The Sovereign’s Circle: Secrets of Castle Life Unveiled

At the expense of telling a good story to your players, most games are set in a more medieval setting. Of course, within that setting the unique hierarchy of social norms must be included for the story to feel real and flourish.

In most examples, your DM will present to you the possibility of royalty, and meeting with said royals. You walk into this looming and beautiful castle, that looks well-maintained. You start to think as you pass by smells and rushing bodies that it must take a lot of different people to run a kingdom.

We have luckily, fair adventurers, compiled the pieces that are in play that decide the fate of the kingdom for your convenience.

The Sovereign

Think of the sovereign class as the tip of the pyramid, through either battle, birth, or whatever other deed that grants the status as ruler.

• King/Queen (Monarch) – Supreme authority over the castle and realm.
• Royal Consort – Partner to the monarch, often influential in politics and diplomacy.
• Prince/Princess – Heirs to the throne, often fulfilling representative or governance roles.

While some adaptations show royalty sitting around while everyone else does their bidding, this usually is not the case. Starting with our main Monarch, a King or Queen. Their day-to-day would involve dealing with rulings of their kingdom.

They hold supreme power, their decisions are crucial when making laws, and they deal with warfare. Such as dealing with enemies or alliances with neighboring kingdoms.

With the fate of the kingdom on their monarchy’s shoulders, the Royal Consort plays a key role. They show support for their Monarch, helping in handling diplomacy and managing court relations. While the King/Queen might have supreme power, their Royal Consort should be no one to scoff at.

Princes/Princesses of the kingdom will more than likely not being just hanging around either. Public image for the family is important to uphold, especially with them being the potential heir to the throne. This will be most of their day-to-day, training to fulfill their future position.

Their days are full of ceremonial appearances, diplomacy, and maintaining control over their kingdom. During this critical time, the people who live in the kingdom will be seeing how their future rulers act.

Halt!

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The Leaders of the Castle

While the royal family has their set of duties, others must step up and help make sure the kingdom runs smoothly. The higher-ups are mostly political and have their hands full with that. We have coined the following as the “leadership” team, in charge of duties such as finances, supervising, and spiritual leaders of their field.

• Chamberlain – Oversees household and finances.
• Seneschal – Manages day-to-day operations of the estate.
• Steward – Handles domestic staff and ensures smooth household functioning.
• Marshal – Supervises stables, horses, and military planning.
• Castellan – Castle governor, often in charge of defense and administration.
• Chaplain – Spiritual advisor and caretaker of the chapel.

Chamberlain, Seneschal, and Steward are what we would consider, the castle caretakers. In charge of finances and staff, their job is to make sure that the castle is well kept, staff are doing their responsibilities, and of course, they have gold in the vault.

The Marshal and Castellan are the defenses of the kingdom. The main form of travel would of course be horses, the Marshal supervises stables and helps with military planning. This is a more offensive planning position, while the Castellan is a defensive planner. The Castellan also is the castle’s governor, and usually in charge of the administration as well.

After a battle is won, there must be some divine being that must be thanked somewhere! The Chaplain is the spiritual advisor and takes care of the chapel. While nowadays we probably wouldn’t have the pope in important country debates, it was not like that in medieval times.

Even in our real-life monarchs, in the past, they were thought to be able to rule as a divine right. The people and the royals both thought they were chosen by the authority of god. While in D&D, we know for a fact of these divine forces, so we would recommend a Chaplain in your castle.

Military Forces of the Kingdom

Military forces can range in size but they are the actual physical defense. The Marshal and Castellan are huge influences for those who protect the kingdom.

• Knights – Elite warriors serving the monarch and defending the realm.
• Squires – Young trainees assisting knights.
• Men-at-Arms – Professional soldiers forming the backbone of the castle’s military.

Knights are foremost the most elite fighters that can serve the kingdom. For about 200-300 Men-at-Arms, there are about 10-15 knights. They had special training, armor, and an education. They enforce the law and are leaders on the battlefield.

Eventually, the Knights need to be replaced, and that is where Squires come in. Squires are aspiring knights who do a lot of a knight’s maintenance, this would include duties such as fixing armor. While it seems like they are just soldiers who help with chores, they in return are taught chivalry and more importantly how to fight.

The 200-300 Men-at-Arms that were mentioned earlier? Yeah, they make up of the majority and are the backbone of any kingdom. They are still considered professional soldiers with a range of work that keeps them busy.

These duties include defending the walls, patrolling duty, and joining battles when needed.

The Royal Court

Most titles that have been discussed are leaders in their line of work, but most of the following for the rest of the article will be more supportive roles. It is one thing to have a kingdom but to have a well-run kingdom, there are still many positions to fill.

• Court Jester – Provides entertainment and humor.
• Herald – Handles announcements, ceremonies, and genealogical records.
• Lady-in-Waiting – Assists the queen or noblewomen with personal and ceremonial duties.
• Tutor – Educates royal children in academics and etiquette.

One of the most fun roles to role-play in D&D, the Court Jester. They have been around for countless nobles and royalty. Bringing entertainment and humor to the castle, their main job is to de-stress the royals and make them forget about their everyday struggles.

The Herald, just noted above, is mainly in charge of big announcements and ceremonies. While those would be more of an everyday job, sometimes someone needs to track who is related to who. This is where the Herald shines in our opinion, they also deal with genealogical records. This is important in knowing the line of succession.

