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Old 02-19-2021, 02:21 PM   #30
Prince Charon
 
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Default Re: [Psi/Space] Irar, the Jewel in the British Crown

Castes of Atorua

During formal education, the Atoruan culture places young Coeb'lds into castes based on what Talent or Talents one has (or rather, based on a series of examinations and observations that certain Talents help with). Ending up in a lower caste than one's parents is possible, and a source of great shame; ending up in a higher caste is also possible, and can result in being adopted into a family in that caste, or being allowed to marry into one, as well as benefiting one's birth-family socially and financially. Significant achievements later in life can lead to one being placed in a higher caste than one graduated into, often with the excuse that one had 'tested badly' before. The ease or difficulty of moving from one caste to another after adulthood varies by time and region. The Valdranoi currently have fairly loose castes with relatively easy mobility, while the Lands of the Faithful Synod have the least caste-mobility in Atorua. The Popular Syndicalist Commonwealth of Haasta theoretically has no castes, and no Status, but in practice does - they simply have very shallow justifications for putting people 'in their proper place' without admitting that this is what they're doing (they also theoretically have elections, but the Syndicalist Party 'counts' the votes, and declares the result in line with what benefits the Party, with little regard for who people actually want in office).

Other cultures will test for various Talents, but mostly do not have castes - unless you stretch the definition of 'caste' unfairly.


Atoruan castes (normal Status ranges, not accounting for Wealth or Rank):

* Priest (Status 2 to 6): The highest caste, socially, mediating between the people and the gods (through study and ritual, or the use of drugs that stimulate Celestial Communion or other permitted Astral Projection-related abilities, or in rare cases by having an Astral Patron); in some Atoruan nations, the Priestly Caste is merged with the Nobility, or with the Sage Caste (or both, in the Lands of the Faithful Synod of the Holy Church). Helpful Talents for this caste include Close to Heaven, Close to the Earth, Psientist, and Spirit Talker. Charisma is also helpful, as are high levels of Devotion or Empath; some Healers may be brought into this caste, especially if they have other useful Talents or work especially hard on learning religious skills, or are good at Biokinesis (but are not seen to use Necrokinesis). Psi-drug addiction is more common among the Priestly caste than in any other save the lowest. Not all priests or priestesses are part of this caste: followers of foreign (non-Atoruan) gods are either outside the hierarchy due to being foreign visitors, or may be placed in a caste without regard to their status in their own religion, for Atoruan priests/priestesses of non-Atoruan gods. Followers of forbidden Atoruan gods (e.g. the Goddess of Thieves, God of Evil, and God of Death are acknowledged members of the Atoruan pantheon, but cannot legally have their own priesthoods in most Atoruan states) are placed in the Criminal caste, below.

* Noble (Status 2 to 5): Arguably the highest caste in practical terms, being the folk that military officers, higher administrators, courtiers, and politicians are drawn from (though in the most egalitarian nations, members of lower castes may stand for election and even have a chance at winning). Particularly useful Talents are Born Tactician, Born War-Leader, Intuitive Admiral (Sea or Air), Smooth Operator, Talker, and again, Charisma. There is a certain amount of division between military nobility (Born Tactician, Born War-Leader, Intuitive Admiral) and court nobility (Smooth Operator, Talker), which become separate castes in some nations (with military nobility often being part of the Warrior caste, which may be placed higher there than it is on this list).

* Sage (Status 1 to 4): The intellectual caste, as well as the caste most bankers come from. Helpful Talents include Analytical Engineer, Cunning Folk, Mathematical Ability, Natural Scientist, Occultist, Parapsychologist, and of course Sage; most Healers are also part of this caste. Some nations merge this caste with the Merchant and/or Technical casts, below, or the Priest caste, above. Many ritual psis are in this caste.

* Warrior (Status 0 to 3): The caste of professional combatants and military support, from which most NCOs and peacetime enlisted personnel derive (other castes may be drafted into the ranks in the event of war), though few commissioned officers come out of this caste, unless it is merged with the military nobility. Common Talents include Airship Technician, Born Soldier, Combat Artificer, Dungeon Artificer, Military Technician, Nautical Technician, Stalker, and Survivor; most experienced soldiers and such have one or more high physical stats. It is possible in most nations to join the military without being part of the Warriors or the Nobles, but one is less likely to rise much beyond the lowest NCO ranks, or if managing to get a commission or warrant (most common with Sages and Merchants), the lowest officer ranks.

