Al'terra (Classes)

## Social Ranking

**Pride**: Fviya, Tincane, and Jin-Ti (all equally weighted)

**Privileged** (multiple internal rankings):

1. Political Tactician - These are top level beaucrats who actually take what the Rhioss says and puts it into motion.

2. City officials/governors/lords - 'local government' officials.

3. Advisors/consultants/master librarians - this are the best of the best, who have cross-topic knowledge

4. Masters of skilled trades (think doctors, lawyers, even very skills farmers)

5. Memory keeps

6. Very skilled apprentices

7. The Court (social intelligence) - Upper servants, consultants, and aides to their political head

8. Servants as elected by the Pride - Red Guard (police), Government Admin staff, Bureaucrats, Privileged at 28, and generally people in the military.

**Common:**

1. Artists (creative skill)
2. Business and merchant traders
3. Unskilled labour and/or low skill tasks (think basic carpenter or cobbler or farm hand etc) including athlete

## Class Division

The goal of Al'terrians, their whole life is to control themselves - often personified as their board. Not only is this control of past and present, but also of futures. There is often a belief that knowledge is power, and therefore power is control - sometimes this is intelligence, other times social connections, religious connections, or career ambitions. Any of these avenues is acceptable as a pursuit of control. If you cannot control yourself, the next best thing is to control other people. Religious followers will believe the more control you have, the more control over your board, the better you will have in your next life time. Knowledge is more important than wealth, though they sometimes go hand in hand, a poor but incredibly wise woman would be revered above a young wealthy boy.

### The Pride

Pride: King and Queen above the entire country then three classes of Pride, then their apprentices. The Pride/ the Prideful are the socially elite class that occupy the centre of the Tantus or any city, carefully guarded and enclosed. They can leave the city centre, but most do not venture out very much from the centres of cities. The centre is divided male and female, but is also very mixed in the middle. Adults of the pride are divided into 3 different. Children of the Pride run 'wild' until the age of 5 and then are put into schools to learn basic skills. At 16 if they are found suitable, children are then apprenticed to whatever role fits them best, with a component of like university learning. Apprentices are not allowed to love, must control your hormones for their training duration. The Pride makes up the ruling government.
Tincane (scholars) - Since knowledge is considered power, they are considered some of the most powerful people in the world. These are the scientists, the researchers, the polyglots, the librarians, sometimes explorers and adventures seeking knowledge.
Jin-Ti - Warriors and generals, siplomats, who do the bidding of various councils and orders for battles. Although highly trained in battle art, they are the most peaceful of the three groups - well versed in chess lore, in strategy, in language, in peace making. Often their power comes from being not only physically strong, leaders of other soldiers, but also able to manipulate their own chess boards and change the outcomes of other people's lives. Jin Ti have 8 basic stances that at least Timethy was drilled in.
Fviya - The group dedicated to the study and use of magic, gaining for their own or others use - they are creative, show off, ambitious, problem solvers.They have a thirst for the creation of the new, which had the original intent of being selfless but is less so now adays.
The original intent of the three factionis of the Pride was that they would each attend large gatherings bringing peace, knowledge, and a creative solution. If things went poorly they brought an inexhaustable host of resources, tactical strength, and deadly ambitious.

**Beliefs:** Not strongly religious by practice, on a whole, the personal beliefs of the Pride are generally to be the best possible such that control can be had over the board, influencing this life and the next

**Location:** The Sacred Board – This is the walled and gated community of the Pride that few of the Pride ever leave. It is divided into 64 regions. It contains libraries, museums, halls, chambers, temples, academies, universities, statues, fountains, art galleries, cathedrals. Each major city has a region like this, but the original board is in Tantus and it is traditionally pilgrimmed to on the regular.

**Pride Factions/Splinters**

Members of the Pride universally like collecting titles, as it indicated the power and prestige they hold.

