Overview
Carthmoor society is strongly hierarchical. Status is shaped by birth, land, sworn allegiance, profession, wealth, education, and service.
Social advancement is possible - particularly through military service, scholarship, wealth, or royal favor - but the noble Houses remain the foundation of the kingdom's political and social order.
The Royal House
House Jordayne stands at the head of Carthmoor society.
The reigning King or Queen is sovereign of the realm. Other members of the royal family hold precedence according to their relationship to the Crown, individual titles, offices, and political standing.
The Great Houses
Immediately beneath the Crown stand the Great Houses.
The head of a Great House traditionally bears the title High Lord or High Lady.
Great Houses possess extensive hereditary lands and authority. They govern their territories, maintain military forces, administer justice within their jurisdiction, collect revenues, and oversee the Lesser Houses sworn beneath them.
Their power makes them both essential supporters of the Crown and significant political forces in their own right.
Lesser Houses
Lesser Houses comprise most of Carthmoor's hereditary nobility.
Their wealth and influence vary considerably. Some possess substantial estates and military strength; others hold little more than a modest ancestral holding.
The head of a Lesser House traditionally bears the title Lord or Lady.
Most owe allegiance to a Great House, although particular families may hold rights or lands directly from the Crown.
Knights and Landed Gentry
Knighthood is earned through service and does not require noble birth.
Knights may serve as household warriors, military officers, retainers, sworn swords, or independent warriors.
A knight granted hereditary land may establish a family holding. Successful knightly or landed families may eventually rise into the Lesser Houses.
The landed gentry also includes families possessing hereditary property and local influence without holding one of the kingdom's greater noble titles.
Magisters
Magisters occupy an unusual position in Carthmoor society. Their standing derives primarily from education, training, and expertise rather than hereditary noble rank.
Their principal ranks are:
- Adept: A Magister who has completed the required foundational training and practices under appropriate supervision.
- Mage: A fully trained Magister recognized as capable of independent practice.
- Archmage: The highest formal rank of the Order, representing exceptional mastery and experience.
Grand Mage is an appointment rather than a separate rank. A Great House, royal household, city, or institution may appoint a Grand Mage to oversee the Magisters serving it.
Magisters commonly serve as healers, archivists, historians, scholars, teachers, advisors, and specialists. Their influence may considerably exceed their social rank by birth.
Guilds, Merchants, and Tradespeople
Skilled artisans, merchants, and tradespeople form an influential portion of Carthmoor's towns and cities.
Guild membership provides professional standing, training, and economic influence. Successful merchants and guild leaders may become extremely wealthy, although wealth alone does not confer hereditary noble rank.
The Common Folk
Most Carthmoor are free subjects of the Crown: farmers, craftspeople, servants, laborers, soldiers, sailors, merchants, and other working people.
Rural communities commonly live and work upon lands belonging to the Crown, a noble House, the Church, or another landholder and owe rents, taxes, labor, or other obligations according to local custom.
Indentured Service
Indentured service is legal in Carthmoor and may arise through debt, contract, or certain criminal sentences.
The conditions and duration of an indenture are regulated by law, although abuses occur.
Slavery is illegal in Carthmoor. No person may lawfully be owned as property.
Illegal enslavement and black-market slave trading nevertheless occur, particularly through criminal networks operating in major ports. Such activities remain subject to prosecution under Carthmoor law.