NEWS HIERARCHY
Aristocracy
Thane
The ruler of Liosliath is called the Thane whether they are male or female; the
same applies for any other noble title.
Ruler of Liosliath - Thane - this position has been held over history by
individuals of different clans. There are two ways the ruler of Liosliath holds
the throne. First, inheritance from the current Thane to their first born son
or daughter of adult age. Second, if there is no son or daughter of adult age,
the Pennaeth Allting can and will agree on one of their number being the Thane.
If the Thane dies or is unable to fill his/her duties, the Pennaeth Allting
will choose a new Thane. When a Pennaeth is selected to be the Thane, he or she
will pass the Pennaeth of his/her clan to a brother, sister or close relative
but not to a son or daughter.
The spouse of the Thane is referred to as Lady Thane / Lord Thane.
Pennaeth
A Pennaeth is the clan head of one of the five major land holding clans. All
the land within the clan holding is owned by the Pennaeth, every person is
responsible for a tithe to their Pennaeth. Penneath is a inherited title, with
succession to the first born. The spouse of the Pennaeth is referred to as Lady
Pennaeth / Lord Pennaeth.
The five Pennaeth with the Thane form the Pennaeth Allting which meets twice a
year typically at Caer Glas though at times other meeting places have been
used.
Duc and Barwyn
The Pennaeths have appointed a Ducs to oversee specific sections of the
Pennaeth holdings, those sections having once been held by the minor clan that
had been absorbed into the major clan. The Ducs had in turn appointed Barwyns.
The title of Duc and Barwyn are passed down, with the Pennaeth approval, to a
designated heir, normally the first born son or daughter. The holder of the
title is allowed to select another heir if required - such as for instance when
no children exist.
The spouse of the title holder holds the honorific Lord or Lady. They do
not sit on the Council, but will have a role in the running of the Clan. In
ancient times the spouse was referred to as the "Keeper of the Keys", in honour
of their role as the person dealing with the day to day running of a holding.
Middle Classes
Merchant or crafting classes are responsible for trade and the selling of
goods.
Mages, Healers (to include herbalists and apothecary) and Bards are generally
in the upper middle class.
Bards are the primary keepers of the histories, genealogies, laws, poetry,
music and stories. A bard is expected to be able to perform what were called
the "three noble strains", which are music or stories to inspire laughter,
tears, or sleep.
Peasants
These are the folk who work the lands of the Pennaeth. They are rarely educated
and each family works the same plot they have for generations. They rarely move
from the small hamlets around which they were born until they are of age to
wed. At that time its common and expected for the individuals to make riiuu
trips to other villages and hamlets for wooing prospective spouses. A youth,
especially other than the first born, may make the decision to move to another
area to marry. All of their produce is sent through the merchant classes.
Lands are allowed to the peasants at the pleasure of the noble land steward.
Rare is when a peasant would be ousted from the lands they work, after all the
peasants do grow all the food. Frequently second and third sons and daughters
will leave the farms to seek employment as guards, soldiers, sailors and other
workers.
Bondservant
see news Bondservant
NEWS HIERARCHY
Bondservant
Life in Liosliath can be harsh. When it turns really bad, a citizen can find
himself unable to pay back debt in any other way than to sell himself to his
debtor for a predefined period of indentured service. The practice is regulated
in law, and while a bondservant lack the rights of a citizen, the bond holder
is expected to treat his servants fairly. The servant can no more than an
animal or a child be held responsible for his actions, and it is considered a
disgrace to mistreat anyone bonded to yourself.
There are other ways to end up in such an unpalatable situation - as a
prisoner of war for whom no-one has paid a ransom, as a condemned criminal, and
so forth. Also regulated is the ability to set a bondservant free - either by
the bonded period coming to an end, by mistreatment, by purchase, or simply
because the bond owner wishes to do so.
While a bondservant may not live where he wish, do what he wish, or own
property, without permission, he retain the basic rights of protection under
Liosliath law. Note: noone can sell someone /else/ into bonded servitude.
Note: there are no plans to allow PC bondspeople
- NEWS BONDSERVANT -