Social Classes
From Wiki
There are a number of different 'social classes' in the world at the day and age of the game - they were an important part of society at the time, both to determine someone's social standing as well as their authority and responsibility. How someone is treated by total strangers is greatly influenced by their social standing - a peasant, for example, is generally looked down upon by just about everyone. To read a wealth of information on each social class, just check the following news files. They are in general order of social distinction:
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Beggars
Beggars are fairly rare in Terre d'Ange itself, though are somewhat more common in other less well-off nations, such as Caerdicca and Aragonia. Skaldia has no beggars to speak of - anyone who doesn't work doesn't get to eat, making begging quite an impossibility.
Beggars, for whatever reason, have little to no wealth except what they can scrounge for on a day-to-day basis. They must constantly deal with issues like starvation and shelter; it's a struggle for survival that's difficult to escape from. Their clothes tend to reflect this - often a beggar will wear castoff peasant clothing, almost always dirty or torn. Some beggars are soldiers who lack any other skills once they've become too injured to fight, though even then many soldiers acquire a pension after a certain number of years served.
Beggars typically live in the slums and hovels in major cities, walking to more trafficked areas to beg for coins and food. They are rarely allowed inside shops or other buildings, and are, the vast majority of the time, completely and utterly ignored by everyone else.
Commoners
A "commoner" is a catch-all term for the lowest rung of the social ladder (excepting beggars). They form the vast majority of the populations of every nation, the two most common forms being farmers and part-time soldiers. While they don't live in the squalor and misery that the beggar does, the commoner is nonetheless only able to afford a very simple life without many luxuries.
Most commoners in nearly all the countries live in a serf or vassal system. They work the land, farming a small area and living in a small-to-modest house nearby with their family and tithe a certain portion of their income - either in food or in money - to their liege-lord who owns the land itself. Serfs tend to be called 'peasants' in normal use, sometimes in a derogatory sense. Commoners who live in the cities tend to be clerks, day laborers, servants (such as stablehands or apprentices) and other fairly low-class occupations. They always have a steady, but fairly small source of income, so are able to save up money for a rainy day while still managing to feed themselves and their family.
Commoners tend to dress in quite simple garb - In Caerdicca the commoners tend to wear a single long cotton tunic that reaches mid-thigh, while in Terre d'Ange they often wear a tunic and leggings (or a simple, plain dress for women). Most fabric is homespun and coarse, though nearly all commoners have at least one outfit of higher quality for important occasions. Typical commoners tend to look at the higher social classes with either awe or well-hidden jealousy, and do their utmost to be successful so they too can climb the ladder - or at least help their children do so.
Tradesmen
A "tradesman" is someone who has learned a specific skill, specialized in it, and thus acquired an occupation doing whatever it is. This is unlike a commoner (or "peasant") who lacks education and opportunity; the tradesman is able to afford the occasional nice thing and sometimes can even send their children to become educated at a university. At times, a tradesman will own their own business, but much of the time they simply work for someone else. An example of the former is a blacksmith - a hard, specialized job to do that requires long hours, but generates much more income than something like a farmer. Often, commoners can apprentice their children to a successful tradesman for a pittance fee and thus their children won't grow up to be simple commoners like they were.
A tradesman typically dresses for success when they're going about their trade, though laborers (such as shipbuilders) wear much more sturdy and rough clothing. They are able to afford much more luxuries than peasants - they tend to live a comfortable life and very rarely lack for food or the basic necessities. When they become more successful, a tradesman will often run their own shop; the goal of many tradesmen is to open a string of shops and manage it rather than do the hard labor, instead becoming, in this way, a merchant instead. Tradesmen tend to wear decent clothing when abroad, often have at least one horse, and depending on their income can usually acquire a sizeable house for their family.
Merchants
Merchants are those who make their living buying and selling goods and managing all the day-to-day transactions. There are generally two brands of merchants - those who stay in a city, buying goods as they arrive from caravans and selling them to the populace at large for a higher profit. At times these merchants work in specialty stores and create their own goods; a baker or butcher, for example, is a tradesman but a butcher who owns a dozen butcher shops in a city would be a merchant, as they must manage each store.
Merchants tend to be much more successful in terms of monetary income than tradesmen; usually it's more dependent on their charisma, barter ability, and social ties than anything else. Being 'well-connected' is always an important part, since simply knowing more people means knowing when someone is in need of a certain good or product. Merchants are usually able to afford clerks for their stores, as well.
