Clan Caste System

The Clan Caste System is the basis around which Clan society is organized. Instituted by Nicholas Kerensky when the Clans were founded in the early 29th century, the caste system has remained the foundation of Clan society ever since.

Formation of the Caste System

"Five, Nicholas proclaimed, was the foundation

Upon which our true society was to be built.

Laborers to till the land, to do the tasks:

They shall have our undying gratitude,

For they are the muscle behind us all.

Merchants to buy and sell with fairness:

They shall have our commerce and respect,

For they are the bones upon which we are built.

Technicians to build and fix the machines:

They shall have our admiration,

For they are the fingers with which we grasp life.

Scientists to create and discover:

They shall have our awe and our attention,

For they are the mind of our society.

And above all, the Warriors who protect:

They shall have our cooperation and worship,

For they are the blood and soul of us all."

- The Remembrance (Clan Wolf), Passage 67, Verse 26, Lines 21-37

List of Castes

Officially, Clan society is comprised of five castes - Warriors, Scientists, Technicians, Merchants and Laborers. In practice, a sixth caste - the Dark or Bandit Caste - exists for those who cannot or will not fit into Clan society.

Warrior Caste

The warrior caste serve as the protectors and rulers of their Clan, and the efforts of all other castes are ultimately intended to support them. Within the warrior caste the main division is between trueborn and freeborn warriors, with the latter almost universally regarded as inferior. Other divisions are made between battlefield roles, with Mechwarriors, aerospace fighter pilots, Elementals and paramilitary police the only specialties universal to all Clans. Specialized roles exist within some Clans, such as WarShip command staff, Armored vehicle crews, conventional infantry, Watch operatives, and Clan Nova Cat's Mystic Caste.

Regarded as the pinnacle of Clan society, only Bloodnamed members of the warrior caste may be elected Khan and lead their Clan. Relations between the elitist warriors and their civilian castes differ between individual Clans; in some Clans warriors are viewed as superior but have good relations with their civilians, while in others the warriors rule draconically and have poorer relations with the 'lower' castes, particularly merchants.

As of 3062, there were around 115,000 Clan warriors, or just .01% of the Clans' total population, making them by far the smallest caste.

Scientist Caste

Clan scientists manage research and development efforts and their Clan's genetic programs. They are also responsible for their Clan's education system and medical care. In general washouts from warrior caste sibkos are transferred to the scientist caste, particularly those of MechWarrior and aerospace pilot stock.

Due to the importance of their role in any Clan's eugenics program, scientists have a great deal of unofficial power in most Clans, and are generally regarded as second only to warriors. A measure of this power is indicated by the fact that scientists are the only caste allowed - under specific circumstances - to overrule warriors. Another privilege tolerated by the warrior caste is the awarding of labnames to scientists credited with some notable achievement or skill, though these monikers are disdained by other castes and rarely referred to.

Despite the scientists' wielding of considerable power within the Clans, the warriors have always enforced their own rule over Clan society, and the one attempt by the scientist caste to displace them - The Society's revolt during the Wars of Reaving - was brutally crushed.

As of 3062, there were 73,820,000 Clan scientists, or 6.41% of the Clans' population. The head of a Clan's scientist caste is the Scientist-General.

Technician Caste

The technicians serve all of the other castes, maintaining machinery, weapons, computers and vehicles. Most technicians work with warriors, and make up the majority of crewmembers aboard DropShips, JumpShips and WarShips. Other specialized roles include computer programmers, armorers and electricians.

As of 3062, the technician caste had an overall population of 90,635,000, or 7.87% of the Clans' total population. The head of a Clan's technician caste is the Master Technician.

Merchant Caste

The merchant caste's role in any Clan is the acquisition or manufacturing of all materials and goods necessary for their Clan's survival. Within the merchant caste is a wide variety of occupations, including artisans, machinists, and free traders.

Unsurprisingly those Clans with the strongest economies also tend to have the strongest toumans. Despite this and the essential role that the merchants play in their Clan's affairs, the warrior caste in most Clans treats the merchants with disdain and suspicion, or even outright hostility (particularly within Clans Widowmaker and Smoke Jaguar). Clan Diamond Shark is the chief exception to this rule, with the merchants at times gaining equal or even greater respect than the warriors.

As of 3062, the merchant caste had an overall population of 213,976,500, or 18.58% of the Clans' total population. The head of a Clan's merchant caste is the Merchant Factor.

Laborer Caste

The largest caste in population, making up two-thirds of Clan civilization, the laborers are also considered the bottom level of Clan society. The laborer caste encompasses miners, farmers, dockworkers, builders, and other providers of poorly educated but highly skilled labor. Despite their lowly status, the laborers are as essential as any other caste, and without their efforts Clan society would collapse utterly. Elementals who test out of the warrior caste are often reassigned as laborers, due to their enhanced physical strength and endurance.

As of 3062, the laborer caste had an overall population of 772,979,000, or 67.12% of the Clans' total population. The head of a Clan's laborer caste is the Senior Laborer.

Dark Caste

Officially nonexistent, the Dark or Bandit Caste is the dumping ground (or haven) for malcontents, rebels or criminals who cannot or will not fit into Clan society. Forced to fend for themselves, some Dark Caste communities simply eke out a nomadic living on the margins of Clan society, while self-styled "Bandits" act as their defenders and conduct stealthy raids upon Clan enclaves and bases for supplies.

Clan Burrock maintained a parasitic relationship with the Dark Caste until that Clan's Absorption in 3059. For other Clans, Bandit Caste warbands or Dark Caste groups are simply targets to be exterminated. Some cynics have claimed that the Dark Caste is permitted to exist as a means of giving the warrior caste easy targets to practice on.

Escorpion Imperio Castes

Following their Abjurement from the Clan Homeworlds in 3079, Clan Goliath Scorpion migrated to Nueva Castile and established the Escórpion Imperio. While most of the population was assigned to one of the five traditional castes, some were placed within two new castes established specifically by the Imperio's new leadership.

Support Caste

Members of the support caste handle administrative duties within the Imperio, including supply, emergency services and procurement.

Garrison Caste

More commonly known as the 'grunt' caste, this new social strata was created for the majority of Castilian and Umayyad soldiers, who were considered unworthy of joining the warrior caste. Consisting primarily of conventional armor and non-battle armored infantry, the garrison caste performs security and police duties as well as assisting with planetary defense.

Bibliography

• Historical: Operation Klondike
• Interstellar Players 3: Interstellar Expeditions
• Invading Clans
• The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky
• Wolf Clan Sourcebook