I shall attempt to answer to the best of my ability without spoilers
1) Through the MSQ and sidequests you find that House Fortemps has a butler/retainer, they have the manpower to host a banquet between all four houses, and as such implies the sort extended service fitting for a typical medieval family of wealth. As long as you do not write yourself in as the Head chef, or primary butler or something of equally high importance (I'd even hazard away from things like wetnurse!) you should be fine.
2) This is relatively unknown. Â House Fortemps (again our only most direct means of interaction) shows that Edgemont de Fortemps has 3 sons but no indication of him having brothers, cousins or the like. So the actual size of the CURRENT houses is unknown and I would not personally claim to be anywhere even CLOSE to being related to them in name.
4) I want to answer this before answering 3. The DRK questline makes you come across someone with the surname "De Caulignont" this, combined with other quest text confirms the existence of noble houses of lesser power. So yes making up a house and claiming to be a highborne should be of little issue. Orrin, my character, is one!Â
3) You mean the lowborne and the lowborne constitute everyone else. It is possible to escape the squalor through 2 ways which were also typical in medieval human history: The clergy and war. The convictory in western coerthas is filled with disgraced nobility and lowborne seeking to kill a dragon for honor and upward mobility.Â
5) This highly varies, the lowborne are generally bitter and angry at the highborne and being a highborne in full regalia in the Brume is asking for trouble. However how the nobility treat the lowborne can be quite the opposite, while there are disdainful nobles, there are also those like Haurchefant which are pretty saintly in their treatment of those under his station.
Also it seems the lines are blurred when it comes to the people out in the field as opposed to those safely behind the walls of Ishgard. It seems nobles and lowbornes alike quickly learn to get along for they will not last long against the dragons they face otherwise
1) Through the MSQ and sidequests you find that House Fortemps has a butler/retainer, they have the manpower to host a banquet between all four houses, and as such implies the sort extended service fitting for a typical medieval family of wealth. As long as you do not write yourself in as the Head chef, or primary butler or something of equally high importance (I'd even hazard away from things like wetnurse!) you should be fine.
2) This is relatively unknown. Â House Fortemps (again our only most direct means of interaction) shows that Edgemont de Fortemps has 3 sons but no indication of him having brothers, cousins or the like. So the actual size of the CURRENT houses is unknown and I would not personally claim to be anywhere even CLOSE to being related to them in name.
4) I want to answer this before answering 3. The DRK questline makes you come across someone with the surname "De Caulignont" this, combined with other quest text confirms the existence of noble houses of lesser power. So yes making up a house and claiming to be a highborne should be of little issue. Orrin, my character, is one!Â
3) You mean the lowborne and the lowborne constitute everyone else. It is possible to escape the squalor through 2 ways which were also typical in medieval human history: The clergy and war. The convictory in western coerthas is filled with disgraced nobility and lowborne seeking to kill a dragon for honor and upward mobility.Â
5) This highly varies, the lowborne are generally bitter and angry at the highborne and being a highborne in full regalia in the Brume is asking for trouble. However how the nobility treat the lowborne can be quite the opposite, while there are disdainful nobles, there are also those like Haurchefant which are pretty saintly in their treatment of those under his station.
Also it seems the lines are blurred when it comes to the people out in the field as opposed to those safely behind the walls of Ishgard. It seems nobles and lowbornes alike quickly learn to get along for they will not last long against the dragons they face otherwise
