Society

Summary
(from Game World Index)

Karagond culture has always recognised two main classes of people: aristocrats (whose nature is to rule) and helots (whose nature is to serve). The helots are tied to the noble family that owns them, with no rights beyond their masters' whims. When the Theurges of Karagon discovered how to fuel their sorcery with other people's blood, they naturally began harvesting blood from their helots. As they conquered other nations, they imposed their caste structure there, too. In most of the provinces, the existing nobility were happy to accept the Karagond system if it spared them from the Harrowing.

Like the other provinces, Shayard has lost much of its indigenous culture over the centuries. The Old Tongue, Shayarin, has been largely overtaken by the common Koine dialect of Karagond. The Karagond terms "kuria" and "kurios" have almost completely replaced the old "milady" and "milord." Some Shayardene nobles have made a point of keeping traditional family names and clothes, others have enthusiastically assimilated to Karagond "high" culture—especially those who were not noble before the Karagond Conquest but were rewarded with aristocrat status for joining the invaders.

Not everyone in the Hegemony is a noble or helot. There is a significant tradesfolk class of merchants and artisans, as well as smallholder farmers (called yeomen in Shayard and kleroi in Karagon). But the merchants' wealth and power are limited by high taxes and restrictions on how much land they can own. You've heard the tradesfolk of your town grumble that all the rules and quotas of their Guilds are designed to make sure the Karagonds stay richer than anyone from their subject nations. For many girls and boys from this class, becoming a priest or Alastor is their best hope of advancement.

Gender is the only aspect of Karagond society that is relatively egalitarian. Over centuries of domination by Theurges, differences in average physical strength between the sexes have lost any political significance. Real power stems from Theurgy, priesthood, and connections to those sources of authority.

Marriage
There’s no law forbidding marriage between free provincials; but for an aristo to marry a merchant would in effect end their recognition as noble by their peers. They’d be permanently stepping down a huge notch in social status and privilege. As a result, Houses that lose their land generally end up forming a subcaste that can/will only marry other similar unfortunates. They usually can’t find an opportunity to marry up, but marrying down would be to forever remove that alluring possibility.

The MC's family, if aristocratic, is not quite reduced to that level; and your father has doubtless been doing everything he can to find a way to marry you up before settling for an even less fortunate family and continuing (likely cementing) your House’s downward spiral. [source]

Marriage requires parental consent (as long as the parents are alive), though children may appeal to the Ecclesiast or aristarch if they feel consent is being withheld inappropriately.

According to Canon, no one may be forced to marry; so while an owner could de facto force their helots to marry, they couldn’t de jure. The wedding ceremonies and liturgies for nobles are far more elaborate than the simple vows the Diakons lead the helots in. [source]

Illegitimacy
The Canon states that children born out of wedlock take on the class of the lower-class parent and live in their home, while the higher-class parent is responsible for ensuring their upkeep and wellbeing. Illegitimacy would be a shameful sign of chastity violated – but it’s also important to note that the ready availability of mullow makes conception of children out of wedlock a pretty rare occurrence. [source]

Inheritance
The Canon prescribes that the eldest child inherits any lands and houses belonging to the family. All other property may be freely apportioned by the matriarch or patriarch in a will witnessed before an Ecclesiast. At marriage, spouses become co-owners of each others’ property, and one spouse may complain legally to the Ecclesiast or aristarch if the other disposes of that property without mutual consent. There’s a strong incentive for provincial families not to (officially) squabble too much over property, as wherever ownership of property is deemed legally unclear it may be confiscated by the authorities pending resolution… which then rarely comes. [source]

Noble orphans will have a patron who looks after their interests until the age of 20; after that point, they’re free to dispose of their own affairs. If there are no children, all a household’s property is disposed of by will; in the absence of a will, it will likely be claimed by one or another law-wielder (Ecclesiasts, aristarchs, Alastors… whoever’s strongest locally). [source]

Gender
On transgender people in the gameworld, here are my thoughts so far: one of the ways the Hegemony differentiates itself from the heathen barbarians of Halassur (who actually attribute  gender  to the Divine!) is that Karagon is not gender-essentialist. For Karagonds, human beings’  telos  is tied to their caste rather than their sex; while the genitalia and other sexual dimorphisms obviously have their own telos and function, so do the stomach, the teeth, etc. The Karagonds would deem it absurd to derive anything fundamental about  human  nature from the lower teloi of the body parts, or even the animal telos of self-reproduction; all those are clearly subordinate to the higher human teloi of (for example) ruling, understanding, crafting, and so on.

The Karagonds further believe in the myth (familiar to many Earth cultures) of the “other half” – that people will generally be drawn to their soul’s long-severed other half, who might be of either sex. Their rules of marriage and adoption make same-sex marriages and families easy.

So in the Hegemony, gender roles and rules are loose, and it’s fairly easy to craft a gender identity. Theurgy to change the body from male-female and female-male is extraordinarily rare, however, as it requires an incredibly knowledgeable anatomical specialist to achieve it without permanent damage or death to the subject – and is moreover hugely costly. (source)

Slavery and Oppression
Details shared on the WiP thread: "Like Rome’s slave economy, the Karagond economy thrives on war and the concomitant supply of new prisoners, though that’s less visible in Shayard than Erezza.

"In a critical difference, Karagon also thrives on slave revolts, as long as they don’t get too frequent or large-scale. Crucifixion removed Roman slaves from useful service (with, perhaps, one crucial exception); Harrowing just transfers them from labor to capital. As a result, Karagon can afford to be more consistently oppressive to its own subjects than could Rome.

"Nor are Karagon's technological advantages purely economic and military – the unparalleled powers of the Theurges were key in helping the Hegemony enforce a set of social institutions and beliefs to justify and reinforce Karagond rule. They were helped in this by the local elites, eager to tap into the wealth and power of Karagon to the extent they were allowed.

"In a very low literacy environment, that tech advantage has lasted and sustained a 300 year empire. However, literacy has been growing since the (relatively recent) invention of the press, making it more likely that sooner or later the vital 'tech' of Theurgy would begin to leak out. Coinciding with some bigger changes in the Thaumatarchy’s fortunes in war, this is the first really opportune time for revolt in centuries. Luckily for the MC."

Social Groups
Urban Drudges