Post by Alden Marshal on Feb 21, 2016 11:33:01 GMT -8
I want to make a dwarven country, and I need some help. So far I have the social structure for the country. I will of course need other things but the most important is interested participants. So I am posting what I have so far to try and stir up interest.
The Dwarven Nation is nestled under the Dwarven Crown. The Crown is massive mountain range, dominating the eastern edge of the continent. The mountains three largest peaks have been hollowed out, within these rocky shells the dwarves make their home. The mountains and the cities inside share their names: Axe, Hammer, and Shield. Dwarven civilization is a combination of a meritocracy and a rigid caste system. When a dwarf comes of age they are expected to join the military. The length of their term of service is left is up to each dwarf, when they finish they apply to join a caste. The strength of an application is determined by: the caste the dwarf was born to, and how well they did in the military. The Dwarven castes in order of prominence are: Officer, Smith or Sea Guard, City Guard, Engineer, Mason, Merchant, Miner, Fishermen, Farmer, and Servant. There are also two castes that exist outside the system: The Casteless, and The Justicars. Another factor in rank is the city the dwarf lives in. Dwarfs of the same rank from Axe, outrank those from Shield, who in turn outrank dwarves from Hammer, and the dwarves of Hammer, outrank dwarves who live on the surface in the farms or docks.
Officers ostensible, make up the ruling caste of Dwarven society. In theory they wield all of the political power one associates with the nobility. However these dwarves tend to be very limited in their focus, as such they delegate the majority of their work. They stick to military matters, allowing dwarves from lower castes to handle civil matters. Officers fall into one of five ranks from lowest to highest they are: Squad Head, Troop Leader, Phalanx Captain, Legion Commander, and War Lord. A squad head has command of 20 soldiers, a troop leader command of 10 squads, phalanx captain 5 troops, legion commander 5 phalanxes, and the war lord has command of an army.
The Sea Guard are accorded nearly as much respect as officers. The Sea Guard acts as the dwarven navy, and as such members of this caste are career soldiers. When not on patrol they also act as law enforcement on the docks. A dwarf can choose to join the Sea Guard when they take their mandatory service. It is a popular choice for dwarves from the docks, and lower caste dwarves from other cities, since it is a garunteed caste.
The Smith caste is the highest ranking civilian for obvious reason. Each district has it's own smiths guild that ranks it's members from novice, to apprentice, to journeyman, to master. The guild is lead by the most senior master smith, who is accorded the tittle of guild master. The majority of the dwarves of this caste were born into it, since the best smiths start learning young. It is quite difficult for a dwarf who was born outside this class to get in. Despite their high place in Dwarven society, the smiths hold little political power. They are not often delegated responsibilities by officers, instead being left to focus on their art.
The Huards act as the law keepers of the Dwarven cities, as well as a militia for emergencies. The Guard is not considered a branch of the military or the officer caste, and they have their own ranks: Guard, Sargent, Watch Captain, District Captain, and Watch Commander. Guards patrol the streets, Sergeants act as relays and command the streets guard station. Watch Captains have authority over a neighborhood, District Captains have authority over several Watch Captains. The Watch Commander controls the guard of a city in its entirety. Each level of the command, can also acts as arbitrator for any crimes committed. Whether a guard can arbitrate is dependent on the severity of the crime, and the caste involved. The guards have no authority on inter caste crimes, any crime involving officers, or for the most severe of crimes such as murder and treason. In cases that the guards cannot handle, they surrender authority to the Justicar's.
Engineers and masons, or as they might be more accurately dubbed: foremen and construction workers. These castes comprise the work force of the dwarves. Engineers act as architects, and inventors of products not relating to war. The masons act as their hands building whatever the engineers design. The engineers have a lot of domestic political power, they are most often delegated task related to civil works projects. Despite being considered separate castes the masons and engineers are closely tied. The Mason have a guild with the same ranks as the Smiths guild, when a Mason reaches the rank of master they enter the Engineer caste. The Engineer caste is the only caste that a dwarf cannot apply to enter directly, as such it is the smallest caste.
Although not the most prestigious caste, the merchants guild wields a great deal of political power. Peaceful foreign affairs, matters of commerce and tax, budgeting of civil projects, and many other task, are all delegated to this guild. The Merchants caste is comprised of a wide variety of skilled laborers, such as: tailors, cobblers, butchers, glass blowers, inn keepers etc. They are controlled by a guild with members having one of three ranks: tradesmen, aide, and Councillors. The majority of the merchants belong to the tradesmen category, these are the skilled workers of the dwarven kingdom. Dwarves with ambition, who seek to create, expand, or control a trade empire, are the ones who try and move up the ranks. Councillors are the true political power amongst the dwarves. They are the richest merchants, who own many small businesses, and the they act as primary delegate for a War Lord. Aides work directly for the Councillors, they are the hands of their boss, and seek to garner political power. Unlike other castes the Merchants will accept a dwarf with no military back ground, so long as that dwarf show sufficient intelligence.
