Topaz

A Topaz woman

The people of the Topaz caste live closest to the city walls on the eastern and western sides of Haven. They are muscular people who are accustomed to jobs in which they get to use their strength and wit. They are guard captains, engineers, and miners. Their skills in hand to hand combat are unrivaled in Haven, both due to their athletic prowess and their ability to form battle strategies.

## Basics

### **Physical Description**

The people of Topaz typically have brown eyes, ranging from orange to almost black. Their skin is dark. Their hair is coarse in texture and they usually have tight curls. It almost always ranges from auburn to black. They are typically of a muscular build and their heights are usually between 5’6” and 6’4” with men typically being taller than women.

### **Trait**

The people of the Topaz caste are known to be immovable. When another creature’s action would cause you to make a Reflex Saving Throw, you may substitute the Dexterity stat with your Strength.

## Common Careers

Topaz caste men typically favor jobs where they can use their strength, such as soldier or construction worker, while Topaz women tend to favor more intellectual careers, such as security adviser or engineer.

The majority of the city’s guards hail from Topaz, as well as 95% of all miners. They are hired by people of all of the other castes when heavy boxes need to be lifted or goods transported. They are often kept on the payrolls of taverns to kick out unruly drunkards, and are even hired as personal bodyguards for richer folks.

In the arena, almost every record is held by an athlete of the Topaz caste, and not just because they invented the concept of professional sports. They can often find good pay as a professional fighter or strong man. In the last fifty years, only twice has the title of Haven Tournament Champion not been awarded to a member of the Topaz caste.

Members of the Topaz caste are typically amazing strategists and can find good coin in more intellectual endeavors. The legendary figure Bato Zammit was known as the brilliant detective who was able to finally bring down Francis Chevalier, a criminal mastermind who eluded capture for over twenty years through his use of purposefully misleading evidence. The novels he wrote based on his own life still define the mystery genre in the modern era.

## Names

### **Surnames**

Like all of the castes of Haven, there are twelve surnames in Topaz, each of them stemming from one of the original founding families of the city. These surnames are: Aspro, Babiker, Chouraqui, Dahmani, Elbaz, Gammafi, Haliche, Jlassi, Mazigh, Talia, Zammit, and Zaouche.

### **Male Names**

**Examples:** Adeben, Chibale, Chidi, Dakarai, Haji, Jabir, Kasim, Kwame, Naiser, Omari, Salim, Taj, Urian, Vannek, Zane

### **Female Names**

**Examples:** Aaliyah, Bahati, Daliah, Feechi, Jamilia, Kalifa, Kendi, Lulu, Maha, Ode, Shani, Tamara, Uma, Viole, Zuri

## History

### **Pre-Fall**

The people of the Topaz caste hail from the war-torn Trillia  region where a new lord would sit on the throne every few years, each and every one of them put there by a new coup. The biggest industries were related to these battles: smithing, mining, and military schools.

## Religion

### **The Way of Life**

The people of the Topaz caste believe strongly in balance and taking action, making this Way one of the most followed in their districts. They hold a cultural belief that good and evil exists in all beings, and that it is up to each person to choose their actions.

### **The Way of Elements**

Though there are few staunch followers of the Way of Elements in the Topaz caste, almost all members have a healthy respect for its tenets. Miners and others who spend time among nature are more likely to actively worship Ignis.

### **The Way of the Physical**

The Way of the Physical is also a huge part of the lives of those in the Topaz caste. Becoming stronger through physical and emotional challenges plays a large part in the core beliefs of the people of this culture. Statues of Fortis can be found at the boundaries of the Topaz Districts.

### **The Way of Philosophy**

Although most people in the Topaz caste do follow some of the tenets of this Way, such as always striving for better, there are very few who actively worry about the Way of Philosophy.

### **The Way of Information**

There is almost no presence of the Way of Information in the Topaz caste. It is seen as frivolous and it is often spoken about as something that people with too much time on their hands would worry about.

