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Almanac: Social Status - Labyrinthe Forum
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> Almanac: Social Status, Extract from Visions of Glass
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post Feb 22 2008, 01:19 PM
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Extract from The Companion Issue Six Vol 5
May 2004
By Alan Morgan


Status

Are You Being Serfed?
Whilst it is fairly clear that the Nobles are at the top and the peons at the base there is a little more to it than that. Other than the bloodlines that each possesses, the major strength of the Noble Houses, and thus of the Blood, is that their titles pass down through the family in whatever way desired by the current holder. Titles earned and gifted to the heroes of the land are most commonly for life but effectively die with the holder.

The Empire is not, despite the railing of the malcontent, a place dominated by the will of the Nobility. In fact, the Nobility have very little to do with the way it is run and despite the fact that legally there is not one scrap of land not owned by one House or another most Nobles never even see what it is to which they hold the deeds. Noble Houses have to commit themselves to one or other of the Halls of Nobility if they want a political voice, without all the work of actually struggling in the political arena, and then they merely join a solid block whose influence is decided by the Hall’s Mennihaft in any case.

The Empire is a place where anyone can rise in status and though only a descendant of the Sallow and the Weavers can assume the Throne of Glass that is almost the only limit. Whether chosen by Primus, the gods or fickle fate certain people assume Vitae and it is these that most often rise to prominence and few of these are born into the ‘ruling class that does not rule’. It has been postulated that in some way Vitae takes a person beyond the sympathy of Primus as a conscious force and certainly it is the views of the common folk that seems to most form the Primal vision at the time of the Final Dawn.

But I digress rather badly since what I want to talk about are those ranks held in civilised society that are of importance but are not Noble.

Whether in the Legions, a Craft Guild or as a Merchant social rank is pretty much constant. The status of an individual is often dependant upon the power he wields, thus a Guild must attain a certain influence before its leader rises in social title and indeed the title itself is one added to the name in much the same way as ‘Doctor’ is in our own world. Thus Pedwryn Vile becomes the head of the city’s Carpenters Guild and thereafter he is known as ‘Master Vile’.


Master
The first title commonly found is that of Master. Guilds of all kinds are commonly headed by a Master and the title is used in the place of other positions such that many towns have a Master where might otherwise be found a Mayor in our own. A Master is a respected figure in any community but is very much part of that community and is the person who will most commonly speak for his guild, city quarter or town, for example. Strictly speaking the full title includes the area in which the holder presides so there would be Guild Master and War Master, one who commands a Held of roughly 100 soldiers but each and all are reduced to Master in common conversation or reference.

Not often used now but the strict title for a City Councillor is also Master (name).


Factor
Not a title preceding a name, a Factor is to an important person what a Herald is to a Noble in that they represent another’s interests but with all the authority of their liege. Nobles and Merchants often have a variety of Factors, such as social, trade or home, and in their own appointed area they speak and act for those they serve. The actual standing of the Factor depends entirely upon the standing and power of the person they serve.


Sire
Important people, a Sire is one step below a Noble and given that so many Houses are in vassalage to the Great Houses they are more often than not far more powerful and wealthy. So important is the title that there are only thirty-four Merchant Sires in the Empire and to claim the name they all possess a deed of Marque from the hand of the late Emperor Amora. Only very influential Craft Guilds have a Sire to lead them and a warrior needs to command many men to claim the title, eight hundred to a thousand being typical, though Mercenary Helds of renown and many years success often find their leaders so elevated.

Like a Master, Sire is used as if it were a true title so that Master Vile, on his Guild spreading to a sufficient importance, would become ‘Sire Vile’.

It is important to note that there is no ‘middle class’ in the Empire. Divisions are often more complex in the eyes of the common folk and social rank does not even include the Nobility who are almost mythical figures in any case. Within a Craft Guild there might be eight or more ranks and adventurers, preachers and priests are judged depending on both the city’s culture and often such shallow perceptions as appearance! It is not simply a case of peon, mercenary, Noble but a range of many, locally defined layers that hardly includes the Nobility at all!


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