The second type of merchant is the "travelling" merchant -- they take a number of wagonloads of goods from city to city, buying low and selling high and making considerable profit along the way. They also make extra income with the sale of news from distant lands, and are very important in the spread of culture and knowledge. Travelling merchants use much of their income on bodyguards and soldiers to defend their caravans from bandits along the way, especially during very long trips.
The merchant is usually very well-off, able to purchase occasional high-end luxuries while maintaining an excellent and comfortable standard of living. The most successful are often university-educated; the very rich merchants often send their children to the University of Tiberium, considered the most prestigious place one can learn at.
Scholars
A scholar is someone who is currently learning at an institution of education, such as an academy or university. Their position on the ladder of society is shaky at best - their social standing tends to be heavily influenced on their current money; a poor scholar is generally looked down upon while a rich scholar is envied. However, most scholars in general are treated with respect, simply because when they are done learning they tend to become more successful in whatever field they've chosen.. so it's always an excellent idea to stay on any student's good side! Usually a scholar's parents tend to be successful too, since it takes money to send someone to be educated.
The methods and topics of learning are many and varied; everything from arithmetic for merchants to warfare for prospective battlefield commanders. The more intense and difficult the course, the more expensive it tends to be - thus only the nobility are usually able to learn the most complex material.
Most scholars live a life of simplicity, for the sheer fact that their only income usually comes from their parents. However, some are independantly wealthy or have a steady source of income, so thus are able to afford a more luxurious lifestyle. Philosophers are rare anywhere except the Hellenes and Caerdicca Unitas, though in both countries they're well-respected indeed.
Artisans
An artisan is somewhat similar to a tradesman - they specialize and work at a certain task for profit, selling their finished goods to people with money to burn. However, they focus on the luxury items -- they are artists, not laborers. Paintings, jewelry, fine perfumes, costume-makers, and marquists (tattooists) all fit into this category, which is considered much more prestigious than a mere merchant or tradesman. Why? Because in order to become successful it takes much more effort. The income is nowhere near as steady, but once the artisan is successful it can reap huge benefits.
Successful artisans tend to live much like merchants, and struggling ones can live like peasants - or even beggars! A successful artisan is affluent and influencial, able to live a life of luxury. Some artisans even serve as personal artists to nobility or royalty, who are mainly able to afford the luxury items for sale. Thus their work is generally more specialized and expensive.
Courtesans
The term "courtesan" means in very essence a prostitute - someone hired for a short time for a variety of reasons, most of them physical or emotional. However, they are much higher on the ladder than a mere prostitute; they are specially trained and educated and are often quite well-off in terms of luxury and social standing. The Night Court courtesans are the most obvious examples; they serve as elite religious prostitutes, and the only people who can truly afford their services are the nobility or royalty.
Courtesans - either male or female - tend to be looked down upon by more 'respectable' people in society, though in Terre d'Ange this doesn't apply and the Night Court are respected and awed above many. They often find a niche to fill with a particular skill or ability - such as the endurance of pain or the arts of the languisement - in order to please a patron who enjoys such enough for repeat visits. It's not truly about the money for a courtesan, since they essentially *choose* to become so and people accept that it's a necessary part of society.
Courtesans are generally able to do as they please, though many remain where they work much of the time - even living there, in the case of the Night Court - so that any prospective patrons don't need to wait to be served.
Cassilines
The Cassiline Order is a group of monks who swear allegiance to the angel, Cassiel, who forsook Elua's precept of Love as Thou Wilt in order to continue protecting Elua himself. There are no temples to Cassiel, though the Cassiline Brotherhood was founded to honor his name.
A Cassiline monk is a highly trained warrior-priest. Their training is quite rigorous, including aspects of hand to hand fighting, military tactics, and the honing of physical strength and agility. Their main combat education concerns the twin dagger fighting style, when two daggers are used both offensively and defensively. Cassilines are also trained in the use of the sword, though one of their tenants is to never draw their sword unless they are sure to kill with it. Considerable endurance training is also important.
Noble houses often will send a younger son to be fostered with the Cassiline monks at the age of ten, to learn combat and discipline, though orphans are occasionally taken in by them as well. The Brotherhood is adminstered by the Cassiline Prefect, a wise, elder monk who decides on things like exocommunication. Many Cassiline monks are hired as bodyguards to important people - it's said that the only match to a Cassiline's abilities is another one.
