House Crux Organisation

In order to carry out it's Imperial Mandate of the Law across the Empire, House Crux is assembled in a tripartite order, the Three Pillars, consisting of the Primeborn, the landowning nobility who act as the planetary governors of the House and its attendant districts, the Department of the Judiciary, responsible for the Empire's laws, and the House Guard, who serve as the House's private military. Additionally, those who enter Crux from other Houses through marriage, adoption, or other means, and who do not wish or are unable to become members of the Judiciary or the House Guard, are referred to as "Heartbound," and may take a number of titles unique to their situation.

The Prince & Their Council

For more information on Crucian Succession, the Prince, and the Prince's Council, see here.

House Crux is led by the Prince of Crux, the chosen leader and monarch of the House. Acting in an advisory role to the sovereign is the Prince's Council, a body of the House's most renowned nobles and figures who, on the Prince's behalf, organize the day-to-day operations of the House, with all decisions deferred to Their Highness' will.

Seldom, however, does the Prince deign to step into the Council's chambers, and as such, the Council is the de facto ruling body of the faction.

The Primeborn

The Primeborn of House Crux are the primary title holders for their noble families. They are the designated heirs to their family's estates and holdings while their siblings and family members, known as Promisedborn, are expected to serve in one of the other branches of Crux. Raised and taught since the moment of their designation how to govern and rule, the Primeborn are granted the right to bear titles reflective of their elevated position. While it is certainly the exception, it is possible for non-Primeborn nobles to also acquire such titles under special circumstances, such as by merit, or more commonly through marriage.

Titles of the Primeborn

Title
Prince Crux (Leader and Monarch of the House)
Furst / Furstin / Furstox (Non-Royal Prince / Princess)
Erzherzog / Erzherzogin / Erzherzogox (Archduke / Archduchess)
Herzog / Herzogin / Herzogox (Duke / Duchess)
Markgraf / Markgrafin / Markgrafox (Margrave / Margravine)
Graf / Grafin / Grafox (Count / Countess)
Freiherr / Freiherrin / Freiherrox (Baron / Baroness)

The Department of the Judiciary

The Department of the Judiciary (DoJ) is the legal and legislative arm of House Crux, acting as Judge, Jury and Executioner on all matters relating to Imperial Law alongside the Emperox. The duties of the Department span the Empire in the creation, preservation and interpretation of Imperial Law, with its presence felt across the sector through its many courts and holdings. For more information on House Crux's highest courts and legislative branch, see here.

Titles of the Department of the Judiciary

Title	Role
Oberster Richter (Supreme Judge)	Head of the Department of the Judiciary on an individual planet, these nobles wield tremendous power and resources, overseeing the justice system on their assigned planet and residing over its most high-profile cases.
Oberster Scharfrichter (Supreme Executioner)	Paired with an Oberster Richter, the Oberster Scharfrichter is the executioner tasked with carrying out and overseeing punishments as decreed by the supreme Judge. It is not unknown for such figures to also involve themselves in the apprehension of high-profile criminals.
Arch-Anwalt (Arch-Lawyer)	Anwalts who have achieved particular distinction. In the event that House Crux or its departments are ever required to fight or press a case itself, Arch-Anwalts will be called upon to represent the House.
Justicar	Justicars represent the highest branch of legislative power House Crux is capable of. Liaisons to the Throne and the Imperial House, Justicars work closely with the Emperox and their aides to put the Emperox’s will into written law. Justicars are expected to respect the desires of the Emperox above their own, but equally are to provide legal counsel to the Emperox and the Imperial House. Within House Crux, Justicars may also serve in governmental bodies, and their title often presupposes them to greater power and higher ranks than Ministers. Justicars do not exclusively receive their title as an advancement from work as Ministers, but many have followed that path, rising up through the lower courts and legislatures.
Richter (Judge)	A Richter's task is to interpret laws and rule on their application within courts of law across the sector. Such members of nobility can be found on any world with laws, and are not an uncommon sight on Crucian JES vessels. Unlike some other professions the House covers, Richters and their role as judges are exclusive to Crux. Richter's may bear a number of sub-titles, found on their page (link to the left).
Scharfrichter (Executioner)	A Scharfrichter carries out the Emperox’s Punishment once a sentence has been imposed by a Richter, they may also be called upon to capture fugitives attempting to escape justice and present them for indictment.
Anwalt (Lawyer)	Anwalts assemble cases to present to Richters, and serve as defenders and prosecutors in court. An Anwalt may also be sought for solicitation and legal arbitration. Anwalts may bear a number of sub-titles, found on their page (link to the left).
Minister / Ministress / Ministrox	While Richters and Anwalts handle the adjudication of the law, Ministers focus exclusively on the writing and creation of laws, addendums, proclamations, and other legislative matters. While Richters, especially Oberster Richters, may also be involved in the development of new laws or addendums to existing laws, Ministers have no power to adjudicate the law, and work closely with representatives and lobbyists of Houses, Corporations, and other entities to develop and propose new legislation. Ministers also advise on the creation and modification of Local Laws, and often also serve within the governmental structures of Hiera. Ranks: First Minister/Ministress/Ministrox Lord Minister/Ministress/Ministrox Minister/Ministress/Ministrox Minister/Ministress/Ministrox-Adept
Stenograf	The assistants of the courtrooms of the Empire, Stenografs record and transcribe trials, catalogue legal proceedings, and handle the administrative duties of the DoJ. While such tasks will at times be delegated to Serfs, some amongst the Nobility enjoy the work, or are not as capable at wielding the law as their Noble cousins, and the highest and most sensitive cases of the Empire often only allow Nobility to be present.

