High in a tower, with a view overlooking the meandering river below, an elderly sage adjusted the folds of his

robe,
fluffed a pillow for his own comfort, and said, “Come in and sit down young lord. Today we shall be discussing
noble titles. You don’t want to embarrass yourself in court, or worse give offense, by not knowing the proper
courtesies or political implications.”

A squire, still huffing from his run up the stairs said, “Yes, but let us be quick about it, I should be tilting at Ogre
and ….”

“Enough of that. Your father has given me strict directions in your education. Ogre? Is that what you are calling the
quintain these days? That is fine. Now, let us see … It was the Savant-Sage who said ‘Courtly travelers and political
scholars throughout the Flanaess must make carefully study of the titles, honorifics and hierarchies of nobility used
in the many royal courts and noble houses throughout. Titles common in the Great Kingdom, Nyrond and Furyondy,
above the level of Baron or Viscount include Margrave, Marquis, Earl, Count, Archbaron and Plar.’” FN1.

“Plar? Plar? That sounds stupid! Plar! Ha, ha, ha! Plar.” The outburst, with partially feigned humor, was more a
matter of youthful exuberance, to establish his control over the lesson. But the sage would not have it. FN2.

“It would not be wise to repeat that statement, young lord. It could mean your life.” The boy immediately became
quiet and sullen from the remonstration.

“As you are clearly unaware, the title of Plar is roughly the equivalent to that of Earl, Marquis, Archbaron or Count.
However, conceptually at least, each has a different meaning, although over time those meanings have become less
important and indeed, sometime, irrelevant. You must be carefully to attend to their relevance as it may tell you
something about a potential adversary. What follows is an oversimplification, but it shall suffice for comparison to
Plar,” he added with half a grin, “for which you have expressed a particular interest. FN3.

“Originally, the title Earl was applied to a noble because he was a brave warrior. In olden days it was often such that
the leader of a tribe was the strongest warrior, rather than the son of the previous leader. That is something you
should always bear in mind as a dynasty may always be ended with a sword.

“A noble was named Marquis, or Margrave, because he held a border or frontier territory, typically called a March.
Sometimes, as the borders of a kingdom expanded, the title was kept.

“An Archbaron was a great baron; and a baron was a military leader holding land directly from the King. Unlike an
Earl, he was not necessarily a warrior himself.

“By comparison, Count was used to describe one who was appointed to the nobility because of his close
companionship with the King. He might or might not be a warrior or a military leader. Favoritism should not be
discounted. A close relationship to the King is very valuable.

“Plar, on the other hand, originally meant an Oeridian lord who ruled over a foreign people, typically Flan, as a
result of the migrations. It is thought to be related to the Baklunish words for jailer, although such connotations
rarely exist today, and that etymological conclusion is uncertain. The connotation of racial difference, however, does
still apply to this day. FN4.

“As time passed, and the Flan people became less of a factor in the Flanaess, so did the title of Plar. These days,
there are very few who hold these titles, at least among the civilized nobility. FN5. An exception may be found in
Perrenland, where the title is commonly used by those of Oeridian or mixed descent, likely to distinguish themselves
from the nobles who still claim a strong Flannish heritage. FN6.

“As another example, the King of Keoland is, among various other honorifics, known as the Plar of Sterich. How,
you ask, might Suel Royalty come across such a title? …”

The sage ignored the interruption as the boy complained under his breath, “I didn’t ask.” But he took it as a good
sign. The squire was paying attention. He was smart enough to know he should be careful to not even accidentally
offend a King.

“… It was one of those strange events of history. Before King Luschan I of House Rhola made Sterich a province of
Keoland under noble governance, the only Oeridian King to every sit upon the Lion Throne first expanded into the
area by royal proclamation. It was on the very day that the Kingdom turned one hundred years old that Mandros
delivered the fateful speech claiming all territory between the Javan and Sheldomar rivers to be part of the Kingdom.
In that hour he also announced himself, in the Oeridian tradition, Plar of Sterich, effectively stating that the native
Flan who inhabited the area would hence forth be under his direct control. While control passed from the Keogh,
except by later enfeoffment, the Suloise Kings kept the title, as it was the foundation of their right to govern and
appoint nobility to the area. FN7.

