Hierarchy and Rank in Equis

* King. The ruler of all of Equis and the Fourteen Districts.
* Queen. The wife of the king and second in his rank.
* Heir. The crown prince or princess; oldest child of the king and next in line to the throne. Often considered at the same rank as queen.
* Lesser heirs. Any children following the firstborn and further in line to the throne.

**Greater Nobility**

* The lords of the principal noble houses or greater noble houses
* The lords of sworn houses or lesser noble houses

**Lesser Nobility**

* The lords of vassal houses
* Paladins

**Goodmen**

The mid to low classes. They are freemen and not bound in serfdom. Most knights, merchants, craftsmen, free farmers, and soldiers are goodmen. Some heads of vassal houses are goodmen and do not belong to nobility.

**Serfs** | *otherwise known as thralls*

The lowest classes at the bottom of social hierarchy. They make up the largest part of society and work to serve all of those above them.

* Servants. Free men and women who serve nobility or goodmen. They are not serfs and are not bound to their masters, but most are paid only in room and board.
* Serf. Lowest class. Essentially slaves. Bound to farms or the households of noble families. They live and die working the land or serving keeps. Serfs who work in households are called servants, but not all servants are serfs.

### Military Rank

* Paladin. Paladins are descendants of noble families whose members served in the holy wars and were granted lands by the monarch when they returned. Due to the fact that the ancient paladins were members of noble families, their descendants inherited their noble birth. Any knight of a paladin-descended family is known as a paladin. Most paladins are landed, with a keep and land of their own, but some are sworn to the households of their lords and live in their lords' castles. Paladins who have their own keeps and garrisons may grant knighthood, as they are of noble birth. They are more than simply landed knights, they are descendants of proud ancient bloodlines who fought to defend the Faith. This rank does not exist in the Fourteenth District, which does not practice the Faith and did not fight in the holy wars.
* Landed knight. Not nobility. Landed knights may have their own keeps and land, but they are not members of noble houses and are in the mid-ranking goodman class. The keep and property of a landed knight are given to him by his lord and may be taken away at any time. Landed knights have their own small garrisons. A few may be given a household knight from their lord's garrison, who will then usually serve as the garrison commander. Landed knights are not able to grant their soldiers the rank of household knight because they are not of noble birth.
* Household knight. A household knight has no land or a keep of their own. They are not nobility. They live in the castle or keep of a lord, paladin, or landed knight.
* Guardsman. A soldier in the employment of a castle, keep, town, business, or other organization. Some are mounted but most are not. They are more more trained and experienced fighters than marchers, but their skill level can vary greatly.
* Marcher. A marcher is an untrained goodman or serf who is called to defend a town or castle or march with trained military forces during wartime. Marchers do not have previous military skill and most have not experienced fighting before. They are either given weapons or use things such as clubs, spears, and axes.

### Castle Military Rank

At any castle or keep, the following hierarchy may be found in the garrison. Within this hierarchy, paladins or landed knights would rank above household knights and below the heads of guard. They are not included as they are not permanently stationed at their lord's castle, but live at their own keeps and head smaller personal garrisons.

* Garrison Commander. Head of the garrison and the highest-ranking man in the castle military.
* Head of Guard. Second-in-command. In larger castles, leader of captains and their squadrons. Most were former household knights elevated to this rank by the garrison commander. Train the children of the lord in combat.
* Guardian of Gates. The main watchman of the castle, head of all wall and gate guardsmen.
* Captain. Report to the head of guard. Roughly of equivalent to the Guardian of Gates. Head a small squadron of household knights and soldiers, train household knights and soldiers.
* Household knight. Mounted soldiers who are generally the best fighters after the heads of guard and commander. They are sworn into the service of the castle and do not hold lands or keeps of their own.
* Guardsman. Soldiers ranking slightly above marchers. Some are not mounted but most are not. They possess more skill and generally have seen combat or at least have gathered years of experience guarding the castle. They are trained soldiers but are not as skilled as household knights.
* Marcher. The lowest level of castle military, the untrained foot soldiers. Marchers are not permanently stationed at castles. They are goodmen or serfs who are called to march with the castle forces to war or called to defend the castle during wartime. This is not a permanent military station and is not truly viewed as a rank, but a temporary position.

Large castles may have multiple heads of guard and captains.

Small keeps may have only a garrison commander and a captain as leadership over the soldiers.

### Hierarchy of Castle Residents

At the top of any castle or keep hierarchy are the lord and his wife and children. Beneath the lord, the following hierarchy may be found.

* Steward.
* Marshal. The marshal is charged with protecting the castle during wartime and defending it in times of peace. He serves as the Garrison Commander.