The Judicial Enforcement Services

Perhaps the most feared branch of the Department of the Judiciary is the Judicial Enforcement Services (JES), acting as the first line of defence for Imperial Law-keeping. The JES is the parent organization of the House's various policing organizations and investigation teams across the Empire, consisting of Crucian Planetary Constabularies, the Crux Inquisition, the Peacekeeping Mech Corps and a number of smaller, specialist operational units.

Due to the sheer number of units that make up the JES, many commanding officers of esteem choose to uniform their officers with distinctive uniform patches, such as the HCS Vengeance's distinctive vulture insignia.

Titles of the Judicial Enforcement Services

Title	Role
Feldherr / Feldherrin / Feldherrox (Commander)	An appointed official in the chain of command responsible for the management and running of a JES department.
Vogt (Enforcer)	Commissioners assigned to Imperial worlds to oversee and assure the effectiveness of JES assets within their assigned sectors. Also tasked with leading coordination efforts with local authorities.
Kapitän (Captain)	A police captain with overall command and supervisory responsibility for a Crux precinct, district or JES vessel.
Kriegsherr / Kriegsherrin / Kriegsherrox (Sergeant)	Squad leaders in the Judicial Enforcement Services.
Officer	An unranked or low ranking member of the Judicial Enforcement Services.
Inquisitor	Skilled investigators and detectives within the Crucian JES, theirs is to investigate and solve crimes.
Operator	A more recent title, for those who operate Crucian Police and Peacekeeping drones, such as those in Messiah's Will.
Kadett (Cadet)	A young trainee in the Judicial Enforcement Services.

Some agencies within House Crux have internal titles that may overlap or be used in conjunction with titles such as those above. House Crux's NULL Division is an example of this practice, utilizing titles to denote specific duties within the agency that may not always be publicly listed.

The House Guard

The House Guard serves as the private military of House Crux, charged with the protection of Hiera and House Crux installations across the sector. The House Guard's upper ranks are staffed by permanently employed nobles, boasting a permanent and centralized control over a small force of professional Crux soldiers. The core strength of the House Guard, however, comes from the levy it may call upon from the noble families of Crux and their estates in times of emergency. Unlike Aquila, the House Guard is not responsible for the protection of the sector as a whole.

Titles of the House Guard

Title	Role
Strategos (Field Marshall/Grand Admiral)	The overall ceremonial commander and acting representative of the House Guard.
Tourmarches (General/Admiral)	The commander of either an army or a fleet of the House Guard.
Droungarios (Brigadier/Commodore)	The commander of a House Guard brigade or a flotilla of ships usually as part of a larger task force or fleet.
Feldherr / Feldherrin / Feldherrox (Colonel)	The commander of a House Guard regiment or ship strike teams.
Kapitän (Captain)	The commanding officer of a House Guard company, a ship, or a unit of fighters.
Kriegsherr / Kriegsherrin / Kriegsherrox (Squad Leader)	Leading officer of a fire team.
Operator	A more recent title, for those who operate Crucian Police and Peacekeeping drones, such as those in Messiah's Will.
Ritter (Knight)	Standard entry level position for nobles, the standard servicemen.
Levy	Serf position within the House Guard.

