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