Ryuven Castes and Roles

Honorifics

The Ryuven recognize several tiers within society, each with a corresponding honorific. These terms may be used to reference a position ("Oniwe became aru twenty years ago") or as an honorific for such a person ("Oniwe'aru").

(human equivalent)	male	female
ruler	aru	silth
nobles	sho	rika
common merchants	che	bel
serfs	(nim)	(nim)

Note that nim do not have an honorific appended to their names; the word nim is used only as a noun or adjective, not as a form of address.
The Ai, like all Ryuven, use suffixes to reference social hierarchies. The appropriate word can be used independently when referring to a person of a particular caste, or may be appended to a personal name as a form of address.
The ruler of the Ai is an aru (if male) or a silth (if female), as in Oniwe'aru, whose full title is Oniwe’aru, Altayr ni’Ai cin Celæno, Alcyon ni Pairvyn, Majja to Pleione. (The Ryuven reverence for stars may be seen in this formal title.)
Sho (male) or rika (female) are members of the highest social caste, most powerful in both law and magic.
Che (male) and bel (female) are a central tier of skilled workers.
Nim are the lowest strata of society (roughly equivalent to tradesmen or peasant farmers in most human societies) and do not receive a suffix in conversation.
Ryuven honorifics are suffixes, attached with an apostrophe. Thus, Tamaryl becomes Tamaryl'sho.

• Edeiya'rika

• Nori'bel

• Ronal'sho

• Maru (no suffix for a nim)

Warlords

The Pairvyn is the warlord of the army of conquest (male warriors) and is distinguished by a crimson sash worn across the chest. Tamaryl'sho is the Pairvyn ni'Ai (Pairvyn of the Ai clan).
The Tsuraiya is the warlord of the army of defense (female warriors) and is distinguished by a cobalt sash. Edeiya'rika is the Tsuraiya ni'Ai.

Type

Civic, Honorific

Related Organizations

• Ai