Positions like Lady-In-Waiting and the Tutor deal with certain people in the royal family. The Lady-in-Waiting (which will be known as LIW from here on out) tends to assist the queen with, well everything. While supporting them at ceremonial and court functions, they tend to give a hand with personal needs as well.

The Tutor on the other hand helps educate the royal children, teaching them how to read or write. On top of that, they will get a royal education in mathematics, history, and how to have proper etiquette for their future roles.

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Castle Staff

This is the average person you will find in the castle. The best way to describe these workers are the cogs of the machine. They do the cooking and cleaning for the royal family and the occupants of the castle itself.

• Cook – Prepares meals for the castle’s inhabitants.
• Baker – Responsible for baking bread and other goods.
• Butler – Manages the wine cellar and serves drinks.
• Cellarer – Oversees food and drink storage.
• Spicers – Prepares and manages spices.
• Laundress – Cleans clothing and linens.
• Scullery Maid – Handles cleaning of dishes and kitchen areas.
• Housemaids – Maintain cleanliness in living quarters and common spaces.

Skilled Workers of the Kingdom

For everything in between, skilled workers are a must to keep the castle from disarray. Special education and training are often associated with these job titles. Most of the positions are clear in what they do. While Man-At-Arms might have a few hundred, you will only see a specialized few with these jobs.

• Physician – Provides medical care.
• Apothecary – Prepares medicines and herbal remedies.
• Blacksmith – Forges tools, weapons, and armor.
• Armorer – Maintains and creates armor.
• Fletcher – Crafts arrows for archers.
• Falconer – Cares for hunting birds.
• Gardener – Tends to gardens and castle grounds.
• Carpenter – Builds and repairs wooden structures.
• Mason – Constructs and repairs stonework.

Gatekeeping and Maintanence

Finally, we reach the last class of people that help run a kingdom. While their position is lowly, they’re still vital in making the big machine that is the castle and kingdom tick.

• Porter – Guards the gates and controls access.
• Messenger – Delivers messages within and beyond the castle.
• Minstrel – Performs music and storytelling.
• Stable Master – Supervises the care of horses and stables.
• Stable Boy – Cleans stables and assists with horse care.

The Hands That Build A Kingdom

Even today, in the real world, there is a huge foundation of workers that exists to keep the world running. Instead of jesters, we have professional comedians, gate guards are security guards, and the list goes on.

Without these little pieces falling into place, the world and the one you create wouldn’t feel as real. As a DM, you shouldn’t worry about every detail, but it is nice to have a list when necessary.

If you would like to find out more about daily life as a peasant, check out “How to Play a Peasant: Ye Old Roleplaying Guide”

*entire list located below for easy reference*

The Sovereign

(Top of the pyramid – rulers and their immediate circle)

• King/Queen (Monarch) – Supreme authority over the castle and realm.
• Royal Consort – Partner to the monarch, often influential in politics and diplomacy.
• Prince/Princess – Heirs to the throne, often fulfilling representative or governance roles.

The Leaders of the Castle

(High-ranking officials responsible for running the castle and estate)

• Chamberlain – Oversees household and finances.
• Seneschal – Manages day-to-day operations of the estate.
• Steward – Handles domestic staff and ensures smooth household functioning.
• Marshal – Supervises stables, horses, and military planning.
• Castellan – Castle governor, often in charge of defense and administration.
• Chaplain – Spiritual advisor and caretaker of the chapel.

Military Forces of the Kingdom

(Warriors and defenders of the castle)

• Knights – Elite warriors serving the monarch and defending the realm.
• Squires – Young trainees assisting knights.
• Men-at-Arms – Professional soldiers forming the backbone of the castle’s military.

The Royal Court

(Advisors, entertainers, and support roles within the royal court)

• Court Jester – Provides entertainment and humor.
• Herald – Handles announcements, ceremonies, and genealogical records.
• Lady-in-Waiting – Assists the queen or noblewomen with personal and ceremonial duties.
• Tutor – Educates royal children in academics and etiquette.

Castle Staff

(Servants and domestic workers ensuring the castle operates smoothly)

• Cook – Prepares meals for the castle’s inhabitants.
• Baker – Responsible for baking bread and other goods.
• Butler – Manages the wine cellar and serves drinks.
• Cellarer – Oversees food and drink storage.
• Spicers – Prepares and manages spices.
• Laundress – Cleans clothing and linens.
• Scullery Maid – Handles cleaning of dishes and kitchen areas.
• Housemaids – Maintain cleanliness in living quarters and common spaces.

Skilled Workers of the Kingdom

(Specialized artisans and workers contributing expertise to the castle)

• Physician – Provides medical care.
• Apothecary – Prepares medicines and herbal remedies.
• Blacksmith – Forges tools, weapons, and armor.
• Armorer – Maintains and creates armor.
• Fletcher – Crafts arrows for archers.
• Falconer – Cares for hunting birds.
• Gardener – Tends to gardens and castle grounds.
• Carpenter – Builds and repairs wooden structures.
• Mason – Constructs and repairs stonework.

Gatekeeping and Maintenance

(Key roles focused on access, communication, and upkeep. Foundational upkeep for the stables.)

• Porter – Guards the gates and controls access.
• Messenger – Delivers messages within and beyond the castle.
• Minstrel – Performs music and storytelling.
• Stable Master – Supervises the care of horses and stables.
• Stable Boy – Cleans stables and assists with horse care.