Klingon Houses

[Capt. Anderson]

With the lack of a Klingon book I want to start putting together some rules on creating houses within the Klingon Empire. But I need some information to fill in the blanks.

Does the name of the House retain the name the founder of the house or does the house title change once a new member takes over?

What power do the houses have over the Chancilor?

Is the Klingon Military made up of the different houses or is it a separate entity unto itself?

How do the different houses purchase ships from KDF?

Anyone have access to title names for members within the house?

[Tas II]

"Does the name of the House retain the name the founder of the house or does the house title change once a new member takes over?"

Hmmm.....custom would appear to dictate that the House name is from the male leader of the house (House of Quark, House of Martok etc). That said, when Worf returned to the Empire during TNG his house was still known as the House of Mogh and not named after his brother, Kurn. The Chancellor can give special dispensation for women to rule a House (see 'House of Quark' when his wife divorces him, and is given leave to rule her House. I can't remember if the House kept Quark's name, but I suspect not). Maybe it's name changes with a hostile takeover of the House. That seems in keeping with the Klingon personality.

"What power do the houses have over the Chancellor?"

I don't think that the Houses have power over the Chancellor oer se, but have to be respected by the Chancellor nonetheless. I see them as being like the English nobles post Magna Carta, in that the ruler must treat them well, or he is in a whole load of trouble. (The House of Duras being an example of a troublesome House)

"Is the Klingon Military made up of the different houses or is it a separate entity unto itself?"

The Klingon miltary is made up from troops from all over the Empire, and as such, whilst certain Houses may wield power within the Military, it is not run by those Houses. I imagine there are checks and balances within the armed forces to keep the status quo there. (Not least of which is the right of an officer to kill his superior if there is a disagreement on policy etc)

"How do the different houses purchase ships from KDF?"

I think each House has it's own ships, in a similar way that they have their own troops and house guards. So, those ships are seperate to the KDF, but might be seconded to the military at any time.

(All these are just my quick thoughts on the matters)

Anyone else wanna have a go at answers?

Cheers

Tas

[Owen E Oulton]

The leaders of the Great Houses have seats on the High Council, so they actually would have a certian amount of influence over his actions. One note - the prohibition against women on the High Council is obviously not absolute. Even as the Chancellor was decalring to the Duras sisters that no woman could sit on the Council, there was at least one and perhaps two Council members standing behind him that had breasts - add to that the fact that at least one Chancellor (Azetbur) has been female and you would appear to have an interesting situation... The solution I've come up with is that it is an old custom rarely observed except in cases where the Chancellor wants to be a hard-ass and is otherwise utterly ignored (every culture has traditions and laws like that).

As for the Houses "getting" ships from the KDF, I interpret it as the other way around - the individual Houses supply the KDF with ships and crews, whose first loyalty is usually to their House rather than to the Empire as a whole. Much more like a mediæval army than a modern standing army. Klingons maintain a clearly feudal outlook on such things.

The naming of Houses has many possibilities - it is possible, even likely, that the traditions allow a newly ascended House leader several options - renaming the House after himself, leaving the House name alone, or possibly renaming it after its most illustrious past leader. I can also see Houses being named not for their leader but for their capital or a region they dominate. Another option would be for the House leader to take the name of the House for his own name upon ascending. So many options, all logical and with (Earth) historical precedent.

Remember, this is a culture with billions of members - it is unlikely to be completely monolithic, but rather it is probable that there are a multitude of variations on the theme.

[Greg Smith]

In 'The Dominion War Sourcebook', Steve Long describes the KDF as being held in little regard compared to House fleets, however when the war starts, the house fleets are put under commend of the KDF.

The Chancellor has the power to remove the head of a house from the high council and seize all of the assets of a house (DS9 'Way of the Warrior').

[redwood973]

Originally posted by Owen E Oulton
. . .there was at least one and perhaps two Council members standing behind him that had breasts. . .

No they were men. Klingon cross-dressers.

[Phantom]

Perhaps there is a special dispensation for women on the Council as well..sort of honourary males. :shrug:

[BouncyCaitian]

Originally posted by Capt. Anderson
With the lack of a Klingon book I want to start putting together some rules on creating houses within the Klingon Empire. But I need some information to fill in the blanks.

Does the name of the House retain the name the founder of the house or does the house title change once a new member takes over?

What power do the houses have over the Chancilor?

Is the Klingon Military made up of the different houses or is it a separate entity unto itself?

How do the different houses purchase ships from KDF?

Anyone have access to title names for members within the house?

I tend to use the Shogunate-Era of Japan as an analogy as to what goes on in the Klingon Empire for military set up, with the Chancellor acting like the Shogun.


1) Does the name of the House retain the name the founder of the house or does the house title change once a new member takes over?
A) offhand, from what I'm guessing, I think the House's change names when the new leader of the House take over, with most likely a House symbol (Mon) created by the original house founder, so that the different houses will recognize the new individuals linage. The lack of a surname in Klingon culture makes this even more confusing

2) What power do the houses have over the Chancilor?
A) Depends on the era. In the NX-Era, I would consider this a pre-Shogunate Era, with houses more interested in warring with each other than an external enemy, though you will have a weak council of warlords making sure things don't get too out of hand.

In the TOS Era, the Warlords have been brought under the heel of the Shogunate (Chancellor), been kept firmly in line by Honor or The Shogun's personal assassins or troops loyal to the Shogun. Anyone stepping out of line get's it in the neck in short order. This could account for the Cold War-style monolithic military organization that we were familiar with.

In the TNG-DS9 Era, the Warlords have overthrown the Shogunate, or at least, severely reduced it's influence, with occasional spats between the Warlords and the Shogun, both sides vying for power. With the reinstallation of the Divine Emperor (Khaless) , many clans have fallen back into line under the Shogun (the Emperor's right hand) and the Empire is renewed.

3) How do the different houses purchase ships from KDF?
I see that the different houses would have thier own shipyards, to supply and equip thier own troops. However, I can see all the cutting edge tech being kept by the Chancellor's office and the KDF to keep the various houses from getting too frisky. This might be an interesting take for a plot device for another one of the periodic dust ups that happen in the Empire.
It also might be part of the drive for the Chancellor to make another push for centralized control of the Klingon Military, considering the houses are so reduced at the moment...

[Capt. Anderson]

Thanks to all for the input. SOmereally useful stuff here.

I'm debating with myself to weather or not create seperate edge for house membership or use the exisiting command edge.

[BouncyCaitian]

As a thought, you might want to have the Imperial Klingon Navy as a seperate Edge if you do that. which ahs more pretigue...is up to you.