* Merchant (Status 0 to 2): Shopkeepers, traders, farmers, fixers, artists, and so on are part of this caste (though a lot of fixers are also criminals, and may find themselves in that caste if caught). Beneficial Talents include Airship Technician (the less martial variants), Allure, Born Entertainer, Gifted Artist, Green Thumb, Master Accountant, Musical Ability, Nautical Technician (the less martial variant), Poet, Seafarer, Skyfarer, Street-Smart, and Street Smarts (yes, those are separate). The greatest Merchants have a high imputed Status from their Wealth, but must still be careful not to offend those in higher castes, lest they lose it all. The lowest caste that can run for political office (in nations where that's an option at all) and have a chance at winning without a higher-caste Patron. The crews of military airships and waterships are often a mix of Warriors and Merchants or Technicians, the Warriors being in charge of the guns and any other combat systems, and the rest being there to 'make it go,' while the (generally Noble) officers decide where it should go; the ship's Master, most often an experienced Merchant seaman or airman, decides how to get there, and hopefully the Captain and Master cooperate well in maneuvering the ship in combat.

* Technician (Status -1 to 2): The more respected of the two 'working class' castes, those who build, maintain, run, and repair the machines that make civilization go; household servants are also often from this caste. Common Talents include Artificer and most variants thereof (which is the most common type of Talent), Airship Technician, Animal Friend, Born Sailor, Nautical Technician, Goodwife, and Master Builder (which is often the Talent held by members of this caste who grow in Wealth).

* Criminal (Status -2 to 0): The lowest and generally poorest caste. The normal way to enter this caste is by being born in the 'wrong' family and not having the education or Talent to get out; anyone who committed sufficiently serious crimes or badly offended someone of sufficiently higher caste and Status (which some would claim is the same thing) may also end up here, whatever caste they or their family is in. The Close to Hell, Craftiness, Strangler, Thanatologist, and Tough Guy Talents, while not usually tested for, can lead one to this caste if developed, especially if one has no Talents associated with higher-Status castes; so can the use of 'unclean' powers like Necrokinesis or Psychic Vampirism, or evidence thereof. Despite the name, there are many legitimate jobs for the 'Criminal' caste, it's just that those jobs are mainly unskilled labour, and pay poorly. Even then, the general assumption is that members of this caste are probably guilty of something (and thus are likely, but not required, to have a negative Reputation and some degree of Watched, as well as low Status).

In some regions, the equivalent of this caste is called something like 'the Labour caste,' instead, and they do have it easier, though the assumption that they're probably criminals often remains; being punished by being dropped down to this caste is far more rare in those nations. In a few regions, most notably the Lands of the Faithful Synod of the Holy Church (which practices a relatively new, more fundamentalist interpretation of the majority religion of Atorua), this is the 'slave caste,' and they actually have it worse than the Criminal caste in other nations (criminals usually have rights); in that region, the Goddess of Emancipation (freedom from slavery) is also on the list of proscribed deities. Drug addiction is depressingly common at this level of society, not limited to psi-drugs.


Some occupations are not really limited by caste. Stay-at-home mothers are common to every caste, of course, and stay-at-home fathers, while very rare, are at least possible. Anyone might be a writer or story teller, and all castes have teachers for the caste's skills (though in some cases this is more like an apprenticeship). Artists are most common in the Merchant caste, but might be found in any of them, and in democracies, politicians might come from most or all castes. Prostitutes are another example: sacred prostitutes, priestesses (and priests) whose form of worship involves sex (and accepting donations for the service) are the most respected, though most professional sex workers are in the Merchant caste; outside of those castes, it's more difficult to get a license in the polities that require one. Some part-time prostitutes who accept gifts rather than money could come from any caste, but are not legally considered prostitutes, and thus require no license.


Thoughts?
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Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.

Last edited by Prince Charon; 12-20-2023 at 07:40 AM.
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