You're right that having Herc be second in command of the Wardens in general isn't really feasible—not because we're unwilling to allow that kind of IC authority, but because the three individuals who oversee the Grey Wardens as a whole (First Warden, High Constable, and Chamberlain of the Grey) would be unlikely to leave Weisshaupt. Something Mysterious And Shady (TM) is happening there that we would like to keep that open ended for plot purposes.
Other than those three overarching positions, the Grey Wardens are regionally fragmented and each country is largely autonomous. Below the Warden-Commander and -Constable of a given country there are only a few broad ranks. Senior Warden encompasses a lot of Wardens who have many years of service and lead small units of Wardens as required but don't hold a specific post. Everyone else is just a Warden. Significant value is placed on seniority.
Orlesian leadership needs to remain NPC for plot reasons, and whoever took over after the Hero of Ferelden's disappearance handed control over to Clarel and is probably a schmuck. Both nations are on the verge of losing their Wardens' leadership entirely, depending on plot outcomes.
Given this, we see three main options for Herc:
1) He could be a Commander or Constable in a specific country other than Orlais (and probably Ferelden, though if you'd like him to be That Schmuck, you can). That would give him some authority but also give some other PCs latitude to ignore him or push back if he isn't their leader, etc.
2) He could be a Warden without a specific position but with a lot of seniority. As his app is currently written (sorry for spying) he has a lot of that, so he will probably be considered a leader among the PC Wardens even if he does not technically outrank all of them.
3) He could be a Warden without a specific position but you could have him pursue one through RP since, as we mentioned above, many top Wardens are likely to be losing their jobs as a result of plot. If you choose this one you'd need to explain why Herc was remaining with the Inquisition at that point instead of leaving to command his own forces.
Whatever you pick, you would need to explain why he left his post to join the Inquisition and why he remains. But if that's something you want to do, we're fine with it. If you have other ideas, we can talk about those, too!
And in any case, we would (of course) ask you to be mindful of balancing any IC authority Herc had against the OOC desires of other players. We think the fractured/fuzzy/informal command structure and the general chaos would help with that, so we're not overly concerned! But no ordering other characters to do things their players OOCly don't want them to have to do on pain of death or anything like that, please.
no subject
Other than those three overarching positions, the Grey Wardens are regionally fragmented and each country is largely autonomous. Below the Warden-Commander and -Constable of a given country there are only a few broad ranks. Senior Warden encompasses a lot of Wardens who have many years of service and lead small units of Wardens as required but don't hold a specific post. Everyone else is just a Warden. Significant value is placed on seniority.
Orlesian leadership needs to remain NPC for plot reasons, and whoever took over after the Hero of Ferelden's disappearance handed control over to Clarel and is probably a schmuck. Both nations are on the verge of losing their Wardens' leadership entirely, depending on plot outcomes.
Given this, we see three main options for Herc:
1) He could be a Commander or Constable in a specific country other than Orlais (and probably Ferelden, though if you'd like him to be That Schmuck, you can). That would give him some authority but also give some other PCs latitude to ignore him or push back if he isn't their leader, etc.
2) He could be a Warden without a specific position but with a lot of seniority. As his app is currently written (sorry for spying) he has a lot of that, so he will probably be considered a leader among the PC Wardens even if he does not technically outrank all of them.
3) He could be a Warden without a specific position but you could have him pursue one through RP since, as we mentioned above, many top Wardens are likely to be losing their jobs as a result of plot. If you choose this one you'd need to explain why Herc was remaining with the Inquisition at that point instead of leaving to command his own forces.
Whatever you pick, you would need to explain why he left his post to join the Inquisition and why he remains. But if that's something you want to do, we're fine with it. If you have other ideas, we can talk about those, too!
And in any case, we would (of course) ask you to be mindful of balancing any IC authority Herc had against the OOC desires of other players. We think the fractured/fuzzy/informal command structure and the general chaos would help with that, so we're not overly concerned! But no ordering other characters to do things their players OOCly don't want them to have to do on pain of death or anything like that, please.