The Rhioss Kelnrey (the Great Society) – Governed by a male and female head (King and Queen), who are not related nor mated - but could be. They are each incredibly smart and talented in all three factions of Pride, and usually young. Their positioned are gained by challengingthe post to a fight and winning. They rule the entirety of their gender in the Pride and make decisions for the Great Society, which is the highest council and ruling democracy of Al’terra, and thus rule the country together through strange politics. If they killed or die outside the parameters of a fight, they have picked an heir to follow them who may then be challenged. The Society is generally a congregation of male and female, although it can be split, ruled by the King and Queen. Every major leader and person of importance is part of the Society which meets four on, two off. The Great Society is the largest, most powerful and influential group of the Pride, with every leading master of the other groups in attendance - the King and Queen must agree on new places. As long as the King and Queen agree, the motion passes - taxes, law, etc.There is a lot of tradition in starting, in speaking. Common people will refer to this as the 'Rhioss'

“...of the Lion kin” (or any other cat) – a title used to refer a person’s cat essence/heritage. This has been largely ignored in the Pride currently, but there are kin groups still that openly identify their blood, embracing their identity

“...under the study of (name)” – a title tacked on to the existing titles a person holds if they are completely third tier training, such as to identify their Master/Mistress.

The Wisdom Council – a group of the most knowledgeable fvïya that hold great sway in the Rhioss Kelnrey

The Brotherhood of Staffs – Major group of fvïya, their staffs indicating feats of accomplishments by their carvings. They specialize in offensive magic directed through their staffs.

Arcatha– a collection of fvïya dealing in new “technology” or innovation. It is also a physical location that is part university, part research and residence.

ij Mï – in dealings with any plants or flora/fauna

ij Ken – in dealings with cat/human issues and anything to do with the crosses

ij Thal – in dealings with death, 9 lives, others lives and religion

ij Zajh – in dealings of war, battle, and other countries

ij Renra – in dealings with history, discovery of knowledge, and language

ij Tear – in dealings of chess, boards, fate and current dealings

The Gathering Heights – fvïya testing the limits of the magic

Sar ven Chaz – tight control and guardians, rule makers of magic

The ninth hall – a small group devoted to the use of magic with religion in mind. Divisions exist due to belief differences. Hence, ‘the eight hall’ also exists.

Derfvï – five ambassadors, learned in magic, sent to impress and display their power to the domestic peoples. Sometimes this is in fear, sometimes delight historically.

Company of the Broken Circle – dedicated to the use of magic for healing.

The Court - The group that immediately attends the King or Queen. The group consists of guards, messengers, a decoy, men/ladies in waiting, attendants, servants, heralds, scribes, handlers for animals, fanner, assistant, assassin, personal handler, healer, translator, a person of magic, and princes/princesses

High Council – Most important nine people of the Pride, including King and Queen, which take the decisions of the Society and put them into play and shape the future of Al’terra.

The Order – the most powerful group of magic users from all over the world and they meet in Tantus in the Pride area

The Design - Made up of six members that work together mostly in times of war or trouble, rarely useful during times of peace. They are far more useful when working together, though they can work for their own means alone. The group is known of by the government but not at all controlled by them. No one knows the members of the Design except fellow members. Each chooses a successor on their own. The First member is the Eye. They have the gift of far seeing, and act as a spy, able to see things others can’t. Traditionally, they can look into the future and sometimes the past, but some of the former people that were the Eye were stronger than others. The second member is the Tongue, who is always gifted to be charismatic, able to work as a spokesperson and convince people. Often the Tongue is also the Teller of Tales, a fabled bard who is a masterful storyteller and manipualtor of people. They are quite compelling. The third member is the Aural or the Ear, a person gifted in far hearing, to hear the songs of the whales far out or the whispers of the palace or the beat of one’s heart. Sometimes they hear far more than they need to. A powerful person dubbed the Aural can hear things of the past and pieces of what the future could be. It is a powerful gift if it does not drive them mad. The fourth member is the Hand, who acts out the will of the Design, given full power to kill at will, or to protect someone against all other authority. They cannot be questioned or held back. Sometimes the Hand acts as an assassin. The fifth member is the Blood, who is not so supernaturally gifted, but knows what is going on in the city or country just by feeling it. Sometimes the power of mind reading will aid this person. They truly know the goings-on of places. The final member is the Heart, who acts as the encourager and provides physical items to the group. The Heart is responsible for keeping the group together and functioning but not for leading. The group has no leader and decides things together, which is the main reason it is not always together. They use magic and the Powers and are a secret even within the Pride.

