Foundations of Society

Philosophical Orientation: Equilibrium (Passive). Acquisition (power) aspect. Vos society is stable, though increasing the Citadel's power and prestige is certainly always of concern. Vos is not a conqueror; rather, they seek to subtly increase their influence.

Isolation Value: 10. Vos is along a number of relatively safe trading routes, built along the shore of a large freshwater lake, and is reachable by river-barge.

Interaction Value: 17. Vos is a very cosmopolitan society, and although Vos traditions are firmly entrenched, knowledge from throughout the Known Lands is prized here.

Technology and Innovation

Subsistence and Mobility

Societal Mobility: Sedentary.

Politics and Kinship

Patterns of Residence: Nuclear

Kinship Ascendant: Patriarchal. Men tend to hold the power in Vos, though women technically receive fair treatment under the law.

Lineage Determinant: Patrilineal. Though a woman's heritage is considered important, family traditions and obligations are passed through the male side.

Inheritance Pattern: Primogeniture. Traditionally, the main bulk of an inheritance passes to the oldest child (whether male or female), with younger sons and daughters getting token portions. In families that stress particular crafts (whether magic or artistic), sometimes the bulk of the inheritance passes to the child who seems best suited to inherit the family business.

Interests of Society

Resources: 12. Vos conserves its resources carefully and stockpiles against times of need, and the standard of living is stable. There are some remarkable stone quarries in the demesne, but most other raw materials exist only in such quantities that are sufficient for local use. Food supplies are adequate to the populace, and the land is rich enough to allow growing some cash crops, such as grapes for wine.

Exploitation: 15. Vos does not squeeze as much out of the land as it could, but what it uses, it uses carefully and thoroughly.

Trade: 15. Vos exports both stone (particularly stone for building), cash crops (wine and liquors in particular), and a great many magically crafted items. Its significant imports include lumber, metal, and luxury goods, as well as raw vis for magic.

Military Force Type: Professional standing forces. Vos maintains both a local Citadel Guard, and the outland patrol Border Guard. Though small, the forces are highly professional and extremely well-trained. Service in the Guards is normally hereditary, and they are considered a slave class. Those born to this life are taken from their parents after birth, and raised by the Guard to be completely loyal to the Citadel's rulers; those who do not survive the training are written off as an unfortunate loss. Vos also has a formidable array of magical defenses around the Citadel.

Humanities

Religion: Tolerance 7, Prevalence 5, Diversity 3.

The Old Gods are widely believed to have lost their power, or to have abandoned man; those few who still claim their existence are generally considered scornfully. The Old Gods are popular mythological figures, though; it is not unusual to find their symbols and likenesses in artwork, for example, much as one sees the Greek Gods in the real world. The old beliefs are well-known and generally accepted as once having been valid; there are only a few mystics who try to seek new religious paths.

Art: Tolerance 19, Prevalence 19, Diversity 17.

Art is one of the centerpieces of Vos culture; indeed, those who do not have at least some small pretense to artistic talent or at least patronage of those who do, are generally looked upon as uncultured. There is an enormous diversity of art styles, and the Vos artistic community encourages foreign artists to settle in the city.

Vos taste tends towards elegance and restraint. Grace is prized over flash, and stone sculpture is the most notable art form. Unsurprisingly, Vos clothing tends towards the conservative, in both style and color, with both sexes favoring robe-like garments, usually of a conservative color with one small splash of bright color. The pendant is the most common piece of jewelry for the upper classes, with the wealthiest citizens sporting lightweight threads of metal supporting inlaid gemstones, fitted over the shoulders.

Scholastics: Tolerance 16, Prevalence 15, Diversity 18.

Scholarship is prized in Vos, both the theoretical and the practical. Most of those who devote their life to academic pursuits are indepedently wealthy, have a patron, or have obtained a teaching position at the University. The upper classes, in particular, are well-educated and well-read; this holds true for both women and men. Scholarship in the humanities tends to be much more common than scholarship in the sciences; those with a bent for the latter usually end up studying magical rather than scientific theory. Visiting scholars from other lands are normally well-received.

Magic: Tolerance 18, Prevalence 20, Diversity 10.

Vos is extraordinarily dependent upon magic; magic is relied on for every little bit of everyday existence, and should the city ever find itself starved for raw vis, the results could be disastrous. Every magus distills his own vis for personal use, and is required to distill a portion which is taken as a tax; Vos imports large amounts of vis from the outside world, as well.

The ruling family employs a handful of magi who do nothing but deal with weather, both keeping the city pleasantly balmy, and seeing to it that the crops do well. Magical devices can be found everywhere, and the city's defenses are heavily augmented with magic. Vos is the center of magical learning in the Known World, and while it is clear that High Magic is predominant here, other practioners of the mystic arts are also welcome, though they are looked down upon by those who work "True" Magic.

It is worthwhile to note that while many Vos have the Gift for magic, the Gift seems to have become diluted in the bloodlines, and thus the number of truly powerful magi of Vos ancestry is slowly declining. This has had the interesting side effect of an increasingly large number of young nobles being encouraged to find marriage partners from other demesnes, in hopes of refreshing the bloodlines.

Hierarchy of Social Estates

Status Foundations: Tradition (Kinship), Capability (Magical), Wealth

The aristocracy of the Bloodline is still the most important factor in Vos social standing, though one of low birth can attain great status through particularly strong gifts in magic. For those not fortunate enough to be of the Blood or magically gifted, money still talks, though the old aristocracy tends to look down upon "new money".

Personal Freedom Aspects

• Vertical (Culture): Slaves may not be manumitted save by the Prince himself; in practice, this is generally done only after one has died heroically in battle, and thus is of little use to the slave in question.
• Vertical (Heritage): Foreigners an never gain Vos citizenship, save through heroic deeds in battle or some other major achievement that draws the attention of the Prince. Non-citizens are subject to a small "rental" tax every year, and may not hold political office.
• Horizontal (Vocation): The scholars of the University are exempt from taxation.

Custom:

Rigidity:

Status	Archetypes
	Ruling	Privileged	Professional	Labor	Marginal
20	Political I
19	Political II
18	Political III
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

Vocational Clusters

• Political I: The Prince and his immediate family
• Political II: The Councillors of the Council of Sages
• Political III: Direct bloodline of the Prince, up to first cousins