LORE: Noble Crests

On Earth, dominance hierarchies are purely a social construction. In a world without magic, there is no functional difference between a king and a ****. In Dragnostia, humans long ago learned how to harness the power of mana to make one's place in society upheld by the very laws of nature and sorcery.

No one knows who created crest-magic. Every tribe and culture has their own legends and myths of how the first great kings performed mighty and heroic deeds on behalf of the gods and were rewarded with divine legitimacy and favor. Usually the stories involve oaths to wage eternal war against the greenskins, the furries, and all the rest of monster-kind. More than a few of the legends tie together with the creation of **** brands.

A crest elevates someone from a commoner into a noble, giving a human being the ability to channel the arcane and divine energies required to perform magic and miracles. Even the lowest ranked of nobles possess supernal strength, dexterity, constitution, insight, charisma, and focus. This is to say nothing of the noble's personal pocket dimension for storage, their map-sense, and the ability to channel motonic energies to cast spells and perform magical techniques.

Most of all, a crest functions to give a noble their credentials.
A crest will objectively and securely evaluate and authenticate a nobles ranks and titles.

Ranks are levels of competency within a profession or trade. A noble might carry the rank of level five duelist, level twelve ranger, level seven aquamancer, level fifteen carpenter, ect. The rank system ensures that merit and hard work are always recognized, even if they are considered the lesser of the two noble attributes.

Titles are deeds of ownership and badges of achievement. Those who possess title over property have power over it. The power of a noble's blessings can make fallow fields blossom. A nobles curse can unleash a goblin swarm. Nobles will go on quests and accept dangerous missions not only for the loot and treasure such jobs involve, but to unlock achievements and gain titles that will open the way to new magics and greater powers.

Ranks and titles are factored together to determine where a noble's status truly stands in relation to their peers. Among those who practice Haymana, status is what matters in determining the line of succession for a sultan.