Life in Arbor
Pause, kindly reader, and view the travel adventure of a lifetime!
What gentleman of noble upbringing can resist the marvels of adventure in the land of Arbor! From the smog-enshrouded glow of its modern cities to the murky mines of the dwergaz, both enchantment and mechanical marvels will bewitch and bewilder you at every turn. Witness firsthand the throes of Arbor's conflict between its magical past and its industrial future.
To an Arborian gentleman, the word ‘society’ is inseparable from civilization or empire.
It is all too easy to think of the age of steam as a lot of nice, respectable, red-faced old men creating modern industry and chasing singing pickpockets. Such a conception is far from the truth. The entire economy of the Arbor relies on exploiting the lower class and using lesser-folk workforces as slave labor. This is commonly accepted by the lower classes as ‘just the way that things are’. The inhabitants of conquered lands are not so forgiving.
Revolutionaries plot the downfall of Arborian society, a sweeping away of the social cancer.
Beneath the respectable veneer of middle class society that popular history has recorded for us, the continent of Arbor has concealed a hideous mass of poverty, inequality, depravity and injustice. A good key phrase for this setting could be ‘out of sight, out of mind’. However, it is also an age of invention and pioneering spirit. The Arboreans were far from the stuffy prudes many people believe them to be. They craved sensation and spectacle, and the age provided both in abundance.
Society
The society of Arbor is split into three levels: the upper, middle, and lower or ‘working’ classes. Each of these groups has its own ethics, ideals and etiquette.
Players and Gamemasters need to understand the class system of Arbor, as it will be one of the most, if not the most, dominating factors in the lives of their characters and the supporting cast around them. It is important to note that there is little or no social mobility in Arborean society. Everyone, high or low, knows their place, but is also proud of the perceived virtues of their class. Few people want to change, seeing (and often complaining about) the flaws inherent in the other classes.
The theory is that class status reflects indefinable but substantial differences in breeding. It would be unthinkable for a businessman with humble origins to socialize within the aristocracy, no matter how successful he had been, as his breeding would be considered inferior. Social class controls an Arborean's childhood and defines his career, where he can live - even who he can marry. The study of Arborean society and values can (and does) take up shelves of books in most libraries; to attempt a reprint of all that material
here would be fruitless. Following are some guidelines for each of the social groups, which should give you a good idea how the classes view and interact with one another.
The Social Order
The upper, or higher, class of Arbor consists of the aristocracy, their extended families, friends and any persons that they deign to elevate to this station (very rarely the latter). This class is usually ruled with majority by the fair-folk and the stout-folk and common-folk in a lesser degree.
The middle class consists of the professional tradesmen and industrialists. This classification has only come into existence in the last hundred years of game time, since the Industrial Revolution. The middle class is made up of wealthy businessmen and highly paid professionals such as doctors, lawyers, academics and officers with large purses. In the middle classes, it is how much money you make that is the barometer of your success, and in this the stout-folk excel.
The working or lower classes are composed of the manual labor force, the craftsmen, wandering journeymen and anybody not born into wealth. Many of them have nothing, and some have even less. However, the working class prides itself on being the backbone of the continent. They may not reap many of the benefits, but without them the wheels of the continent would simply stop. This class is ruled with majority by the lesser and common folk.
| Correct by Convention Class distinctive society was instigated by, and serves the upper and middle classes. Its forms and protocols are self-evolving within those classes. There are no social rules lawyers - social custom and correctness are devolved from the majority. These forms and customs are then passed on to the lower class without discussion. This might seem unfair and absurd - it is, but it is also the truth. |
Etiquette & Fashion
If you absorb nothing else from my advice, remember that Arborean society, as a whole, is obsessed with etiquette, from what you wear to how you greet someone to where you sit at a table. Breaches of etiquette, even unintended ones, can ruin one’s reputation. A family would rather ostracize a scandalized member than allow their violation to stain the rest of the family.
The aristocracy sets the standards for etiquette and fashion; the bourgeoisie apes them as best they can through the reading of etiquette books and magazine articles. The lower class generally wears what is comfortable and convenient; when they do dress ‘well,’ they generally lag behind by purchasing clothes through second and third-hand shops.
Gender Roles
Society dictates socially acceptable roles for each gender. Throughout history, females hale had a narrower choice of careers than males. However, even at times when the general scope of female roles focused on marriage, children, and family, individual women still found ways to engage in grand, adventurous activities.
Extraordinary Women: In every era, there have been women who openly dared to disobey. These women often thumbed their noses at convention and pursued male roles, sometimes adopting male attire, but still flaunting their femininity.
Pollentian Revolution: Like many other of the most radical voices of the Age of Discovery, Judith Callaghan's support for gender equality was largely met by shock and disapproval except in Balmora who's view of women went extreme changes during the formation of the Great Faith. Arbor remained a place of male privilege. Nevertheless, the understanding of the proper relationships among men, women, and the public world underwent significant change in this period which led to men and women having equal rights in Pollentia during the Age of Steam. This inspired other nations to adopt a similar view.
| But Balmorean Ladies wear Trousers... The ongoing war against Balmora has brought a never ending procession of news and revelations on that military nation, not least being the fact that not only is Balmora a matriarchy, but that it’s noblewomen live in a fully emancipated position - a fact which has both scandalized and entranced Arborean society (undoubtedly for all the wrong reasons). While the institution pours scorn and ridicule on the ‘half dressed trouser wearing harlots of the east’, artists and journalists alike seem fixated on the exotic and commanding Balmorean elite and as a result they have become unwitting media darlings - when a leading Imber newspaper placed an engraving of the a female Balmorean commander on their front cover the paper sold out within hours! The Balmorean nobility are just as powerful a role-model to emancipationists, fashion extremists and to the free minded nature of the Gutter Runner sub culture. Because of this, it is not rare to see a woman wearing trousers better than any man in the streets of Pollentia or even in Ferros, which seems to oppose everything the nation of Pollentia does. |
Religion
Apon reflection, it can be said that the development of Arbor and its peoples can be mapped through the rise and fall of it religions. Throughout the ages, it has been the fervent belief in higher powers that have propelled us into the most torrid, as well as the most enlightening, events in our history. And why shouldn't this be the case? Is it not our intellect and our passions that set us apart from our bestial counterparts? The value we place in our deities, whatever form they take, is merely a reflection of our greater desire to give form and pattern to our existence, to see beyond what is in the here and now, to give it meaning to the haphazard events that happen around us everyday.