## Society

### **General**

The people of the Topaz caste organize into family units, but they view marriage differently than other castes. Instead of vowing before the gods to remain with another person for the rest of their lives, marriage contracts have set end dates, at which time the participating parties may choose to renew or terminate the marriage. A newlywed couple will typically sign a contract that binds them together for one year, while subsequent contracts will usually last for five years. At each renegotiation, either party may add or remove stipulations until an agreement has been made. If no agreement can be made, or if the two find themselves incompatible, the contract will be terminated and they will go their own ways. Because of this, it is very common for a household to be made up of two adults and their children from previous marriages. Children will usually alternate between the homes of their biological parents. Orphans are rare since step-parents are so common, but those that do become orphans are typically taken in by their next of kin. Failing this, there is a small orphanage that is run by the Topaz caste.

### **Male Roles**

While males and females are seen as strong, there are certain roles that men more commonly fill in Topaz society. Men are more likely to work in a field where they can use their hands, like mining or as a guard. They will often spend their free time among other men, competing in feats of wit since their jobs are not always mentally challenging. Comradery is highly regarded in the Topaz caste, and men will typically have a few close friends who they would give their lives for. These relationships are called soul brothers.

### **Female Roles**

While males and females are seen as strong, there are certain roles that women more commonly fill in Topaz society. Women are more likely to work in a field where they can use their minds, like as a security adviser or detective. They will often spend their free time training since their jobs typically allow for less exercise than their male counterparts. Usually, they will form small groups of women at a similar skill level as them who will work out together. These groups are called “training squads” and they refer to other members as squad sisters, regardless of personal fondness.

### **Children**

Children in the Topaz caste begin schooling at 4 years old in “training academies” where they learn an equal amount about academic subjects, like reading and mathematics, and physical training. At the end of every term, they will take a test that requires them to answer higher order academic questions while performing physically strenuous tasks. Students will typically complete their education at age 16, but they are able to graduate earlier or later, depending on when they pass their final exam levels. No student may remain in the academy past age 20, at which point they will fail and are considered unemployable within their own district.

### **Animals**

Dogs, owls, and other animals that are considered both fierce and intelligent are highly respected in Topaz culture. It is common to gift a pet to children who have done particularly well on their yearly exam.

## Attitudes

### **Family**

While those in the Topaz caste would protect their families with their lives, it is frequently not spoken of. They are subtle about emotions such as love, but it is understood within their own culture.

### **Work**

Jobs provide those in the Topaz caste an opportunity to stretch either their muscles or their minds, meaning that they are typically very dutiful workers.

### **City**

The city is seen as something worth protecting, and many in this caste have careers in law enforcement that require them to swear oaths of loyalty. Outside of this service, however, the people of Topaz believe that a city is just a city.

### **Nature**

While very few of them have extreme fondness for nature, almost every person in the Topaz caste is taught to respect nature.

## Relations

### **Garnet**

**How they view Garnet:** Topaz caste members tend to view those in Garnet as trustworthy and dutiful. Though the two cultures differ widely in many aspects, they find common grounds on things like respecting all life and protecting their families. When those from the Topaz caste need to do business with those in Garnet, they can usually come to an agreement quickly and without any frills.

**How Garnet views them:** Garnet caste members tend to view those in Topaz as proud but respectful. They enjoy the way that Topaz caste members seem to use every moment of the day to its fullest, something that they also pride themselves on. There is a small statue in the Garnet District called the Circle of Trust monument. It depicts a Garnet woman and Topaz man shaking hands in honor of Zofia Melnyk of Garnet and Morio Elbaz of Topaz, the two leaders who put an end to turf wars between farmers and miners in the early days of Haven.

### **Amber**

**How they view Amber:** Topaz caste members tend to view those in the Amber caste as selfish and greedy. Though they strongly contribute to society, the people of Amber never seem to be contented by the things that they have. They especially do not approve of the way that Amber children are brought into business life at such a young age.

