Isle Notes: social strata of the Isle

I've decided to inflict my RPG notes on y'all because... well, I find them interesting!


I. rulers: the One and the Five
A. the Widow-- goddess and overall ruler
- lives in the Hall of the Widow (colloquially known as 'Widow's Peak')
- presumably female


B. the Bastard-- also known as the Bastard Prince; only one of the rulers who is actually regularly seen
- His name is Roman; he has two lovers, one long-time male (Elias) and one ever-changing female
- He lives in the center of the 60-level tier structure.
- His governmental aides (of various ranks) are known as the Bastard Sons.


C. the Fabulist-- His or her house cannot be found.


D. the Wanton-- He or she has a house in the under-city of the Others, but it is boarded up and apparently uninhabited.


E. the Lyric-- He or she lives on an island in the middle of a great lake, removed from the 60-level tier structure. It is close by the school of music.


F. the Hollow-- was added to the roster of rulers 150 years ago, after a very long time that they were only 'the One and the Four'. At the time, she was witnessed to be a rather plain 15-year-old girl named Cassia.
- She lives on the fourth tier, in a 6'-tall square building that measures about two feet to each side, made of black stone. The House of the Hollow is constantly guarded by one of two dedicated Bastard Sons.
- According to the Hollow, her office comes into play when there is a threat to the Isle.


II. the 60 levels of families-- live in a rigid tier structure of 60 levels, loosely arranged in descending concentric circles around the domicile of the Bastard. Smaller numbers correspond to higher rank; tiers are referred to either by specific numbers, or by units of 6 tiers each.


III. the Others-- These non-noble citizens of the Isle work in the city of Isle, removed from the 60-level tier structure. Although some of them are actually richer than the members of the noble families, they all dwell underground in the under-city, which is also arranged in order of rank, with the less wealthy or influential families living at the very bottom of the reversed tier structure.


IV. the Unclean-- These are members of an enclave of fisher-folk who actually live on the great white wall that surrounds the Isle. They are considered unclean because they venture past the wall to fish the deep ocean.


V. the Heralds-- Technically considered to be outside the Isle social strata, this guild of specialized messengers predates the Hollow. In fact, the current church of the Widow originates from within the guild of Heralds. Heralds can go anywhere within the Isle, and have the ability to deliver messages verbatim, in the exact words and inflection used by the message-sender.