I personally believe the rule against placeholding is important because it allows a certain flow of positions. What happened now is a duke that was finally removed after a very long time of holding that position, is returned to being duke. This entirely kills the possibility for others to have even a chance at becoming duke themselves.
This bears repeating.
The rule against placeholders is not an arbitrary one, nor is it simply meant to protect the person appointed in the interim from being forced to do something he does not choose.
Placeholders are
not permitted, regardless of the desires of those involved in the case. While it is true that gaining a Lordship has become much easier in recent times due to the dearth of active players, there are still many areas where rising above that level is very difficult. Dukeships and Council positions, once vacated, are only permitted to be taken up by those who are
committed to holding the position as their own.