**How Amber views them:** Amber caste members tend to view those in the Topaz caste as too cold and rough. This rift is caused by the differences in each caste’s definition of family. Those in Amber could not imagine giving up on a relationship for another and raising their children away from the other parent. They also cannot understand the preoccupation with muscles and exercise for fun. When those in the Amber caste run, it is usually for survival, not fun.​​

### **Jade**

**How they view Jade:** Topaz caste members tend to view those in the Jade caste as condescending and righteous. They do not enjoy being preached to or advised by those of another caste. They prefer to worship in their own ways and do not like that those in Jade seem to want to control the way that everyone else interprets the gods, stars, and nature.

**How Jade views them:** Jade caste members tend to view those in the Topaz caste as intimidating and aggressive. Though they tend to have respect for many of the same spiritual causes that Jade citizens value, the people in the Topaz caste do not like to be told how to worship the gods or follow the Ways.

### **Sapphire**

**How they view Sapphire:** Topaz caste members tend to view those in the Sapphire casts as intellectual equals, but physical inferiors. Men, especially, will spend free time playing Greshbuckle, a game of logic favored by both castes, against members of the Sapphire caste in taverns or other public spaces.

**How Sapphire views them:** Sapphire caste members tend to view those in the Topaz caste as intelligent, but lacking in priorities. They usually enjoy competing in competitions of logic and natural ingenuity against those in this caste, though they believe that much of their talents are wasted by spending so much time focusing on their physical selves.

### **Amethyst**

**How they view Amethyst:** Topaz caste members tend to view those in Amethyst as being overly concerned with things that do not matter. While they usually believe that Amethyst caste members have their hearts in the right place, they would prefer to see them get their priorities in an order that Topaz people could understand.

**How Amethyst views them:** Amethyst caste members tend to view those of the Topaz caste as hardworking and loyal. Many of them spend quite a bit of time with bodyguards hired from Topaz, whom they trust with their lives.

## Norms

### **Laws**

In addition to the laws that apply to the entire city, citizens residing in the Topaz District must also abide by the following laws:

* A permit must be obtained for all mining companies, no matter the size of the operation.
* The parents of children who miss more than five consecutive days or twenty total days of training academy in one calendar year must be able to prove extenuating circumstances, such as extreme illness or hardship, or face jail time. The child in question will be eligible for retention, dependent on their exam results, regardless of reason.
* Any person who wishes to work outside of the Topaz District limits must check in with the Topaz Intercaste Affairs Office monthly to renew their permit.
* Visible or concealed weapons may be carried at any time by any Topaz adult who has completed training academy with passing marks.

### **Manners**

Respect is the most important part of manners in the Topaz caste. They do not sit around worrying over what is and is not rude as a general statement, and instead focus on whether or not they felt respected during any given interaction. Disputes over disrespect are often settled in physical challenges of the one who was offended’s choosing. Gorwick Mazigh famously challenged King Joreg to a caber toss after the ruler suggested that he step down as head of security at the age of eighty, to which the king accepted and lost. Mazigh continued working at his job for another fifteen years, when he decided of his own volition to step down at the age of ninety-five.

### **Customs**

Though there are many customs that are universal for the entirety of the city of Haven, there are some that are exclusive to each of the different districts. When two members of different districts meet, it is usual that they will use the custom of the district that they are standing in. Some of those that are unique to the Topaz District are:

* The customary greeting is for both parties to make eye contact and use their right hand to pound their fist against their heart twice.
* Meal customs are as follows - a large breakfast at sunrise, a small midday meal around noon, a large mid-afternoon meal around three, and a small meal right before bed.
* Every morning, those in the Topaz caste recite the names of those who have previously bested them, either intellectually or physically, to remind themselves to push harder each day. Small children will typically use the names of older family members who they admire and would like to surpass one day.

### **Other Holidays**

Although there are many holidays, festivals, and other events that are celebrated throughout the entire city of Haven, there are some that are unique to only the Topaz District:

* The Opening Games
* Oxen Day
* Mawgli’s Day