PART FROM THE LORD who leads your noble house, all other characters in your family will be defined, in general, by their relationship to this lord.  This relationship is indicated by the character status; this is reported for each character on your turn report.

All your family will begin with a neutral relationship towards their lord, but this relationship may change during the game due to a number of causes.  Firstly, there may be computer-initiated changes, which reflect the changing politics of your court, as people drift into and out of favour; game factors can affect how these changes happen; for example, a character with little loyalty to their lord is more likely to incur their wrath, and become disgraced, exiled or imprisoned.  Secondly, there are changes initiated by you and the other players.  Using tasks such as Bestow Favour, you can change the status directly, although not all statuses can be achieved by your control.

There are, in fact, two levels of status: the court favour, as discussed, and the more permanent status which reflects the role of the character in the game.  The first type is discussed and explained below; the second rarely changes, and even more rarely at your direct behest, and is therefore not expanded on here.

The following table shows the Status of a Noble and the command generally used to achieve it.
(D), (M) and (E) indicate the type of the command: Diplomatic, Military or Economic.

StatusDescriptionCommand
HeirAn heir who has been acknowledged, rather than merely being the first in the normal line of succession.  Supreme trust is implied in such a delaration.Declare Heir (D)
AmbassadorA highly-trusted companion, who can be sent to other courts with confidence that he or she will represent you loyally and effectively.Appoint Ambassador (D)
AdviserA favoured and close companion of the lord.  Having loyal and experienced advisers can actually enhance the effects of your commands.  On the other hand, an adviser subverted by an enemy can be a great danger.Appoint Advisor (D)
In FavourSubstantially trusted by their lord (although less than an adviser), and hence having some effect on the execution of your wishes.Bestow Favour (D)
Army CommanderAppointed to lead an army; equivalent to 'In Favour'Appoint Army Commander (M)
Garrison CommanderAppointed to command a castle garrison; equivalent to 'In Favour'Appoint Garrison Commander (M)
WardA widow or child of a deceased lord; being 'cared for' at your court. The influence attaching to their status - and heir income - will accrue to you while they are a ward.Take in Wardship (D)
FosteredA noble child placed in another house to learn the rules of war and diplomacy - not necessarily in that order.  A frequent practice to improve ties between two houses.Foster Child (D)
Foster Child Out (D)
HostageA noble placed in the care of another house to ensure good behaviour. Assuming they're of value to their family.Take Hostage (D)
Offer Hostage (D)
Natural ChildAn acknowledged bastard, who has a semi-official position at court, and may be promoted to undertake tasks as and when they demonstrate their talents.Acknowledge Natural Child.
NeutralNeither in nor out of favour.  Little impact on court politics.
Out of FavourWhile not disgraced, still not in good odour at the court. Even less power than a neutral character.Show Disfavour (D)
CloisteredA character sent to a monastery or convent is out of the way, both from external danger, and from causing mischief in your realm.Cloister Relative (D)
Disgraced or banished from courtA disgraced character will have left court, and will either attach himself to an army, or retire to their own estates.  Such a character cannot help advise you or undertake your tasks.Banish from Court (D)
BastardAn unacknowledged bastard, who may hold a grudge about the lack of recognition when they grow up.
ExiledAn exiled character, who must have done something fairly serious, will seek sanctuary at some other noble's court.Exile (D)
ImprisonedIncarcerated in a dungeon for some heinous crime; ineffectual in court politicsImprison (D)