Common Studies Guild – a group of tincane that set about to discover the workings of the common people

The (Cat) Identity – groups for each species that strongly identify and support their cat essence. This is opposed to ‘kin’ who barely acknowledge it.

Investigative Essence Order – a brief coalition that is mentioned from time to time that sought out the root of the cat essence and tried to put a force on its end by brutal means.

Interpretations and Readings Assembly – a group of tincane who look over and dispute of old texts that do not particularly translate well.

Secretary of Early Historical Studies Order – A position of great importance: leader of an investigative group searching for the origins of the world.

The Active Players Council – a non-specific group of Pride chess players who perform the classic games purely for their own satisfaction.

Overseer of the Sacred Board Matters – A singular person who watches over the Gathering Heights, among other important groups and reports directly to the rulers.

Secondary Observers of Effective Procedure – second to the Primary Observers who regulate who sits in the Society meetings and who does not, and those who keep order there.

The Circle of Alternative Notion – A group of ‘free thinking’ magicians who explore the multi universe theory and test it with their magic.

Minor Council of Afterlife Theories – a combination of scholars and magicians that look into what happens after death and speculate, usual on the single death theory

Modern Sages – an unofficial grouping of tincane that had beneficial wisdom for the masses

Reality Knot – a group set about to decode the relations of magic between all the peoples of Altleos

The Ring of Espionage within the Western Coast – The spy ring largely disbanded due to good relations with Galeez. It used to be used to spy on Galeez as well as the Septavian Coast.

Scholars of Human Authority – A group critical of singular human rulings, such as the King and Queen and other monarchs in the known world. They lean from democracy to anarchy.

Council and Studies of Single Event Phenomena Half-Sun Delegation Chessboard Predictions and Fate Study

**Areas of Tincane Study** Different studies

o   Historical/literal view of chess

o   Spiritual interaction between playing chess and what happens on the spiritual plane

o   How to use chess theory/ideas to open doors between worlds

o   How chess can interact with real life (using chess as voodoo)

o   Abstract chess gameplay (using chess pieces of checkers etc) and its effects

o   Chessboard metaphors interacting as it involves life (‘a politician is like a rook...’)

o   Telling the future using chess as well as with other methods

o   Scientific explanation of magic and how chess explains it (the balloon and stem cell theory)

o   Influence and results of cats and chess on each other

o   Interaction of chessboard pieces, literal and relationally

o   Cat behaviour and how the chessboard dictated it

o   Origins of the chessboard

o   Chess as ‘religion’ (much like the Force...you must dedicate yourself to it)

o   Patterns of chess, the chessboard, and life

o   How personalities relate to chess pieces

o   Using the stars and zodiac on a chessboard to see the future of a birthed child

### Privileged

The Privileged are a less official job class, made of only adults that live both in and outside city centre, who gain power through the people that give it to them: government officials, business people, those in law. Middle class and high class servants of the Pride.

### Commonality

Makes up the vast majority of Al'terrians Common: Artists (creative skill), Business and merchant traders, unskilled labour and/or low skill tasks (think basic carpenter or cobbler or farm hand etc) including athletes

### Labourers

Although not really a separate class, those children at the age of 15 that have the Powers and are taken into forced labour to work it out of their systems before they turn 16.