Penned by Mij, traveling scholar
Classes
It was perhaps inevitable that a city founded on gold would end up developing a strict hierarchy for its populace. There are six standard castes within Lercel: citizen, merchant, noble, knight, arcknight, and Archon. Each is tied to the amount of ris and thus seals an individual has. A citizen has no seals, simply some ris, while merchants have a full seal, nobles two, and so on.
Since the amount of ris, or even seals, a person possesses is not always obvious, the number of names one has directly corresponds to rank. All names in Lercel are restricted to three letters, and citizens only have a single name. Merchants have two, nobles have three, etc. The exception is the Archon, of which there is only one. They are the leader of Lercel and are simply called the Archon. Due to this singularity, it is also the only class that is capitalized.
In summary:
- Citizen = 0 seals, 1 name
- Merchant = 1 seal, 2 names
- Noble = 2 seals, 3 names
- Knight = 3 seals, 4 names
- Arcknight = 4 seals, 5 names
- Archon = 5 seals, their title (the Archon)
One final important note about classes and names: When two people of the same rank address each other, they use each other’s first names only. Whereas if two people are of different rank, the one of lower rank will say the first name plus an additional name for each rank that separates them. So, a citizen will always need to say all the names someone of a higher rank has. However, if a noble was speaking to an arcknight, the noble would use the arcknight’s first three names (first name plus two more for the two ranks between them). In contrast, the person of a higher caste will call everyone of lower rank only a single name. So when the arcknight responds to the noble, they’ll use just the noble’s first name.
Birth Price
In order to enter and live in Lercel, a person of any race must be of at least citizen rank. This means that if someone from a foreign tribe wishes to visit Lercel, they must purchase a bit of Gold ris to do so, which they can have removed upon their departure, regaining a portion of their funds. This also means that when parents have a child they must have sufficient wealth to make the newborn at least a citizen. This cost is called a Birth Price, and if the parents do not have it, the child is taken to serve in the Archon’s Palace or other government building. These children form a unique servant class present nowhere else in the city. They are permitted to stay within Lercel without ris but spend most of their lives in the location they are assigned and are never given a name other than servant.
For a time there was another option available to those of little means who had children. A trade was established with Life Tribe who value new life just as those in Lercel value gold–for sacrifice. This was a highly controversial exchange that was eventually abolished, but for a time it was a lucrative way to make money, and with it some parents used one child to fund the Birth Price of their next.
Additional Restrictions
Other particularities associated with class are as follows:
- In order to own property one must be of at least merchant class. Citizens must rent, and it has been said that this is one reason why most who are born into this rank never escape it.
- Merchant class is also required to be accepted into the majority of Lercel’s schools for ris because without the first seal there is no way to create the projected strikes used in training.
- Duels are a common occurrence in Lercel and are usually for a portion of the participants’ ris. Anyone of merchant class or higher can challenge any other rank, though it is almost always the case that the duelists are of equal class due to the extreme difficulty inherent in defeating someone with a greater number of seals.
- The Lane, which is where some of the most skilled users of the first seal congregate, most often features matches between merchants. However, exhibition matches with nobles are relatively common, and even some knights and arcknights are known to frequent the establishment.
- In order to attend recruitment, which is held seasonally and is the primary way to become a knight, one must be of noble class. Part of the reason for this restriction is that recruitment is dangerous and without the second Gold seal providing a protective barrier death could easily result from participation.
- When a noble is accepted into one of the seven knight divisions, they receive a tabard of that division and become a tyro. This rank is technically above noble, though there is no difference in ris between the two.
- Since it is generally considered a waste for an individual to possess combat oriented ris that they do not actively use, people wishing to attain positions of power, like the Council Seats, only need to be of noble rank. If someone is a knight or arcknight, it is expected that they use the majority of their time protecting Lercel and its surroundings instead of attending lengthy meetings.
- In times of need, a militia is drafted of nobles and merchants. Since nobles have the protection of the second seal, they can be ordered to fight on the front line, while merchants are limited to defensive positions along the outer wall of the city unless the situation is truly desperate.
Foreign Seals
Seals of other ris types are not recognized in Lercel as a way to advance in rank. However, many still use them for the benefits they provide. This is especially true for the warrior castes like knights and arcknights, due to the great combat utility foreign abilities give them access to, particularly when combined with those bestowed by Gold. In addition, since only a single person in Lercel is allowed five seals of Gold, all others will have at least one empty seal space available to fill with a different type of ris. Though, some arcknights prefer to get more Gold ris to extend their charge and the amount they can pull, even if that additional ris is not enough to grant a final seal.
The Lotto
No conversation about caste in Lercel would be complete without mentioning the lotto. It was established by the fourth Archon who saw the generational problems of people being locked into their birth class and wanted to provide a way out of it. The lotto is partially funded by the government, but its money primarily comes from those who participate in it, of which there continue to be many. The prize amount is usually enough to purchase two seals and thus move from the lowest class of citizen to noble–a normally insurmountable leap. However, it is much more common to use the winnings to buy a single seal, leaving the rest to live one’s remaining days in luxury.
In Conclusion
While the current system can hardly be viewed as perfect, it has created stability since its inception and there are no signs that it will soon be changing. Protests have occurred at times against Birth Price and property ownership to name a few. However, such a significant shift would need to be initiated by the Archon or Council Seats, and since most of those members have been born into the noble class and have benefitted from the privileges inherent to that station, if current history is any indication, it is unlikely to occur.