Clan Hierarchy

In most of the civilized world, there are a number of great
clans, each holding the blood of one of the gods or saints.  These societies tend to be based in two kind
of castes based in occupation and in ethnicity.
These are usually rigid castes, but the ascent of a single man has led
to the elevation of his entire caste from untouchable to Imperial.  They are divided by ethnicity and will remain
their caste.

Internal Hierarchy:

The Scions – Scions are the heart of a clan.  It is the scion that preserves the traditions
of their ancestors and whom are given the knowledge of true names.  Scions command respect from their fellow
clansmen and have the authority to uphold the laws and traditions of their
forefathers.  Scions often are good
fighter, but Scions tend to command better than they fight.  Scions are usually the eldest children of a
previous Scion.  Scions are
administrators of local areas.  The goal
of the Scion is to reach enlightenment by ruling with justice and courage,
bearing many sons, and maintaining the traditions.  The highest scion is called the *Domarch*.

The Retainers – The clan is defended by the Retainer
caste.  The Retainer castes tend to be
drawn from the ranks of second sons and daughters.  The Retainer castes are often trained from
birth to obey and execute the will of the Scions.  These individuals are the servants of the
Scions.  The warrior’s goal in life is to
defend his clansmen to his dying breath and to protect the martial and
hospitable honor of the house.  The
highest Retainer is known as “The Right Hand” and is considered to be the
paragon of martial prowess and virtue.
This man serves as his bodyguard and chief tactician.  On
his other side is the Left Hand, who is the shadowy hand of the king, master of
espionage, and the master.

Ethnic Hierarchy:

The Imperial Caste – This
caste is the ethnic group that commands the loyalty of all of the royal castes
of a local areas.  Examples include the
Valanian Laurë, the ancient Ashalan, the ancient Cëra, and the Vaman Tarë.

The Royal Castes – The
royal caste is local ethnic group that oversees the administrative castes and
controls them.  These castes are known to
be war-like.  Examples include the modern
Laurë Reyan, the Rona Reyan, the Vamatar, the modern Ashalan, and the Ran.

The Ecclesia – The office of the Ecclesia is extremely
important in most societies.  The
Ecclesia have always protected the religious tradition, either as priests of
the gods or as the servants of the True God.
The Ecclesia has the right to enforce their doctrines and reinterpret
old doctrines.

The Administrative Castes
– The administrator castes are the local authorities, usually an ethnic group
that came to power in their civilizations through politics, military
organizations.  Examples include the An,
the Polonë of Pallas, the Dalé of the Arrazëan Laurë, the Sarona, and the
modern Rëline.

The Retainer Castes –
These castes are the servants of the upper castes, and are the only caste with
some degree of social mobility.  A
retainer caste member can find themselves the servants of the Imperial caste,
alongside that caste’s retainers.
Examples include the Relenë of the Arrazëan Laurë.

The Occupational Castes –
These castes are the middle class, constituting specialists, like merchants and
craftsmen.  Examples include the Lendére
in Arraz, the Aulës in Pallas, and the Malla in Jour.

The Laborer Castes –
These castes are the lower class, who feed and clothe the higher castes.  Examples include the Saddan of the East and the
conquered clans of the west.

The Saintless/The Godless
– Those “castes” who are in this classification are not part of a legally
recognized caste, and thus are not considered part of society and are below the
law.  Crimes against this group cannot be
punished.  Murdering a member of such a
caste will not result in even a fine, nor would rape be more than a brief
embarrassment that the perpetrator had intercourse with a casteless.  However, the greatest punishment in most
cultures is to be rendered casteless.
Only an exceptional man can be adopted into a caste from this caste.