Some months ago I wrote a companion piece for "The myth of Caste = Inmobility". It turned out quite differently. As always, this is IMO IMG.
The Myth of Caste Mobility
Copyright by Jose Ramos 1997
Everything is as good as the missionaries say.
Outsiders.
As always, Lords dictate what caste a convert will be. All henotheists ke=
ep a tradition of meriting your right caste, which comes from Arkat himse=
lf, a known Caste hopper ("Knight" to Wizard to Lord). Also, a Lord can a=
lways reverse the dictamen of another (or him-herself). Another differenc=
e is that many henotheists (depending on the region) have no difference b=
etween men and women. This equality is quite widespread, and more frequen=
t as you travel East. A lady may receive and keep Power, and also is a pa=
rt in many Saint-God cults.
Another great difference, brought about by the differences in worship in = the different levels of society, is that Caste is more in who you worship= and what magic you have that in the rigid strictures used by brithini, r= okari or loskalmi. So a Farmer may very well have a sword, and even know = how to use it in Otkorion, without risk of being cut down by the first pa= ssing knight or cursed by the church. However he cannot worship St. Talor=
So instead of a general situation, we have to see the particular cases of= each city-state, and we will see the particular cases of each Caste:
Farmer:
To become a farmer is easy, and in many henotheist lands it is nothing to= be ashamed of. The increasing power of the urban middle class, farmer ca= ste all, and their control of money gives them a strong leverage against = the church and the lords. In most henotheist lands the farmer caste is al= lowed weapons, and in Otkorion they may even own a sword (traditionally r=eserved to knights).
In the fields, of course, things are different, and farmers go on their u= sual life, as centuries before. Here remain many old cults, rests of the = hsunchen heritage in half forgotten myths and rituals, and corrupted form=s of the philosophical worship found in cities.
The son or daughter of a farmer is automatically a farmer, but may rise e= asily to knight (acceptance in a knightly cult, or service with a lord) o= r even a Wizard (apprenticeship with the parish priest, or talented stude= nts sent to the Temple schools). Most of the rural priests are themselves= of rural stock, and represent the more theistic aspects of henotheist ph=ilosophy.
An exception is in many of the western states, where a strong rokari pres= ence (a tribute to the rokari missionaries of the fifteenth century and t= o St. Rokar's blessing) remains. As rokari farmers are usually more hard-= working and less rebellious that any others, not many efforts of conversi= on are made, and seshnelan priests are sometimes sent as punishment to te=nd this estranged flock.
Knight:
Depending on the state, all professional warriors are knights, or only a = small elite, supported by a farmer militia and mercenaries. Ship captains= are usually of knight rank, even if most of the work is done by the farm=er caste mates and pilot.
The sign of a knight is a full time warrior, following a saint or a god t= hat may support this lifestyle: St. Humakt all around Ralios, Zorakarkat = in Naskorion, Orlanth the Warrior in Otkorion, St. Gerlant in the west, S=t. Paslac in the East, and many Arkat variants anywhere.
Menial work is frowned upon, and usually it is direct cause for caste cri= me to engage in it, specially any moneymaking ventures. A knight is expec= ted to serve his lord, or his mercenary company, or his cult, as a weapon=
Indeed, this is the caste which is easier to join and to leave. Any full = time soldier will be, or consider herself a knight. You just have to find= someone to give you the job. And you have just to take on a menial job t= o descend instantly to farmer. Rising to Lord or Wizard is harder. Some C= ult officials may become ex officio Wizards (such as the Reforged Sword o= f Arkat, head of the humaktis in Estal) but usually they will be more com=fortable with other knights than their "fellow" priests.
To become a Lord is usually the prize for a retiring mercenary chief, or = some loyal henchman of a successful Lord. This is usually arranged with a= fief of new creation (in pagan land, or the border) or if you are lucky = by marriage with a heiress. However women are not as oppressed as in Tani= sor, and many husbands have found that the real power remains with their =wives, and he is only another weapon in her arsenal.
Although usually nominally open equally to both sexes, there is a clear i= nequality in practice. As a reaction some all women mercenary bands, and = Ladies supporting women have risen. The opposition of the Green Lady's cu= lt hierarchy to warrior women is also a brake to women knights all around=Eastern Ralios.
Wizards
The presence of both practicing sorcerers and deist priests muddles the i= mage of the wizard caste, and even its composition. It is meant to includ= e full time practicers of magic, as long as their religious views do not = collide with the state. As this caste depends on divine favor and ability=rkat, with power to boot. The lack of a magic monopoly mines even further= the power of the priests and wizards, making them subservient to their L= ords.
, it is the less hereditary of the four. Gender restrictions in some cult=
s (the Green Lady and her husband cults, for instance) confuse the issue = even further. However the divided cults mean that the Church has not the = enormous power and prestige that it has in Rokari or Hrestoli lands. Here= common cult affiliation clashes with the different churches. As an effec= t, urban Ralios is not pious at all, priests are seen as just other magic= user, and gods are called and left depending on the local needs. Whether= it is the effect of Arkat=92s teachings or the Jrusteli meddling, it is = not known, but this is possibly the place where it is easier to get magic= for hire. Even worse, the secret societies widespread presence makes possible that = that washerwoman is really the High Hierarch of the Reknitted pieces of A=
As always in Ralios, there are exceptions, such as Otkorion, where Surant= yr has unified the church as the first step to unify the country that cou= ld not resist the new religious power, or Estal, where religious power is=necessary for the mundane one.
Lords
Lords are the most conservative of the castes, as a natural effect of bei= ng on top. The division of the other castes makes a Lord power stronger t= hat in other Malkioni lands. However their position is also weaker, as th= ey can be displaced by lack of public trust, or another Lord displaying m= ore power. Almost anybody can rise to Lord with luck and ability. The exc= eption is Galin, where you have to be a direct descendant of Ehilm to rul= e, and there is a clear hierarchy depending on birth, although limited to=the Lord Caste.
In Naskorion Lords are nothing more than glorified knights, as all the la= nd belongs to the duke. Their loyalty is less than firm, but the knowledg= e that they can be easily replaced stifles rebellions.
Finally, in Estal religious power is linked to political power, and marri= ages are arranged between lords and priestesses of the Green Lady. In thi= s way most governing lords are male, but the cult keeps the real reins of=power.
End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #203
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