Beoric
8, 8, I forget what is for
Sidebar: why do adventure writers always seem to think the Lord or the King has time to meet with a bunch of first level mercenaries adventurers? And then they write these awkward social encounters because neither the writer nor (probably) the DM or the players has any idea how that sort of conversation should go.
Most people with real status or power don't have to talk to people who don't know how to talk to them, or deal with people who don't know what they are doing. They are insulated from those frustrations by layers of underlings.
The exception to this is people whose job includes dealing with ordinary people on a regular basis, like the late Queen Elizabeth II. For her, there are a number of protocols which are carefully explained to anyone who is supposed to meet her. Those protocols aren't to insulate the monarch, BTW; they impose a structure so that the people meeting her, who otherwise wouldn't know how to handle the situation, have the comfort of knowing exactly what they are supposed to do. She was also adept at putting people back at ease if they made a mistake and were embarrassed, because like I said, the protocols aren't for her, they are to make sure everyone in the room is as comfortable as possible.
Note the reason she (and now King Charles III) has this duty is because of her role as head of state with no legislative or executive power. I would expect a king who is also a head of government (like your average D&D monarch would have fewer duties of this sort.
I think we can all agree that making up such protocols, let alone trying to enforce them on the players, is not a viable option for a D&D game, so you will always be dealing with the first type of powerful person, who doesn't have to put up with your players being idiots. If you want to talk to a king and you are a belligerent murder-hobo, you need to be high enough level that he really can't ignore you. Basically, when you are low level you can talk to an underling, when you are a knight (or equivalent) you can talk to a lord, and when you are a lord you can talk to a king.
Most people with real status or power don't have to talk to people who don't know how to talk to them, or deal with people who don't know what they are doing. They are insulated from those frustrations by layers of underlings.
The exception to this is people whose job includes dealing with ordinary people on a regular basis, like the late Queen Elizabeth II. For her, there are a number of protocols which are carefully explained to anyone who is supposed to meet her. Those protocols aren't to insulate the monarch, BTW; they impose a structure so that the people meeting her, who otherwise wouldn't know how to handle the situation, have the comfort of knowing exactly what they are supposed to do. She was also adept at putting people back at ease if they made a mistake and were embarrassed, because like I said, the protocols aren't for her, they are to make sure everyone in the room is as comfortable as possible.
Note the reason she (and now King Charles III) has this duty is because of her role as head of state with no legislative or executive power. I would expect a king who is also a head of government (like your average D&D monarch would have fewer duties of this sort.
I think we can all agree that making up such protocols, let alone trying to enforce them on the players, is not a viable option for a D&D game, so you will always be dealing with the first type of powerful person, who doesn't have to put up with your players being idiots. If you want to talk to a king and you are a belligerent murder-hobo, you need to be high enough level that he really can't ignore you. Basically, when you are low level you can talk to an underling, when you are a knight (or equivalent) you can talk to a lord, and when you are a lord you can talk to a king.