Social and Political Hierarchy in Tanish

The Rulers

The King

The king of Tanish occupies a unique position in Tanish society, unlike any other civilization in the region. The main difference is that he is dead. The king is always mummified, and once the mummification is complete, he is brought out to sit on the throne, under constant guard. He remains in the throne room at all times unless he is required to attend a meeting. Only a high-ranking priest is permitted to touch and move the body (including the Great Prince, his son and the high priest). The king attends the meetings and will later communicate his desires through his Oracle.

The Great Prince

The Great Prince is the eldest son of the king. He takes this position upon his father's death. During the funeral/coronation, the king's eldest son is given a crown and swears an oath to serve the gods and the lead the kingdom to prosperity. Once this oath has been taken, he will become king as soon as he dies, even if he dies the day after his father. The only thing that would change this is if he did some act so vile that the Executors of the Will agreed, 100%, to strip him of the right and banish him from the kingdom. This has only ever happened once in Tanishian history.
The Great Prince's duties are to make decisions on small matters that the king does not bother to speak from beyond the grave about, like budgetary issues or the management of the palace. The Great Prince, as a descendant of the sun, also serves as the High Priest of Entu and oversees religion as a whole throughout the kingdom.
Daughters are also permitted to inherit, however preference goes first to any brothers and then to any male cousins on the royal side.

The Executors of the Will

This is a council of 12 men who safeguard the king's reign from a Great Prince who may wish to take more power from his dead father. The original group was chosen by Nebay on his deathbed to ensure his will was carried out even after death. Since then, whenever one member dies, the others choose a successor from among the nobility. After The Second Reckoning, a new group was chosen among those who could prove linage from a previous member of the group, assisted by the Oracle who provided the decisions of previous kings.
Though the Great prince outranks each member individually, as a group they have the power to overrule him. The Oracle reports directly to them to speak the king's wishes, and it is their duty to enforce the king's desires.

The Royal Family

They consist of a king's children, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and grandchildren. Relation beyond that is relegated to the highest tier of nobles. Relation to the king must be by blood; spouses do not count, with the exception of the wife of the Great Prince, who is known as the Great Princess. If she outlives her husband, she takes the title of queen, but this position holds nothing but ceremonial power.
Otherwise, they receive high positions in the government such as commander of the military or minister of the treasury. They are the wealthiest members of society and live in luxury. Executors of the Will cannot be members of the royal family.

The Oracle

The Oracle occupies a unique position in the hierarchy. In some ways, she outranks all but the king because her job is to be his voice. However, she is also considered to be only a vessel for the king to pass on his desires, and the person herself has no political power. She lives within the palace and when not channelling the king, she serves as the Great Prince's personal soothsayer. Besides the Great Prince, she is the most revered and respected person in Tanish, but, personally, her opinions hold no significance and she is expected to do as told by the Executors of the Will and the leader of The Sun Maidens.

Corruption

Throughout the less-satisfied classes in Tanish, the rumour persists that, in fact, the king speaking from beyond the grave is nothing but smoke and mirrors. There are those who say that the Oracle is a deceptive witch who makes everything up and is secretly ruling from behind the throne by claiming her own desires are the king's.
Others claim that the Oracle is only a puppet, and that the true movers and shakers of the kingdom are the Executor's of the Will. They claim that they tell the Oracle what to say, and that the reason they take girls into the Sun Maidens at such a young age is so they have time to properly brainwash them into being loyal puppets.
Saying any of these things in public, of course, puts you at risk of being accused of blasphemy and sowing dissent, and summarily beheaded.

The Nobility

True Nobles

Originally, nobles were descendants of the original ring of slaves that supported Nebay in the uprising. In the first court, they were his trusted his advisors and their descendants maintained a high degree of privilege.
After the Second Reckoning, many of the noble families were wiped out and most records were lost. Some families had both survivors and proof of identity to reaffirm their position once the kingdom stabilized, and these are known as the old families. The new families, that make up the bulk of nobility, are descendants of the leading generals and supporters of the first king at the end of the Tanishian Civil War.
Nobles do not pay taxes and in fact collect taxes. Any federal-level government positions not taken by the royal family are filled by them. The governors of the 4 provinces are all from this class.
All children of a proper noble are born noble. If a woman marries a noble-by-privilege, however, only her eldest son inherits the nobility.

Nobles-by-Privilege

They became noble as a reward for great military victories, significant financial success, or some other act that the Great Prince wanted to reward (which would have to be confirmed by the king). Nobles-by-privilege can only pass their noble status on to an eldest son. If they do not have an eldest son, the nobility dies with the father.
They enjoy the same privileges as the proper nobles such as not having to pay taxes. Nobles-by-privilege are usually the magistrates for the smaller regions within provinces, or mayors of large towns, and are responsible for collecting taxes from their region.

