Field Clan Building

Before your clan owns any land, there is no Clan Home and no Master Herald - but a rising captain still raises their own people.

See to your retinue

In any town or castle your clan can stand openly in (your own, an ally's, or a neutral one - never a settlement at war with you), the menu offers "See to your retinue":

• Ennoble a veteran from the ranks - the promotion review, exactly as the Master Herald would run it.
• Name an officer (grant a commission) - commission a companion into a track.
• Recall an officer (revoke a commission) - always available.

There is no travelling herald and nothing occupies a companion slot. The herald remains an institution you gain with a seat: once you establish a Clan Home, the Master Herald appears there and the full governance layer unlocks. The field menu stays available afterward too, so a lord on campaign far from his seat can still see to his own people.

Ennoblement is a ceremony in front of witnesses, which is why it happens in a settlement - not while sneaking through a hostile town, and not in the middle of a march.

Tuning

Mod Options, Herald Access group:

• Field clan building (default on) - turn the field menu off to route everything through the seated Master Herald, land-first.
• Minimum clan tier (default 0) - raise it for a light early gate.