The miners, the fishermen, and the farmers, are the lowest rung of dwarven society that still posses honor. These are the dwarves who failed to distinguish themselves in their military service, and lacked the skills to get into a higher caste. This caste makes up the majority of the dwarven population, and the posses very little power in dwarven society. More often than not, those who are born to this class stay in it.
The lowest of the low in dwarven society are the servants. Only two kinds of dwarves are placed in this class: minor criminals, and cowards. Cowards are the dwarves who either refused to join the military, or fled from a battle. Universally treated with disdain, ignored and shunned by friends and family, most dwarves in this class dream of leaving it. For criminals this is as easy as serving the time set out by their sentence. If a coward wishe to leave though their only option is to join or rejoin the army, and prove their valor.
The casteless are the dwarves who served time in the military and on completion, chose to explore the world as mercenaries or adventurers. These dwarves are usually looked on with disgust, since they abandoned the homeland. Though if a dwarf establishes themselves as a hero, then he can return with great honor.
The last caste is the Justicars, the are a group of 20 dwarves, 10 masters and 10 apprentices. They are the most feared dwarfs in the kingdom. There is no moratorium on violence between castes. A miner can strike a smith, and will be forgiven if the reason was just. However, raising a hand against a Justicar is a death sentence for any dwarf. Only one Justicar has been slain in the line of duty. There was once a war lord whose name is no longer remembered, who slew a Justicar thinking himself immune to their power. The Justicars, killed every member of his family and erase every mention of their names, no one has dared touch them since. Crime between castes, capital offences, and crimes committed by officers, these are all dealt with by the Justicars. They are unerring in their pursuit of truth, incorruptible, and unbiased, their only goal is to see justice done. One does not apply to be a Justicar, they are chosen. When a master dies their apprentice takes their place. The newly raised apprentice then prays to the god of justice. With the gods guidance, a new dwarf usually a child or baby is chosen and trained to take their place. The training of the Justicars, and the magic they receive from their god, makes them the worth of any ten dwarfs on the battlefield. They do not marry, they have no personal lives they exist solely to keep the law.
Dwarven Social Structure.
The Dwarven Nation is nestled under the Dwarven Crown. The Crown is massive mountain range, dominating the eastern edge of the continent. The mountains three largest peaks have been hollowed out, within these rocky shells the dwarves make their home. The mountains and the cities inside share their names: Axe, Hammer, and Shield. Dwarven civilization is a combination of a meritocracy and a rigid caste system. When a dwarf comes of age they are expected to join the military. The length of their term of service is left is up to each dwarf, when they finish they apply to join a caste. The strength of an application is determined by: the caste the dwarf was born to, and how well they did in the military. The Dwarven castes in order of prominence are: Officer, Smith or Sea Guard, City Guard, Engineer, Mason, Merchant, Miner, Fishermen, Farmer, and Servant. There are also two castes that exist outside the system: The Casteless, and The Justicars. Another factor in rank is the city the dwarf lives in. Dwarfs of the same rank from Axe, outrank those from Shield, who in turn outrank dwarves from Hammer, and the dwarves of Hammer, outrank dwarves who live on the surface in the farms or docks.
Officers ostensible, make up the ruling caste of Dwarven society. In theory they wield all of the political power one associates with the nobility. However these dwarves tend to be very limited in their focus, as such they delegate the majority of their work. They stick to military matters, allowing dwarves from lower castes to handle civil matters. Officers fall into one of five ranks from lowest to highest they are: Squad Head, Troop Leader, Phalanx Captain, Legion Commander, and War Lord. A squad head has command of 20 soldiers, a troop leader command of 10 squads, phalanx captain 5 troops, legion commander 5 phalanxes, and the war lord has command of an army.
The Sea Guard are accorded nearly as much respect as officers. The Sea Guard acts as the dwarven navy, and as such members of this caste are career soldiers. When not on patrol they also act as law enforcement on the docks. A dwarf can choose to join the Sea Guard when they take their mandatory service. It is a popular choice for dwarves from the docks, and lower caste dwarves from other cities, since it is a garunteed caste.
