Freelance TravellerRikarunasha’s Peers, Precedence, and Protocols of the Third Imperium
This article was originally posted to the Freelance Traveller website in 2008, and reprinted in the November/December 2012 issue of the magazine with the author's permission.
Rikarunasha’s Peers, Precedence, and Protocols of the Third Imperium (generally shortened to “Rikarunasha’s”) is considered the definitive reference to the nobility of the Third Imperium. The publisher’s researchers are warranted by the Emperor through the Historical and Genealogical Section of the Office of Calendar Compliance, and a request for an interview in connection with Rikarunasha’s is treated for all intents and purposes as an Imperial command. Rikarunasha’s has been in continuous publication since at least the year 350, and its various historical antecedents can claim a combined history of over 4,000 years.
Rikarunasha’s is divided into three main parts:
The Peers: Each title, from the Baronage all the way up to the Emperor, is set out with a historical outline, including the circumstances of the original grant, a complete list of holders (with the current holder emphasized), and the fief as currently recognized. Extinct and abeyed titles, and the circumstances of extinction or abeyance, are also included. Where available, the text of the original grant has been reproduced. Each title is indexed by the name of the fief, and cross-referenced by the name of each holder. Updated annually, shortly after the proclamation of the Holiday List.
The Precedence: A complete list, in order of importance, of every current Imperial noble title. Nobles holding multiple titles are listed individually in the correct place for each title separately. The Precedence also contains sections with guidelines for when noble titles other than the one bearing the highest precedence are used, for the use of courtesy titles, and for determining precedence of certain Imperial non-nobles and foreign nobles. Updated annually, shortly after the proclamation of the Holiday List.
The Protocols: A complete description of every public ceremony for the Imperial court, including those presided over by members of the Imperial family other than the Emperor. Historical background and associated nonpublic ritual descriptions included. Updated annually if needed.
Additionally, in some sectors, Rikarunasha’s publishes a guide similar to The Protocols, but focussing on the Archducal and Ducal courts, and similar guides for other courts may be commissioned. Supplements to these volumes and to The Protocols cover non-ceremonial protocols, such as forms of address and reference, both in conversation and in writing.
The core Rikarunasha’s can be purchased in data module format (only) for Cr10,000 complete; the additional Protocols guides are available only in the specific sectors of focus, and cost Cr1,500 each.