In my book, The Pagan Gods of Arbor, I have attempted to describe, in detail, the diverse religions practiced by the various races in Arbor prior to the era often known as the Age of Crowns. With the rise of the Musica Universalis as a religion and its widespread acceptance among almost all of the civilized nations, the importance of the ancient pagan religions has been largely overshadowed. By describing these gods and the people who worshiped them, I hope to shed light not only what has come before, but on who we are now and what we might one day become. Whether creatures of magick, or children of technology, we must never forget that some lessons are best learned by looking behind us.
I am often asked whether or not I have my own religious beliefs. I will say only this; I've studied the old gods extensively, visited their temples, even made offerings at certain altars where they are still intact. From what I've seen, I can with all verity say that these ancient beliefs are not to be trifled with. Tread lightly among them.
| Musica Universalis Musica Universalis worships the Harmony of the Spheres, which is responsible for the music of creation. This 'music' is not usually thought to be literally audible, but a harmonic and/or mathematical and/or religious concept. The Music of the Spheres incorporates the metaphysical principle that mathematical relationships express qualities or ‘tones' of energy which manifest in numbers, visual angles, shapes and sounds – all connected within a pattern of proportion. This religion believes that the music of the universe is what gave origin to everything natural of our world and there for, everything produces a tune that must always remain in harmony with the universe. Most members of this religious group learn to play various instruments and often take singing lessons as well as being educated in many subjects such as politics and science. |
Entertainment & Vice
Every society has its vices; Arborean society is no exception. It is fair to say that, for a character so inclined, almost every conceivable vice can be catered for in the chaos of the city. All you need do is find your way to the darkest streets, if you are brave enough. The bodies of thrill seekers are found in the rookeries of the
city nightly.
For many, Arborean morality only applies when they get caught. Plenty of people condemn behaviour in others,which they emulate or fantasize about themselves in secret. Many people are quick to condemn those who get caught, publicly promoting their own reputation as moral, pious citizens in the hope that suspicion will not unearth their own secret vices. Alcohol, drugs, prostitution, and gambling are a few of the available vices in any city.
The Law
The judicial system of Arbor is geared towards the class system. The police service, still in its infancy, is dreadfully inefficient (sometimes through no fault of its own) and in some areas, corruption is high. In addition, the police do not have the manpower to properly investigate as many reports as they would like.
The same lack of manpower means that policemen dare not enter the poorer sections of the slums. When resentment of authority is running high, a blue uniform is a prime target.
Usual procedure once the purported felon is caught is as follows: (1) The felon is incarcerated at the arresting police station until the court date and has the right to send a message to whomever he wishes to represent his interests. (2) The felon is taken by police coach to the court. (3) The court case follows, resulting in the release or sentencing of the offender.
When at court the following points should be borne in mind:
An upper class offender will rarely have a public trial. He is unlikely to be put in prison and his indiscretion will be kept secret to avoid scandal.
A middle class offender will receive a trial, is allowed a lawyer if he has the means to hire one and will probably be sent to prison. Even if found innocent, peers would shun him.
A lower class offender will receive a trial, often without the chance to contact a lawyer. The court case would be conducted and the offender sent to prison, deported to its country or hanged, as appropriate.
One of the lesser-folks could expect to be told that he is guilty and immediately to be sent to prison - guilty or not. The usual punishment for most offences is either a fine or prison sentence; some crimes are considered punishable by either, but for extreme crimes the death sentence exists. In such a case the judge makes the decision. Prison is not a pleasant place; the Arborean philosophy for prisons is that they are a place of punishment rather than detention or rehabilitation.
Prisons bear more resemblance to a filthy dungeon than to a modern prison, and each day inmates would be tortured on ghastly contraptions such as giant treadmills, weighted cranks and subjected to sand-papering (just what it sounds like). Disease is rampant in jail, and even if an inmate survives his sentence, he will probably have contracted something unpleasant. A final note on the prisons is that there is no minimum age for prison confinement.
The number of crimes carrying the death sentence has waxed and waned over the last age. Today, the main crimes that lead to the death penalty are murder, treason, piracy, demonology, necromancy and setting fire to the royal dockyards.
Crimes punishable by death or deportation include sodomy, rape and theft of articles of clothing, livestock or items worth more than five crowns. There is also an array of bizarre minor exceptions such as ‘kicking the elderly’ and ‘desertion during a time of war’. Hangings are carried out in public, and are often a source of great entertainment. Unfortunately, these public occasions themselves frequently inspire crimes such as theft, fraud and assault.
Deportation seems initially to be an easier option. After all, you go to a foreign nation, work for the settlers
for a few years and - hey presto! - you’re free. Wrong. Approximately one quarter to one third of deportees die on the journey over to their nation and, when they arrive, they face several years of poor food, hard labor and the cruelty of sadistic guards.