One thing to keep in mind in dealing with any Gloranthan leader is that they generally don’t have strict organizational charts!
So for example, around a Sartarite Prince we have:
Household. This is the family of the Prince. Wife or wives, mistress, children, brothers, sisters, household retainers, etc.
The High Council or Ring. These are 12 cult representatives, typical priests or rune lords, appointed by the Prince to advise him and magically aid him.
Scribes. The Prince of Sartar has plenty of scribes to record decisions, taxes, tolls, other revenues, make expenditures, etc. There are 400 Lhankor Mhy initiates in Boldhome. At least half of them work for the Prince at any given time.
Artisans and Crafters. The Prince of Sartar is responsible for maintaining roads, temples, city walls, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if at least a thousand crafters work primarily for him.
Wolfbrother Guards. The Prince has traditionally had a band of Telmori werewolves who guard him and protect his person. Many of these werewolves belong to the Humakt cult as well as Telmor (weirdly Telmor is friendly towards Humakt).
And then comes the big loose group – the Prince’s “Companions.” The Prince is always escorted by friends and companions, who accompany them at court and in battle. They hunt, feast, and drink with the Prince, serving as personal attendants and bodyguards. During the long rule of the Sartar dynasty, leading members of the tribes competed to serve as friends and companions of the Prince. Many of these friends and companions went on to become tribal kings, temple high priests, or the leaders of cities.
During Temertain’s reign (1613-1624), many of these groups shrunk significantly in numbers and importance, and his High Council became little more than a ceremonial post. Nonetheless, these institutions continued to exist, and were revived with new importance and power during the reigns of Kallyr and Argrath.
And so, you might get some stone mason who, thanks to his competence at maintaining roads and temples and making neat sculptures for the Prince, becomes a companion of the Prince and as a result has great influence, despite not being a warrior, a priest, or a rune lord. Said stone mason sometimes speaks with the authority of the Prince, or sometimes might just be speaking as a stonemason.
And that’s the other nebulous thing – what role is actually being invoked? When the Prince speaks, well everyone knows that is with semi-divine authority. But when one of the Prince’s drinking buddies speak, what does that mean?
What about heralds, who also act as emissaries? Heralds are a sub-cult within Issaries. They are recognised neutral message-takers and -deliverers. Emissaries are normally companions or friends who are sent to do this.