- Guardians of the Dead Caste
Speaker for the Dead: mages with powerful magic
Ear of the Dead: overseers, logistics
Hand of the Dead: accountants, storehouse managers
Foot of the Dead: transport, guards
These caste markings are turquoise dots
- Warrior Caste
Arrows: support for swords & shields, also hinterland patrols
Swords: foot soldiers, increasingly being called to crush riots
Shield: town guards, hired guards
Cavalry: horse and camel, rotten to the core, King's guard
Military undead: cannon fodder, various types
These caste marking are gold bars, the undead of this caste have gold dots
- Stone Caste
Stone Shapers: in ranks from simple craft to architecture
Stone Throwers: heavy troops
Stone Builders: mystic order that relays out town after floods
These caste markings appear to be embedded gemstones
- Metal Caste
Sword Smiths: all things swords
Black Smith: all other weapons
Tin Smith: "common items"
Anvils: grunt labor
These caste markings are facial piercings
- Fire Caste
Fire Bringers: fire code inspections, first fire after bad floods
Fire Watchers: wilderness patrols
Fire Hands: powerful mages, corrupt and wealthy
These caste markings are scarification patterns
- Water Caste
King Sasobek of All of Talis(among other titles): much myth about him, does not live in Hopeless
King's Chosen: court administrators, flunkies, and the extremely powerful
King's Hands: leadership and staff
Water Carriers: officials that oversee water canals, cisterns, water rations
Water Protectors: elite guards who protect all the water systems and distribution
Water Blessed: the officials who administer regional water
Takers (aka the price): elite, powerful and much feared units who cull the population
These caste markings are:
patterns of violet dots and tattos
near or total body violet color for high ranks
the King is said to be a glorious purple color with hieroglypic marks
Combat Rounds: 20 seconds long with initiative taken in order of dexterity. Second attacks are taken at half of dexterity or at the end of round. Cantrips go at 2 per rounds, or 1 cast and half move or attack. Please note that I run very little combat.
Dead Gods: Solstistalis has no gods of any sort. They died long ago and are truly gone. The closest to a religion are certain ranks within the Water Caste and the Water Caste city itself.
Dice Results: Sucess and failure depends on the difficulty of the attempt action. These are usually stat based rolls which may be a simple 3d6 under the stat, or as complex as an open-ended progressive d6 series with the goal of staying under the stat as long as possible. This progressive method allow heros without a skill or with a low stat to have at least some chance to suceeding.
Economy: Water is the most vital expression of wealth and power. A water debt is taken far more seriously then a monetary or barter debt---and is legally taken as such. Water is literally life in this culture, trading your current or future water ration must be considered very seriously. Someone who holds your water debt, holds your life. Otherwise this is a mixed barter and coin economy. Honor generally dictates that a business agreement is carried out. But among the upper castes corruption is rampant.
Military: Various castes have guardunits or related functionaries. These are beholden to their caste but they are functionally at the command of the Water Caste. In this time of war a great draft was called and caste officials were forced to designate who was called into service. The Resistance refers to this as just another form of being Taken. Somehow your heroes were spared.
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