Commoners

Priests and Soothsayers

A noble can also choose to become a priest, and will be a higher ranked one at more prestigious temples. Among commoners, however, priest is the most highly respected class. Priests maintain shrines and temples and are responsible for worshipping the guards and ensuring they are well taken care of. They carry out rituals and oversee the soothsayers.
Soothsayers are women who have left the Sun Maidens and become soothsayers in small shrines across the kingdom. They interpret omens, foretell the future, and give advice to anyone who comes looking in exchange for a donation to the shrine.

Merchants

The wealthiest of the commoners. The most wealthy send caravans across the Eni Belul to trade with Maloa, or south to Hosquerre. Others only trade within the kingdom, sending textiles and metals up and down the river or selling fish from Uymil in Zeh. They usually travel around between village markets. They are often regarded as greedy and untrustworthy.

Soldiers

Apart from the commanders, who come from the noble classes. Becoming a soldier is a common career path for young men who have an older brother that inherits the family farm. Soldiers are most often positioned along the southern border of Kalitria. During times of war, any young man might be conscripted to serve. The ones who are in the military during times of peace are distributed throughout the kingdom as peacekeepers. A greater percentage of them are in Kalitria.

Farmers, Herders, and Fishermen

The bulk of the population. The independent families that make up the kingdom. Along the coast they are often fishermen, and inland they are subsistence farmers. The southern parts of Zeh and Kalitria see more herders of Tagas and goats. Some produce just enough to support their families, while the richer ones produce surplus to sell at local markets.

Servants

They don't have a family farm to work on, so they work on someone else's. The wealthier farmers will often hire workers - men to work the fields, women to assist in the home or mind the children. They usually live with the family and are paid in room and board with just a small amount of extra, though sometimes they with their own families and bring home a larger paycheck. The luckiest work in noble households or the royal palace.
They are often the younger children of families where only the eldest inherits the household and that household isn't wealthy enough to support additional residents, or entire families who have never come close to owning property.

The Destitute

The homeless, family-less, drifters. Beggers and street urchins. Looked upon with scorn by most, though there are always those willing to lend a hand or a meal. Very common in Tirasha, where a large portion of the city is slums and it's easy to fall through the cracks.

Slaves

How to Become a Slave

While the destitute may be in a dire position, they are, at least, free. The same can't be said for slaves. People enter slavery as a punishment for crime, as captives in war, as part of annual tribute from Kalitria, or in repayment of debt. Tanish has not fought a war in a significant time, due to the unstable peace with the Kalian Confederacy to the south and the desert to the north which effectively halts the march of troops. Therefore, most slaves these days are there due to tribute or debt.
Kalitria is required to supply the kingdom with 144 slaves annually. The governor is responsible for supplying these slaves along with the rest of the tribute. The most common source is petty criminals or rounding up the destitute. There are usually not many serious criminals available for the tribute, because Tanish does not have prisons. Crimes are punished either with death, immediate corporal punishment, or set terms of slavery. Criminals arrested shortly before the annual due date of tribute are likely to be used to fulfill the quota. If enough criminals or drifters can't be found, non-land-owning commoners are at risk of being chosen at random.
The children of slaves themselves until the age of 12, when they are considered old enough to seek employment elsewhere. "Coincidentally", this is also when they become too heavy to crawl along the branches of Ishud Trees to harvest the seed pods.
People can enter slavery to pay of a debt. If the debt is to the government, such as being behind on taxes, the government puts you to work to pay it off. If it is to another person, that person can request the government to intervene. They will pay off the debt and then take you as a slave to pay it off.
It is also possible to sell your wife and children into slavery if you are in need of the money.

Distribution and Use

All slaves in Tanish enter slavery with the federal government, and overseeing the distribution of slaves is a top government position. About half of slaves remain in possession of the king and are put to work throughout the kingdom. Their main job is to build and maintain temples, roads, and government buildings. Some of them work in temples to assist priests, or in the Ishud orchards owned by the king. Women are more commonly used in domestic roles within royal households.
Children are valued for their ability to crawl along the branches of Ishud trees to harvest the pods, and are put to work on orchards across the kingdom. Generally their parents will also work in the orchard.
The other half of slaves are sold to wealthy nobles and landowners throughout the kingdom for private use. They are usually put to work inside noble homes or tend the fields.

The Sun Maidens

There is debate in the kingdom on whether the Sun Maidens, and the Oracle, are considered slaves. Those with a rosier view of the government would argue that the Maidens are honoured religious members and live comfortable lives in luxury waited upon by true slaves.
Those with a more cynical view of the system would say they are just slaves given nice clothes, because they have a similar lack of freedom, their every movement and detail of life is controlled by the government, and they are taken from their families by force.
Officially, they are not considered slaves but members of the priest class.

The King
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The Great Prince
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The Executors of the Will
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The Royal Family
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The Oracle
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True Nobles
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Nobles-by-Privilege
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Priests
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Merchants
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Soldiers
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Farmers, Herders, Fishermen
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Servants
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Slaves