Q: Was count not in charge of a roving warband, but settled in a locality, known as a county? ¶
A: Yes, his main rival for power was the bishop, whose diocese was sometimes coterminous with the county.
Q: Were counts counts? ¶
A: Yes, In Sweden there is a distinction between counts created before and after 1809.
Q: Was count also often conferred by the monarch as an honorific title for special services rendered? ¶
A: Yes, and without a feudal estate being attached, so it was merely a title, with or without a domain name attached to it.
Q: Is count sometimes used to render certain titles in non-western languages with their own traditions? ¶
A: Yes, and even though they are as a rule historically unrelated and thus hard to compare, but which are considered "equivalent" in rank.