The Cassiline Monk tends to wear dark grey in a severe cut, with their hair cut short or in a single braid tied at the nape of the neck. They are quite Spartan in both frugality and luxury, preferring to remain simple, humble, and calm of mind. All Cassilines take vows of chastity, and are excommunicated if they break it.
Politicians
A "politician" is someone involved with the government and politics but has no (or little) noble or royal blood. In Terre d'Ange they are largely advisors -- the Parliament having been dissolved, the politicians in the country have much fewer actual authority than they used to. Many nobles and royalty have at least one advisor for themselves in order to oversee the day-to-day tasks of running their respective province or barony. Politicians play a much bigger part in Caerdicca Unitas; the country used to be a Republic and many of the old politicians secretly wish to return the country to being united.
Many politicians come from affluent and wealthy households, often from the merchant or artisan class and are able to live in luxury while doing none of the intensive labor or work that the lower classes must do to retain their wealth; most politicians either own businesses that generate their income without any direct involvement, or are invested in someone else's business and retain a portion of the profits. Money talks, when it comes to politicians. The more wealthy, the more directly influencial they are.
Most politicians are concerned mainly with being seen and heard, going to as many public events as possible and spreading their wealth in return for favors and loyalty. In essence they are celebrities - successful enough that they can do very little work while still maintaining a luxurious lifestyle.
Nobility
"Elua and his Companions spread their seed widely: there is no one in Terre d'Ange who cannot claim descent from one or another. But the Great Houses have kept their lines pure, or so they claim. It is a source of pride and vanity, and at times, intolerable prejudice."
-From Kushiel's Scion, by Jacqueline Carey, page 6
The Nobility is a large and important social class, also called the "peerage" of a country. Essentially, they are affluent, high-class citizens from a wealthy family; having "blue blood" is seen as an essential part of being a noble, either by being a direct family member or by marriage. Becoming a noble is thus only possible if a commoner - such as a wealthy merchant or politician - marries into or is adopted into a noble family.
The nobles of a country rule, often, large tracts of land. Barons, counts, viscounts, and marquis own a segment of territory in a province, and directly manage the serfs and peasants who work their land, sending their tax revenue to the Crown to show their loyalty. Nobles are allowed to own a small standing army, but too large and it looks quite suspicious. The King or Queen alone can strip a noble of their title and have no qualms about doing so if necessary.
Nobles are always quite wealthy and able to live a life of opulance, decadence, and luxury. Their land generates instant revenue in the form of taxes and trade goods, a portion of which goes directly to themselves while the remains go to the crown to maintain roads, social programs, and the Royal Army. Their influence is directly affected by their standing with the Crown - a person in good standing with the King or Queen is much more respected than someone who's seen as a potential traitor. Wealth doesn't mean as much to the nobles as it does to the lesser classes, since they all generally have about the same amount of money. However, /displays/ of wealth are quite common, particularly in fashion and jewelry. Many nobles host fêtes and parties for various occasions, each trying to impress the others with the lavishness of it. They tend to be a quite hedonistic lot, dressing in as much finery as possible and staying on top of current fashions. Many - nearly all - Night Court patrons are nobles.
Royalty
The royals are a step apart from the nobility - they are the true rulers of a country. They maintain the dynasty of rulers by naming heirs (usually Prince or Princess, though it's Dauphin and Dauphine - 'doh-FIN', 'doh-FEEN' - in Terre d'Ange), and when the current Crown ruler is deposed, deceased, or otherwise deemed unfit to rule, the heir takes their place. Strong allegiances and ties to other nations and nobles can be acquired by marrying family members of the Royal Family.
In terms of authority, the royal family are absolute. Non-heir sons and daughters are still highly respected and influencial members of society, and the heir and ruler have full control over the direction of their country. Their word is law. They also acquire a tremendous amount of income thanks to taxation, most of it going to the Royal Treasury to pay for the military and social programs, such as new buildings and road repair. Some of it, however, goes directly to the royal family themselves as spending money.
The royal family lacks for absolutely nothing, thanks to their near-bottomless income. They live in the lap of luxury, able to afford, if they wanted, a full banquet every night or a fleet of ships at their disposal. The more decant and hedonistic the royals, however, the less happy the commoners are; the people tend to rebel and stop paying taxes if their royals are just lounging about or are weak. Weak rulers can also be deposed by another noble family - nobody wants to relinquish the throne!
In the event that there are no heirs to the throne, a Crown Regent, who was named when the previous heir took the throne, is in charge of acquiring votes from the Dukes and other important nobility to determine who the next royal family will be.
