Iron, Amber, Wood and Bone: Using Courtly Rings In Your Game

I was just rereading A Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss and fixated on a particular bit of worldbuilding: the courtly rings of the nation of Vintas. I think it's an elegant little system which can be brought to any number of fantasy worlds, especially if the campaign involves courtly plotting. I'm planning to use this in a limited capacity in my Castle Xyntillan game, which is rapidly reaching its crescendo.

Each ring is carved or forged from a particular material, and is inscribed on the front with the name of the ring's owner.

Here are the rings and their different meanings.

The Metal Rings: Gold, Silver and Iron

The main three rings employed in courtly politics. Gold is given to your superiors, silver to your equals, and iron to your inferiors. In a strictly hierarchical courtly setting, this is quite simple and easy; a duke sends iron to a count, sends silver to a fellow duke, and sends gold to a king; the king sends nothing but iron, and receives naught but gold, of course.

This delightfully simple system becomes woefully complicated on collision with reality. Some people occupy multiple courtly positions, formal and informal; what ring do you send to one who is your vassal, but who by the whim of birth outranks you in another territory? What about a person who occupies a lowly position by birth, but has the close confidence of the king? 

The giving of the metal rings, then, can be a major vector of political intrigue. Sending gold indicates submission; sending silver implies a sense of equality; sending iron indicates a feeling of superiority, the implicit demand that you must be obeyed.

The Nonmetal Rings

In contrast to the rings of gold, silver and iron, rings made from organic materials are not in active circulation in courtly politics. They are an antiquated relic from the origin of the ring-giving tradition, when peasants would give each other rings made from whatever materials were on hand, every material with its own symbol and meaning in different regions.

Still, a few of these meanings are kept alive by plays and folk tradition. These are treated individually. If your players receive or give a ring such as these, something very unusual must have occurred. 

Horn

Rings of horn indicate powerful and lasting enmity. If this is given or received, assume a feud will begin if it hasn't already. It takes time and effort to carve a horn ring, and they would not be used except in the most grievous cases.

Bone

Rings of bone indicate a profound and lasting debt; not merely monetary, but often a life-debt. These are traditionally carved from the bones of a dead relative, although it is not necessary to do so. If the party truly saves a person from sure death or ruin, they may be presented with such a ring.

Wood

Traditionally, rings of wood were part of the same courtly system as metal rings. They were given to those of lower station, but who were too low to be treated with an iron ring. After all, a highly stationed noble could not use the same item to send for another noble of lesser status and to send for a stablemaster. 

Over time, the stigma associated with the wooden ring caused it to fall out of favor; if one servant received iron and another received wood, it was taken as a sign of great displeasure and a source of great offense for the recipient. In the modern day then, wooden rings barely exist except in plays, and they represent extraordinary hatred; the implication is that the sender does not regard them as a human being.

Other Rings

Two other ring types are extant, though they remain peasant traditions; rings of green grass are given to one you hope to court, while rings of leather are given to one to indicate you are at their service; this might be the ancient counterpart to the wooden ring.

Rings Unseen

Besides the rings listed above, the Kingkiller Chronicles mentions another ring tradition: powerful mages who have learned the name of a particular element forge a ring from it. These may be made of stone or metal, but just as often of fire or wind. If your party encounter a wizard wearing a ring of fire, they can be sure they are seeing a master of fire magic.

Uses of Rings

Giving and Receiving Rings

In courtly politics, rings are often sent with summons, letters and requests, both as proof of the sender and as an indicator of relative courtly standing. There are various courtly proceedings with regard to whether or not one should keep the ring, and how to return it. Typically, one should offer to return it. If the offer is made to keep the ring (servants and runners are to communicate this subtly), then one should do so, unless one wishes to insult the sender. Keeping a ring demonstrates some connection and courtesy between parties.

Wearing a Ring

To wear a ring indicates more than courtesy, but familiarity with the sender. If the sender is one's patron or superior, wearing their gold ring shows that one is vying for favor by obviously marking oneself with their sign and name. Wearing a silver ring indicates close collaboration and friendship among equals, while wearing an iron ring indicates special favor or gratitude for a particular subordinate. 

For the nonmetal rings, wearing a ring of horn shows that you accept the enmity and its consequences. If the sender then kills the wearer in broad daylight, it will at least be seen as a duel instead of a murder. It is an open invitation to violence.

Wearing a ring of bone demonstrates that a particular person owes you a serious debt. It can be insensitive to expose this to public scrutiny; it may be seen as a blunt demand for that debt to be repaid.

Wearing a ring of wood is so demeaning to oneself as to be inconceivable. Your players may do so anyway out of sheer spite.

In Play

Metal rings, owing to their expense, are likely not in common use outside of noble courts. If your party has occasion to deal with a court, these rings can be a little courtly practice with which to bamboozle them. They serve as a simple and intuitive symbol for courtly politics. Who is wearing rings, who isn't, whose, what kind, and so on.

As mentioned above, they may receive nonmetal rings as a result of significant actions helping or harming a person or family. it's one thing for an NPC to express deep gratitude; another for them to offer a PC a ring carved from the bone of their dead grandparent.

It's one thing for an NPC to swear enmity, another for them to send the PCs a ring of horn, to audible gasps and faints by other NPCs.

If the party has to deal with a noble, all the better for them to arrive wearing the ring of their patron or close ally. Your party aren't just a band of murderhobos, they're an integrated element of your world's power systems, so others had better watch their step.

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