The Smith caste is the highest ranking civilian for obvious reason. Each district has it's own smiths guild that ranks it's members from novice, to apprentice, to journeyman, to master. The guild is lead by the most senior master smith, who is accorded the tittle of guild master. The majority of the dwarves of this caste were born into it, since the best smiths start learning young. It is quite difficult for a dwarf who was born outside this class to get in. Despite their high place in Dwarven society, the smiths hold little political power. They are not often delegated responsibilities by officers, instead being left to focus on their art.
The Huards act as the law keepers of the Dwarven cities, as well as a militia for emergencies. The Guard is not considered a branch of the military or the officer caste, and they have their own ranks: Guard, Sargent, Watch Captain, District Captain, and Watch Commander. Guards patrol the streets, Sergeants act as relays and command the streets guard station. Watch Captains have authority over a neighborhood, District Captains have authority over several Watch Captains. The Watch Commander controls the guard of a city in its entirety. Each level of the command, can also acts as arbitrator for any crimes committed. Whether a guard can arbitrate is dependent on the severity of the crime, and the caste involved. The guards have no authority on inter caste crimes, any crime involving officers, or for the most severe of crimes such as murder and treason. In cases that the guards cannot handle, they surrender authority to the Justicar's.
Engineers and masons, or as they might be more accurately dubbed: foremen and construction workers. These castes comprise the work force of the dwarves. Engineers act as architects, and inventors of products not relating to war. The masons act as their hands building whatever the engineers design. The engineers have a lot of domestic political power, they are most often delegated task related to civil works projects. Despite being considered separate castes the masons and engineers are closely tied. The Mason have a guild with the same ranks as the Smiths guild, when a Mason reaches the rank of master they enter the Engineer caste. The Engineer caste is the only caste that a dwarf cannot apply to enter directly, as such it is the smallest caste.
Although not the most prestigious caste, the merchants guild wields a great deal of political power. Peaceful foreign affairs, matters of commerce and tax, budgeting of civil projects, and many other task, are all delegated to this guild. The Merchants caste is comprised of a wide variety of skilled laborers, such as: tailors, cobblers, butchers, glass blowers, inn keepers etc. They are controlled by a guild with members having one of three ranks: tradesmen, aide, and Councillors. The majority of the merchants belong to the tradesmen category, these are the skilled workers of the dwarven kingdom. Dwarves with ambition, who seek to create, expand, or control a trade empire, are the ones who try and move up the ranks. Councillors are the true political power amongst the dwarves. They are the richest merchants, who own many small businesses, and the they act as primary delegate for a War Lord. Aides work directly for the Councillors, they are the hands of their boss, and seek to garner political power. Unlike other castes the Merchants will accept a dwarf with no military back ground, so long as that dwarf show sufficient intelligence.
The miners, the fishermen, and the farmers, are the lowest rung of dwarven society that still posses honor. These are the dwarves who failed to distinguish themselves in their military service, and lacked the skills to get into a higher caste. This caste makes up the majority of the dwarven population, and the posses very little power in dwarven society. More often than not, those who are born to this class stay in it.
The lowest of the low in dwarven society are the servants. Only two kinds of dwarves are placed in this class: minor criminals, and cowards. Cowards are the dwarves who either refused to join the military, or fled from a battle. Universally treated with disdain, ignored and shunned by friends and family, most dwarves in this class dream of leaving it. For criminals this is as easy as serving the time set out by their sentence. If a coward wishe to leave though their only option is to join or rejoin the army, and prove their valor.
The casteless are the dwarves who served time in the military and on completion, chose to explore the world as mercenaries or adventurers. These dwarves are usually looked on with disgust, since they abandoned the homeland. Though if a dwarf establishes themselves as a hero, then he can return with great honor.
The last caste is the Justicars, the are a group of 20 dwarves, 10 masters and 10 apprentices. They are the most feared dwarfs in the kingdom. There is no moratorium on violence between castes. A miner can strike a smith, and will be forgiven if the reason was just. However, raising a hand against a Justicar is a death sentence for any dwarf. Only one Justicar has been slain in the line of duty. There was once a war lord whose name is no longer remembered, who slew a Justicar thinking himself immune to their power. The Justicars, killed every member of his family and erase every mention of their names, no one has dared touch them since. Crime between castes, capital offences, and crimes committed by officers, these are all dealt with by the Justicars. They are unerring in their pursuit of truth, incorruptible, and unbiased, their only goal is to see justice done. One does not apply to be a Justicar, they are chosen. When a master dies their apprentice takes their place. The newly raised apprentice then prays to the god of justice. With the gods guidance, a new dwarf usually a child or baby is chosen and trained to take their place. The training of the Justicars, and the magic they receive from their god, makes them the worth of any ten dwarfs on the battlefield. They do not marry, they have no personal lives they exist solely to keep the law.