Nobility

The nobility are largely a relic of a bygone age, and are widely considered old fashioned and out of touch by the common people at best, delusional and dangerous at worst. Their culture and tastes date to a bygone age, before the Kinilan Revolution, when restrictions on the common folk funnelled wealth to the nobility. They enjoy extraordinary luxuries, and while many have adjusted well to the modern times, they still try to maintain a semblance of their former lifestyle.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Nobles see beauty more in items and luxuries than in the people wearing them. Dramatically dyed clothing is standard, particularly in the complex gowns worn primarily by women. They accent their clothing with expensive jewellery, and are often heavily perfumed.

Gender Ideals

The nobility are normally much more conservative than the general people, and tend to believe in traditional gender norms for their species. Non-binary genders are accepted among elven families, but generally not accepted among most other noble species.

Courtship Ideals

Nobles are materialistic people; courtship is primarily a ritual of gift giving and displays of wealth. Of particularly note are the formal balls, primarily held prior to the Revolution due to the immense cost of hosting such events. Lavish feasts are prepared, an orchestra plays dance music, fine wines and brandies are provided. In modern times, some nobles (and some successful merchants emulating the old nobility) host balls for those who can pay, but traditionalists among the nobility consider this to be incredibly gauche.

Relationship Ideals

Nobles have a double standard about relationships. Formal marriages are fiercely monogamous and usually made for political reasons, forming alliances between the two families. Conversely, informal arrangements are extremely common, and, as long as activities are kept behind closed doors, are generally accepted, particularly among nobles who have not yet married. Marriage outside of class is rare, and is generally done for financial reasons - elevating a wealthy merchant into the nobility in exchange for their financial support. This is generally considered a public admission of weakness, and is thus to be avoided if at all possible.

Major organizations

These days, there is only one major organization among the nobility, and it is the primary reason nobles are regarded with such suspicion by the other classes: the Abizin Loyalists. This organization, founded by the three most powerful noble families, all wealthy and stable enough to openly defy the reforms introduced after the Revolution, claim loyalty to the old royal family from before the Revolution, calling the modern government an illegitimate usurpation of the throne. They work in secret to undermine the authority of the government with the intent of stepping into replace it once people lose confidence in it. Many noble families enjoy the hospitality provided in the holdings of the founding families of the Loyalists, as they maintain a largely unaltered form of the noble lifestyle from before the Revolution.