Bigtory and Class system in FR [Archive] - Wizards Community

Bigtory and Class system in FR [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
The Vanguard
07-15-04, 06:03 PM Hi is there officially Bigotry and Class system in Forgotten Realms?, and by the Class system I mean Common and Noble.
Kuje31
07-15-04, 06:15 PM Originally posted by The Vanguard
Hi is there officially Bigotry and Class system in Forgotten Realms?, and by the Class system I mean Common and Noble.

Sure it exists. Waterdeep, Thay, Cormyr, are some of the nations are ones that I can think of that have such castes.
Dargoth
07-15-04, 06:29 PM Just about everywhere in Faerun has some sort of class system, from countries like Cormyr who have have a Feudal system to the Lolth worshiping Drow who have their own class system based on gender.
The Vanguard
07-15-04, 11:05 PM What about Bigotry in FR?,
ruleslawyer
07-16-04, 12:52 AM Practically every society in the Realms, with the possible exception of the Western Heartlands communities, some of the Dales, certain parts of the Silver Marches like Neverwinter and Silverymoon, hin societies, and nomadic or "barbaric" peoples, has a class society, though in some places (like Mirabar, Baldur's Gate, or even Zhentil Keep), "class" is not a particularly rigid institution. The most severely classist societies tend to be those of the drow, the Southlands (Calimshan, the Old Empires, and Thay have rigid class and caste systems) and the gold dwarves of the Deep Realm.

As for bigotry: Sure, it's there in spades. The people of Calimshan and other ancient, southern realms with millenia of history, wealth, and empire behind them tend to view all northerners as unwashed barbarians; to this, Calishites, and perhaps some others, add extreme male chauvinism. Thayans practice a caste system based on race (the Mulan, the race from which almost all Red Wizards come, are the upper-class, with the Rashemi below them), and gold dwarves regard even their shield-dwarven kin with condescension. A famous grroup of bigots is the Eldreth Veluuthra, a society of xenophobic elves. A nice tidbit on the Eldreth Veluuthra can be found here:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040519a

(It seems like there's a sense among certain gamers that all sun elves are racist xenophobes, which I think is a misapprehension. The racism bit really comes from six families led by the Starym clan, who left Myth Drannor when it was opened to non-elves and developed their no-doubt-existing xenophobia to new heights, and from the legacy of the Starym in the Eldreth Veluuthra, which, as Cloak and Dagger and LoD note, is a quite small organization. Unfortunately, because the Eldreth have featured so strongly in novels, and because the elven supremacist trope has been pushed since Dragonlance novel time, this image seems to have stuck.)
The Vanguard
07-16-04, 04:49 PM Oh Ok, so about a 3rd of Faern has a Class system, and the all of them have some form of bigotry.
GothicDan
07-17-04, 01:05 AM Considering the fact that a good portion of the Realms is based on human societies and concepts, just think of it from a real life point of view during a middle ages period. Mind you, magic and such make things different, but it can just be another tool/resource used for a source of possible bigotry.

All mortals are fallible, regardless of the world.
Psionycx
07-18-04, 12:26 AM You can find both just about anywhere.

Sembia is plutocratic. Money is power and status there. The poor are generally seen as little better than labor by the rich. There was also historically a humanocentric slant in their attitudes towards the Elven Court.

In Elaine Cunningham's novels she alludes to human racism amongst the nobility of Waterdeep.

Thayans, as already mentioned, consider all non-Thayans to be little more than potential slaves.

Calishites have a complex system of social status. They also consider their ancient culture to be superior to that of any other people on Faerun.

And most of Faerun runs on the feudal social model, which by it's very nature is classist.

So truthfully class stratification and racism are readily apparent across Faerun.
The Vanguard
07-18-04, 04:52 AM Ok then this should make for some interesting writering at least,

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The Vanguard 07-15-04, 06:03 PM	Hi is there officially Bigotry and Class system in Forgotten Realms?, and by the Class system I mean Common and Noble.
Kuje31 07-15-04, 06:15 PM	Originally posted by The Vanguard Hi is there officially Bigotry and Class system in Forgotten Realms?, and by the Class system I mean Common and Noble. Sure it exists. Waterdeep, Thay, Cormyr, are some of the nations are ones that I can think of that have such castes.
Dargoth 07-15-04, 06:29 PM	Just about everywhere in Faerun has some sort of class system, from countries like Cormyr who have have a Feudal system to the Lolth worshiping Drow who have their own class system based on gender.
The Vanguard 07-15-04, 11:05 PM	What about Bigotry in FR?,
ruleslawyer 07-16-04, 12:52 AM	Practically every society in the Realms, with the possible exception of the Western Heartlands communities, some of the Dales, certain parts of the Silver Marches like Neverwinter and Silverymoon, hin societies, and nomadic or "barbaric" peoples, has a class society, though in some places (like Mirabar, Baldur's Gate, or even Zhentil Keep), "class" is not a particularly rigid institution. The most severely classist societies tend to be those of the drow, the Southlands (Calimshan, the Old Empires, and Thay have rigid class and caste systems) and the gold dwarves of the Deep Realm. As for bigotry: Sure, it's there in spades. The people of Calimshan and other ancient, southern realms with millenia of history, wealth, and empire behind them tend to view all northerners as unwashed barbarians; to this, Calishites, and perhaps some others, add extreme male chauvinism. Thayans practice a caste system based on race (the Mulan, the race from which almost all Red Wizards come, are the upper-class, with the Rashemi below them), and gold dwarves regard even their shield-dwarven kin with condescension. A famous grroup of bigots is the Eldreth Veluuthra, a society of xenophobic elves. A nice tidbit on the Eldreth Veluuthra can be found here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040519a (It seems like there's a sense among certain gamers that all sun elves are racist xenophobes, which I think is a misapprehension. The racism bit really comes from six families led by the Starym clan, who left Myth Drannor when it was opened to non-elves and developed their no-doubt-existing xenophobia to new heights, and from the legacy of the Starym in the Eldreth Veluuthra, which, as Cloak and Dagger and LoD note, is a quite small organization. Unfortunately, because the Eldreth have featured so strongly in novels, and because the elven supremacist trope has been pushed since Dragonlance novel time, this image seems to have stuck.)
The Vanguard 07-16-04, 04:49 PM	Oh Ok, so about a 3rd of Faern has a Class system, and the all of them have some form of bigotry.
GothicDan 07-17-04, 01:05 AM	Considering the fact that a good portion of the Realms is based on human societies and concepts, just think of it from a real life point of view during a middle ages period. Mind you, magic and such make things different, but it can just be another tool/resource used for a source of possible bigotry. All mortals are fallible, regardless of the world.
Psionycx 07-18-04, 12:26 AM	You can find both just about anywhere. Sembia is plutocratic. Money is power and status there. The poor are generally seen as little better than labor by the rich. There was also historically a humanocentric slant in their attitudes towards the Elven Court. In Elaine Cunningham's novels she alludes to human racism amongst the nobility of Waterdeep. Thayans, as already mentioned, consider all non-Thayans to be little more than potential slaves. Calishites have a complex system of social status. They also consider their ancient culture to be superior to that of any other people on Faerun. And most of Faerun runs on the feudal social model, which by it's very nature is classist. So truthfully class stratification and racism are readily apparent across Faerun.
The Vanguard 07-18-04, 04:52 AM	Ok then this should make for some interesting writering at least,