“Such racial disconnect is not unique. In the Bandit Kingdoms, where the title of Plar is taken by those who can hold
it as easily as the title of King, one Plar of Rookroost, an Oeridian city, was in fact a Flan. FN8. Plar Teuod Fent of
Rookroost was an expatriate Tenha. FN9. As an illusionist, Fent would have been quite conscious of perception and
perhaps chose that title in the belief it would have had the greatest impact upon the city’s inhabitants, legitimizing
with nomenclature that which might have otherwise been a source of tension.

“Then there is the Plar of Veluna. The title was acquired early in the migrations when the Vollar, an Oeridian tribe,
peacefully absorbed a large congregation of primitive Flan. Given the nature of its people, it would seem reasonable
to conclude that the title, held by the foremost of the seven noble houses, was not discarded in favor of one of the
titles more common in Furyondy, such as Baron or Count, because it made a statement of pride about their
Oeridian-Flan cultural unity, embodied in the worship of Rao, that is seen in the now largely Oeridian Archclericy.
FN10.

Finally, there is the Plar of Hool. Of all the Plars today, his title is probably used most faithfully to its original
meaning. Unlike in other areas of the Sheldomar, the Suel and Oeridian tribes who inhabit the Hold of the Sea
Princes have not intermixed. FN11. But as industrious intermixing is both the wont and norm in the Flanaess, this
must be explained by geographic isolation, a fact which would help to explain the continuity of the utilization of the
title Plar. FN12. For the most part, Oeridians settled only along the Hool river, including its headwaters in the vale
of Berghof, leaving the coastal regions to the Suel. Indeed, if it were not for political necessity, Berghof might have
been ruled by a Plar rather than a Grand Duke. FN13.

“But returning to the Plar of Hool, it was noted by Pluffet Smedger, the Elder, that the tribesmen of the Hool
Marshes are primitive and uncivilized, not being migrants from more cultured areas, and consequently clearly Flan.
Furthermore, he noted that some marshmen are raiders willing to travel even as far as Furyondy to commit their
crimes. FN14.

“Pluffet Smedger, the Younger, provided some history stating that in the third century, Suel brigands from Port Toli
were said to be in control of the Hool Marshes, as well as their native Flan and humanoid tribesmen, before Tarvish
the Great routed them and settled parts of the interior of the Hold to check the power of the Toli. FN15. Thus, until
the reign of the Boy King, Tavish the III, the Plar of Hool was at least nominally a vassal to the Lion Throne, the
Blackguard Tavish the II have lost any real allegiance before then. FN16. But the title may have been first
established well before that, perhaps as early as 42 CY, during the reign of Malv the Navigator, after he stripped the
Toli of all their land holdings. FN17.

“In regard to subsequent history, the sage Villamit Demovos, noted ‘The Plar of Hool, who earnestly follows his
family’s policy of squeezing all it can out of the unproductive land and its people, neglects the patrols necessary to
end the menace. Instead he focuses his efforts on extorting vast sums from the slaver’s guild and the smugglers in
exchange for his pretended ignorance of their activities. Most other princes look on with indifference, since the
region’s inhospitality eases their paranoia about invasion by land.’ FN18. The Savant-Sage also provided that the
Plar of Hool was one of the nobles who prevents the Prince of Monmurg from abolishing slavery. FN19.

“So it can be seen that as Plar, the Oeridian lord of the Hool, takes advantage of both the strong and weak among the
Flan, as well as the neighboring Suloise, in a way that would make his barbaric ancestors from Ull proud, even while
it is offensive to our sensibilities.”

“Do they really raid that far … from the Hool Marshes all the way to Furyondy?” asked the squire.

“Oh yes,” replied the sage, pleased that he had sparked an interest, “And for horses too, which they have been
known to ride a great speed back and sell in the Hold of the Sea Princes. FN20. Sometimes it is needful to avoid
antagonizing your neighbors, but raids into the Yeomanry and Keoland are undoubtedly much more common.”

Deciding that this had been enough for one day, and preferring to end tutorials with an attentive student, the sage
said, “Well, you better attend to your lance now, you might need it one day against the Plar’s horse-thieving
Hooligans.” With that, the squire ran down the steps, taking two at a time. The sage was confident that within
minutes the quintain would have a new pet name.