Castes (ANB)

## Overview

The (...) soceity is divded into 3 great Castes, also known as Vashk Vanan.

## Fighting Castes

### Vashk Alad - Warriors

The Warrior Subcast, also known as *Vashal*, serve as the soldiers, watchmen and martial champions. They are devoted to combat and martial mastery and have a very open and direct approach compared to their brother casts. During peace the *Vashal* mostly serve as law enforcement and peacekeepers; during war they make up the bulk of the (...) armies. The *Vashal* themselves are subdivded into (...):

#### *Wardians*

The Wardians serve as City Guards, protecting towns and cities against threats from in- and outside. They are the primary means of law- enforcement, patrolling the streets and guarding a cities most vital locations. They are generally considered the lowest in the hierarchy of the Vashal and make up the vast majority of their kind. They enjoy more respect than Rangers of members of the Working Cast but are considered the least of their kind. The lowest and poorest Wardians are designated to serve as Night Watch, a task most consider to be dangerous, dirty and arduous. As a result the members of the Night Watch are the most likely to fall to corruption and compromise. Those that fail even the Night Watch are assigned to the Sewer Guard, which are send below the city to keep its waste system clean of crime and infestations.

#### *River Guard*

The River Guard, or *Namisur,* is a Guild of Vashal that serve to protect the sacred river and the smaller towns and plantations between the greater cities. They are trained to fight against raiders, beasts and rebelling slaves. Plantation owners or lesser lords can call upon their services to protect them and their property or crush revolts of slaves and foreigners. They wear signature armor and are armed with ornate Blades, Glaives and Repeating Crossbows unique to their Guild. While they are sworn to protect all of the (...), their captains all to often prioritise the interests of their (...) above the protection of the (...) as a whole. This often creates conflict between the various chapters of the River Guard.

#### *Heroes*

Heroes, or *Esharis*, have an almost noble status among the *Vashal*. They are said to embody the free and feral spirit of the first warriors that lead the ancient tribes of men. The Esharis are not bound to the service of a city or the (...) as a whole, but rather the code of their bloodline. Heroes usually travel the lands surrounding great cities and seek to gain glory and infamy through acts of prowess or bravery. The greatest among them serve as champions of the cities they hail from and they are awareded certain freedoms and privileges no other Vashal enjoys. They often fight with highly customised gear or artefacts they found on their adventures.

#### *Palace Guardians*

Palace Guardians and Heroes both are considered the apex of their kind; and where Heroes emboy the free spirit of a warrior champion the Palace Guards embody the loyal service of a soldier. Since birth they are trained not only to fight but also to obey and serve. They are supposed to loose all sense of self, only following the divine command of the Highborn they are ought to protect with their lifes. Palace Guardians bear the strongest armor and greatest weapons of all Vashal, often enforced by Precursor Artefacts. Their signature weapon is the (...) Glaive, a polearm with a Shadowblade and a build-in Thunderlance.

### Vashk Khaal - Assassins

The Assassin Subcast, also known as *Khalasar*, utilise their martial hertiage for stealthy murder, espionage and sabotage. They serve as agents, spies and silent executioners for the (...). The *Khalasar* have become an integral part of the political machinery of the (...), being involved in the maintainance of public order aswell as the perpetual intruiges of the courts.

#### *The Masks*

The Masks are a unique Guild within the Khalasar that are heavily involved with the (...). They use their arts of Fleshcrafting and mental conditionining to create agents that are truly faceless, having a constructed appereance and the ability to freely switch between personalities and convictions. They are often employed as sleeper agents; rarely aware of their true nature and purpose until its fufilled.

### Vaskh Shaleb - Rangers

The rangers, also known as *Shalsir*, are the border guard and foresters of the (...). They patroll the less civilised parts of the (...) and are trained to fight and contaign the feral and ancient dangers at its borders. Even though the Shalsir have the lowest rank among the Fighting Castes they are invaluable to the (...). They are trained to tame and ride various creatures, fight with melee and ranged weapons and spot and disarm Precursor Threats.