View source for Ruulran Social Hierarchy

[[Ruulran]] society encodes social rank directly into personal names by means of suffixes. A name’s final letters broadcast one’s station at a glance and are enforced by custom and law. The royal house sits above all others; below it are the aristocratic houses, then the learned, then the commoner castes. Outside the system entirely stand those who have renounced all suffix and citizenship.
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== 1.1 Tiers & suffixes ==

=== A) Commoner strata — suffix -''il'' ===

* '''Tharil''' — “Land-tied.” Agrarian peasantry and general laborers.
* '''Drökil''' — “Mineral Workers.” Trades tied to ore and stone (miners, smelters, related crafts).

The '''-il''' ending is intentionally ubiquitous; most Ruulrani bear it. This makes common status immediately legible while keeping higher ranks linguistically rare.

=== B) Learned strata — suffix -''in'' ===
Those recognized for scholarship, engineering, or magic.

* '''Mialin''' — “Thinkers.”
* '''Thaelin''' — “Seekers of Knowledge.”

=== C) Aristocracy — three noble lines by suffix ===

* '''Ruulrix''' — “God’s Voice.” '''-ix'''
* '''Vethax''' — “The Prideful Ones.” '''-ax'''
* '''Tharnri''' — “Eternal Lineage.” '''-ri'''

=== D) Royalty — reserved highest ranks ===

* '''Ruuldren''' — “God’s Ruler.” '''-dren'''
* '''Vithdron''' — “Death’s End.” '''-dron'''
* '''Orridraks''' — “Light’s Might.” '''-draks'''

These suffixes are legally protected and mark direct members of the royal house and its recognised cadet branches.
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== 1.2 Marriage & inheritance (suffix descent) ==

* In mixed-rank marriages, '''children inherit the suffix of the lower-ranked parent.'''
* The same rule applies even when one parent is '''royal'''; as a result, royal unions are tightly controlled to avoid diluting succession.
* This custom broadly discourages “marrying down” and helps keep ranks “pure.”

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== 1.3 Renunciation & outcast status (Na’vortha / Na’vorthæ) ==
Some Ruulrani '''renounce any suffix at all''', placing themselves '''outside''' the hierarchy. This condition has a formal name in Ruulden:

* '''Na’vortha''' ''(sing.)'' / '''Na’vorthæ''' ''(pl.)'' — “of no tribe” (''na'' “without” + ''vortha'' “tribe”).
* '''Form:''' carries '''no suffix'''.
* '''Standing:''' '''not a Ruulrani citizen'''.

'''Rights & restrictions of a Na’vortha'''

* May '''reside''' in Ruulran, take lawful '''employment''', and even '''serve in the military''' (typically as rank-and-file).
* '''Forfeit''' all civic privileges of citizenship:
** '''No entry''' to holy sites (Sanctums and other sacred buildings) and '''no service''' within them.
** '''Cannot own land or property'''; may not purchase real estate or hold tenures.
** '''No passport''' or cross-border travel rights; only suffix-bearing citizens may apply for emigration papers, leaving many Na’vorthæ trapped within Ruulran’s borders.
* '''Marriage''' to a Na’vortha is deeply shunned. '''Children of any union involving a Na’vortha are born without a suffix''', irrespective of the other parent’s rank—consigning them to the same rightless status.

'''Example:''' Irian renounced his aristocratic suffix entirely and became '''Na’vortha'''; his former style “Irianix” (-ix) is historical only.
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== 1.4 Names in use & address ==

* Outside Ruulran, Ruulrani still read social origin from the '''final letters''' of a name.
* Formal address commonly uses '''title + given name''' for nobles; commoners are addressed by '''given name''' unless office or profession warrants more.
* '''Royal''' names always retain their protected suffixes in formal address.
* '''Na’vorthæ''' are addressed by given name only; any attempt to append a suffix is considered an insult or a legal fiction.

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== 1.5 Quick reference ==
{| class="wikitable"
|'''Stratum'''
|'''Label'''
|'''Gloss'''
|'''Suffix'''
|-
|Commoner
|'''Tharil'''
|“Land-tied” (peasantry, labor)
|'''-il'''
|-
|Commoner
|'''Drökil'''
|“Mineral Workers” (ore/stone trades)
|'''-il'''
|-
|Learned
|'''Mialin'''
|“Thinkers” (scholar/engineer/mage)
|'''-in'''
|-
|Learned
|'''Thaelin'''
|“Seekers of Knowledge”
|'''-in'''
|-
|Aristocracy
|'''Ruulrix'''
|“God’s Voice”
|'''-ix'''
|-
|Aristocracy
|'''Vethax'''
|“The Prideful Ones”
|'''-ax'''
|-
|Aristocracy
|'''Tharnri'''
|“Eternal Lineage”
|'''-ri'''
|-
|'''Royalty'''
|'''Ruuldren'''
|“God’s Ruler”
|'''-dren'''
|-
|'''Royalty'''
|'''Vithdron'''
|“Death’s End”
|'''-dron'''
|-
|'''Royalty'''
|'''Orridraks'''
|“Light’s Might”
|'''-draks'''
|-
|'''Outside system'''
|'''Na’vortha / Na’vorthæ'''
|“Of no tribe” (renounced; rightless)
|'''—'''
|}
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== 1.6 Glossary (select Ruulden forms) ==

* '''na-''' — privative prefix “no, without.”
* '''vortha''' — “tribe, kin-group.”
* '''Thar-''' — “land, soil.”
* '''Drök-''' — “ore, mineral.”
* '''Mia-''' — “mind, thought.”
* '''Thae-''' — “knowledge, lore.”
* '''Ruul-''' — “god, divine.”
* '''Veth-''' — “pride.”
* '''Tharn-''' — “lineage, bloodline.”
* '''dren / dron / draks''' — royal morphemes associated with rulership, endings, and might.

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== 7.7 Demonyms & ethnonyms (usage & language) ==
'''Common (Directian) usage'''

* '''Ruulrani''' — the standard demonym for '''any person from Ruulran''', regardless of species (Elvenkind, Humekind, Landlings, etc.).
** ''Adj.'' “Ruulrani” (e.g., ''Ruulrani law'', ''a Ruulrani emissary'').

'''Ruulden usage'''

* Ruulden prefers a relational phrase rather than a compact demonym:
** '''y’ie nai Ruulran ya''' — “I am of Ruulran.”
*** ''y’ie'' “I,” ''nai'' “of/from,” ''ya'' copula.
* When a compact form is unavoidable in Common, use '''Ruulrani'''; in Ruulden speech, keep the '''nai Ruulran''' construction.

'''Ethnonym vs. demonym'''

* '''Ruul’yun''' (“God’s Children”) is the '''ethnonym for Elvenkind''' everywhere, not a national demonym.
* Using ''Ruul’yun'' to mean “a person from Ruulran” is archaic and subtly biased. Modern texts should reserve '''Ruul’yun''' for species/people-group and '''Ruulrani''' for nationality.

'''Outside the system'''

'''Na’vortha / Na’vorthæ''' (“of no tribe”) indicates '''renounced, suffixless status''', not a demonym. A Na’vortha may be of any species formerly within Ruulran society but stands '''outside''' its civic body.