Social Hierarchy
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Revision as of 23:35, 14 December 2008
The member base of Wessex is divided into 3 social classes. Villeins and the Gentry have a special relationship and are bound to each other. Villeins are bound to collect resources and the Gentry are bound to protect them in return for it by administering, regulating, and providing a stable society. Freemen exist outside of this bond and are therefore "free" of it, though they contribute their services toward both sides of that bond.
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Social Hierarchy
Trial Members
People who have not yet completed or are not accepted at the end the month are trial members.
These members are treated as a villein, wether they are accpted or not is dependent on their contributions to the clan during that time and their atitude.
Certain things to remember would be not to argue with the higher powers within the clan, avoid starting arguements, and to be respectful and mature. These are the qualities that Wessex looks most for, 2nd to these qualities are things like RP'ing, PVP skill, ect.
At the end of every month a list is made showing all the trial members who have been accpeted as full members into the clan, and those which have failed to show enough enthusiam or maturity.
Villeins
From Fireside Chat 1
The basic full member begins as a villein. Being a villein means you are a villager and are bound to a liege lord like a peer or a knight. Most members of Wessex who will enjoy playing with us will be villeins. Being a villein doesn't require too much commitment - just a certain portion of your time or income must be devoted to harvesting for the clan, or more directly, your liege lord. (This may even be automatically deducted in Darkfall)
The benefit to being a villein is first that you don't have to show up to regularly scheduled drills. Secondly, you will be able to devote more of your time to farming, harvesting, PVE or practicing your own trade.
As a Soldier
Some villeins may elect to become soldiers. Soldiers will have special breaks in their harvesting requirements for the clan which will be less than other villeins'. They will make up for this contribution by regularly drilling and practicing combat, formations, and field commands with our garrison. We aim to have a very disciplined fighting force, and we are going to need soldiers who will be there to train with us regularly. Those soldiers who do not show up for our scheduled drilling very often will go back to being regular villeins.
The benefit to being a soldier is first that less personal income is contributed to the clan than villeins. Secondly, you will have firsthand combat experience and will be there at all of our battles, trained to win and there to take the loot from your kills. Thirdly, you will have the chance to gain in rank in our military, becoming a sergeant, possibly being taken as an esquire, and later even being granted a knighthood.
Becoming a Freeman
Once you've saved enough, you can contact the Chamberlain and buy a building in one of our towns where you may set up your own trade. Soldiers can save their loot money too, but a villein may be able to gain money sooner and will have the time for the perfected tradeskills to be ready to open shop. Once you own a building in a town, you will be released from villeiny and will become a "burgess", a freeman.
Freeman
From Fireside Chat 1
Freemen are neither gentry nor peasants, but true "citizens" of the Duchy who may come and go as they like. They do not have such a large portion of their income flowing to a liege lord like a villein or soldier does, and they do not need to log on at certain times to drill formations (unless they want to). The status of freedman is afforded for two reasons.
Burgess
The first kind of freeman is the burgess. A burgess lives and works in a "Boroughs". Almost all of the towns in the Duchy of Wessex will be "Boroughs". Granted, the clanstones all of our members including villeins are bound to will lie within our towns, but only burgesses, who actually own buildings within the town will be considered to "live" there.
A Boroughs is a fief granted not to a vassal, but to a collective bunch of citizens who form a town. Burgesses are still my subjects, but they do not individually owe their service and income to a liege lord. We afford them this to stimulate the trade, services, and industry they will provide as merchants and craftsmen. They might pay a tax on their profits and an upkeep fee for the city and their buildings - but this is being paid collectively to themselves and other burgesses in the Boroughs in which they live. The Boroughs then collectively contributes to the government the same way an individual knight or fiefholder with villeins serving him does. A burgess can do as he like, go where he pleases, and only needs to worry about his assets and the trade he chooses to run.
Yeoman of the Court
The other kind of freeman is the yeoman of the court. This kind of person can come from any stratum of our society, even trial members. The yeoman of the court are free without feudal obligation. They are awarded this position for success in the examinations provided by the Ducal Court, and they work for it not as bondsmen but as employees. Once a subject has passed the yeoman exam AND been offered a position as a yeoman of the court, he or she is considered a freeman, and his income contribution is reduced well below a villein's.
The villein is released at the moment he or she makes the oath of office in the Cathedral forum. They are afforded this privilege because of the work and services they provide to the government. Some, like heralds, will even make a little bit of money from charging a fee for services they provide, like commissioning arms.
