Vassals and Fealty

A vassal is a ruler who pays you to leave them crowned. The Empire's vassals array is a chain of Pacts: each pays 10% of Collect upward, answers musters, and owes justice downward.

Duties: each season a vassal pays tribute (auto-collected at their Collect step) and answers one muster/year. The liege owes one Act-step intervention/year and a judge who outranks the accused. Miss either and the other may cite breach (−3 relationship, Happening thread).

Loyalty bands: +3..+5 loyal (pays double in war) · +1..+2 content · 0 watchful · −1..−2 scheming (Intrigue vs you) · −3..−5 rebellion (Trial or War). Tribute weight: each vassal rank above Baron −1 loyalty pressure/season unless honored with gifts, marriages, or council seats.

Raising vassals: sponsoring a vassal's rank deal costs you 500 gp × tier but +1 their loyalty and +1 your Legitimacy. Their vassals are not yours: when your vassal's vassal revolts, you may intervene (gain +1 loyalty from the vassal) or ignore (−1 loyalty, thread spreads upward).

Example: the King holds 3 vassal kings (Emperor requirement). One withholds tribute (−2 loyalty, scheming). Intervention: a royal wedding (500 gp × tier, +2 loyalty) or a winter march — the price of the crown.