The Heartbound

While many who marry in to the noble House of Crux find positions within the House Guard, the Judicial Enforcement Services, or the Department of the Judiciary, there are those for whom the path is not so simple. Law and its enforcement are complex matters, and to transition from a singer or a scientist to a lawyer or a beat cop is not always possible or desired by those who elect to enter House Crux through marriage. Their skills may still be useful to the House, but to grant each a title to represent their purpose would be an almost unachievable task for the myriad of ever-growing and changing skill-sets an individual might possess. Thus, a collection of titles for the Heartbound, those who enter Crux not by birth but by marriage, adoption or other means, were created over the long years of House Crux’s history.

The Heartbound

Title	Role
Palatine	A gender-neutral title signifying a noble of high rank connected with the Judiciary (most often the Department of the Judiciary but at times also the Judicial Enforcement Services). Often this connection is marriage to a Richter or adoption by an Anwältin or other servant of law. Palatine’s often receive the title because of their societal status rather than their skills or profession, and as such most tend to be from other Major Houses.
Briefadel	A title reserved for bastards or those with bastard lineage. Briefadels are noble by a thread, and for them to enter in to House Crux by marriage, adoption or other means often harms the Crucian family that brought them in more than the Briefadel themselves. At times, Crucian nobles who have had children with serfs of freepeople have also called their offspring Briefadels.
Uradel	A title for a noble with exceptional lineage. Whether the noble themself is notable or powerful, Uradel indicates that the non-Crucian family to which they are connected is. To marry or adopt one who can claim the title of Uradel is often to improve one’s own lineage by tying two strong families together or raising one’s own, lesser family up on the achievements of another.
Regent	A noble who oversees the lands of their spouse, family, or another member or members of House Crux who are unable to for some reason. Regents are rare, but at times, especially during war, individuals have been granted this title when the Primeborn and Promisedborn of a Crucian family are unable to tend to their lands, such as while they are watching over estates on other worlds, away at war, or otherwise occupied. Regent is sometimes used as a temporary title, and at other times has been granted when the Primeborn of a family believe there is no person within the family better suited to oversee the estates and lands of their family on Heira.
Kommerzialrat	A title recognizing a noble’s importance in some sort of business or trade, including shipbuilding, weaponsmithing, accounting, and others. Nobles from other houses who are adopted, marry into Crux or enter the House by other means receive this title if they are well known and respected within their field or area of business. In some cases, a noble with such skill will be allowed to carry on their work, albeit as a member of House Crux.
Magister	For nobles whose professions are less focused on business, such as scientific researchers, philosophers, or musicians, Magister signifies a devotion to knowledge, learning, and the arts. Certain other professions, such as being a spaceship pilot or a psychic whose business is their psychic ability, may fall under either Magister or Kommerzialrat.
Edler	A general catch-all title for those nobles who have been adopted, married, or otherwise become part of House Crux not by birth. Edler technically simply signifies nobility, but culturally contains connotations of a less powerful family or lack of personal achievement that did not warrant a more advanced title.

Additional Titles

Title	Role
Durchlaucht (Serene Highness)	A honorific prefix often attached to other titles and used by nobles who have been granted its use by the Prince. Signifies a personage of significance within House Crux.
Kral (Unlanded noble)	A title available to those whom are not Primeborn and bear no other title.
Kommando (STRAFE Operative)	The title issued to operatives who are serving within Crux's STRAFE units.
Lord Cathar	Leader of the enigmatic Crux Cathar Bureau.
Cathar	A shadowy sect without any clear public position in the Crux hierarchy. Many claim they are a part of the JES, though this has never been officially confirmed.
Emissär	Emissary to the Prince; Liaison between the Council and his Highness (Faction representative).
Meistersinger	Meistersingers are the musicians, performers, and entertainers of House Crux. Partially trained by House Lyra, Meistersingers focus their talents on Crux culture, history and art than any other form, and are deeply knowledgeable on the legacies of the noble families and their contributions to Cruxian art, philosophy, and culture. The Meistersinger acts as both entertainer and in many ways historian on Hiera.