>>>>>[Ah, I forget that not many people know about the Tir. Well, if you searched for any of the old Shadowland files on the Tir, you could find the basic information. The "Gentry" are the common peasants. Under the old regime, they couldn't own land, and paid the highest tax rates. They also were required by law to spend one year in the Peace Force. The "Chivalry" (referred to as 'Sir' or 'Demoiselle'). All members of the Chivalry were required to serve a year in the Peace Force (though they typically enter as NCOs or low-ranked commissioned officers, instead of Privates), and they are allowed to own horses. "Nobles" (addressed as 'Lord' or 'Lady') could own land, though they could not own revenue-producing land (like apartment buildings). Nobles serve in the Peace Force, and are inducted as junior officers. At "Comital" rank (people addressed as 'Count' or 'Countess'), you can own revenue-producing land, and have the right to request an audience with the Council of Princes (though you'll wait several months for the privilege). While by law everyone of Comital rank must spend time in the Peace Force, in practice, I'm a rare exception in actually serving. "Ducal" rank (call them 'Duke' or 'Duchess' if you want to keep breathing) grants you 20 hectares of land, and exempts you from military service (though some still serve, of course). A Duke can request a meeting with the Council of Princes or the High Prince himself, and actually get the request heard in a reasonable amount of time. "Royal" rank (if you don't call them 'Prince' or 'Princess', you're looking for a slow death) grants you 200 hectares of land (on top of anything you got as a Duke), and an average stipend of 44,000 nuyen a year. You can also own land on Royal Hill. A Prince can demand a timely audience with the Council of Princes or the High Prince, and have it granted. As a note, just because you're a Prince doesn't mean you're on the Council of Princes, and anyone on the Council is automatically addressed as Prince (or High Prince), regardless of gender (hence why anyone in the Tir would, up until recently, address Hestaby as Prince Hestaby).
While we're on the subject, there are (or were, as the case may be) three major Rites in the Tir.
The Rite of Pronouncement, performed shortly after a child is born, announces the birth to the nation, and gives the child a name. Yes, this is important. Names are very important in the Tir, and don't you forget it.
The Rite of Passage is similar to certain traditions amongst Amerind cultures, or an Israeli bar mitzvah, from what I've heard. In it, an elf who has just turned 18 goes through two steps: the Bridging and the Naming. In the Bridging, the family takes the elf out into an area of unspoiled wilderness, and leaves them there for 72 hours. Though some will get on a phone and call for supplies to be delivered and other such things, most take this as a serious matter. On my Bridging, I went out into the wild with nothing but my sword and the clothes on my back.
The Naming consists of the young elf standing before his family and friends, and making a speech in Sperethiel, thanking them for raising him, and swearing oaths of loyalty to Tir Tairngir and the High Prince, amongst other things. The heart of the Rite is the self-naming, where the young elf takes a new name for himself. In Sperethiel, he greets those assembled, and the country in general, introducing himself under his new chosen name. From that point on, for all purposes, including legalities, his old name is gone. The individual known by the name given at the Rite of Pronouncement no longer exists. (And it is in poor taste to call someone by their former name, naturally.)
The Rite of Progression is perhaps the most well known of the three Rites outside the Tir. There are actually three parts to this Rite, which at one time could determine everything from what jobs you were suited for to your social rank. There was a written aptitude test, a physical test (similar to the Olympics, I guess), and lobbying by one's family and friends to gain support amongst those of higher social rank. Those who challenged the Rite could have the rank conferred to them by birth confirmed, could rise in rank, or could even fall in rank, if they performed poorly. My parents both challenged the rite shortly after my younger sister was born, and rose in rank, which is why I am a Count and not a Duke.]<<<<<
--Iceblade (14:53:22/09-29-74)
