Gender and Race in the Cities

Gender in the Cities In most city-states, there is no distinction made between the positions which men and women may hold, for both sexes seem equally capable of the treachery required to attain and hold power. At least two sorcerer-kings are in fact sorcerer-queens, and women rise or fall as fast as men in the ranks of the templars. Many noble houses are represented on the monarch's advisory council by matriarchs, and the control of most merchant houses passes to the eldest competent child, whether it is a son or a daughter. Even in the ranks of slaves, sex makes little difference. Women fight as gladiators and soldiers alongside their male counterparts, and artists are treated the same no matter which sex they are. About the only place where gender makes any difference is in the lowest rank of slavery, where there is a slight preference to make males laborers due to their slight advantage in strength. Race in the Cities Although racial dispositions tend to group humans and demihumans along class lines, this is not due to any sort of bigotry. In no city that I have been to is there a policy, official or otherwise, that excludes any race from membership in any organization or group. There are dwarven templars, elven nobles, human gladiators, and halfling craftsmen. In short, a member of any race can hold any position, provided he has the necessary talents and skills. This is certainly not due to any benevolence or sense of justice on the part of the sorcerer kings. I suspect that it has more to do with the fact that such prejudices are a foolish waste of valuable resources. However, this is not to say that all races are equally represented in all classes of society. Every race has certain dispositions that suit it for certain positions in society. The following paragraphs list the occupations which each race commonly pursues in a city. Humans Humans are the most common and versatile of all the races. They are typically found in any position, from sorcerer-king to farmer. Compared to dwarves, muls, and half-giants, they are not very strong, so there are less of them in the ranks of soldier-slaves and laborers than their proportion to the total population might indicate. Humans have a talent for treachery and political intrigue, so they form a clear majority in the ranks of templars and nobles. Dwarves Due to their strength, dwarves make good laborers, soldiers, and craftsmen, so there tend to be large concentrations of them in these classes. However, if a dwarf sets his mind to attaining a certain position, he can overcome nearly any barrier to his success through sheer determination. I have met hard-working dwarves in the ranks of the templars nobility, artists, and gladiators. Elves Most elves found in the cities represent their tribes in the trading bazaars. They are expert bargainers, but are also extremely unreliable to anyone except members of their own tribes. Elves usually avoid slavery by fleeing at the first sign of trouble, but when forced into bondage, they make excellent farmers (provided their owners can keep them from running away), and are often selected as artists due to their ability to flatter potential patrons. Though I have never frequented the Games, I understand that elves also make interesting gladiators, winning their victories through speed and stealth where their opponents rely on strength and endurance. Half-elves City-born half-elves are rarely accepted as members of their elven parent's tribe, for their human half makes them suspect to the clannish minds of elven tribesmen. At the same time, they suffer from the reputation for deceit and unreliability that taints elven merchants. Therefore, most half-elves grow as loners, learning quickly to rely only on themselves and to take advantage of others to get what they want. These traits serve them well in the ranks of the templars. When sold into slavery, they either convince their owners that they have hidden artistic potential or find themselves working in the fields as farmers. Half-giants Because of their limited intellectual capacity, halfgiants do poorly in positions of power. They make short-lived templars and aristocrats, and most people are far too cautious with their wealth to buy anything that a half-giant craftsman makes. Therefore, even if born into freedom, the unfortunate members of this race find it difficult to make a living as an honest freeman and usually find themselves bound into slavery. They are generally purchased either by craftsmen in need of strong laborers or by templars filling a half-giant regiment for the king. Occasionally, half-giants manage to retain their freedom for a few years by hiring themselves out as mercenaries. Muls By their very nature, all muls are born into slavery for the purpose of gladiatorial training. If they prove unsuitable for this purpose, their strength usually commands a good price as a laborer. Occasionally, muls win or purchase their own freedom. When this happens, they make excellent templars. Similarly, they can always find ready employment as an elite mercenary, in the permanent guard of a noble family, or a merchant house sentry cadre. Thri-kreen These giant, intelligent insects are not common in cities, for their lives are devoted to the hunt and they possess only a dim understanding of human society. Nevertheless, they are sometimes taken as slaves. In this case, they serve as laborers or farmers, but never as soldiers (they are known to turn on their masters, and any man who trusts one with a weapon is considered a fool). Occasionally, when its pack has been destroyed, a thri-kreen comes into a city of its own free will. In these cases, it either seeks out a position as a templar assassin or volunteers its service as gladiator on behalf of some lucky noble. Halflings Halflings are rare in cities, for they are possessed of a personality even more feral than that of the thrikreen. When taken as slaves, they are usually trained for the gladiatorial arena as a curiosity, for it is well-known that they die quickly in bondage. Halflings who have been cast out of their own tribes will serve nobles as hunting guides or craftsmen as stonechippers, but only if their freedom is in no way impinged and in return for room and board only (they view wages as a form of slavery).