Nobles

From FiranMUX

A day in the life of a Firan noble begins with a servant to rouse you and inform you what will be served for breakfast. Most likely, you've awakened in your manor home on your estate, or, if you had too much to drink last night, you may be awakening in one of the posh rooms at the Diplomat Inn. If you're at home, a servant will likely help you dress.

Clothing

Firan noblemen prefer the toga to all other garments, and Firan noblewomen prefer a silk stola most of all. There are myriad ways in which a stola may be worn, and thus Firan noblewomen make much ado about how they will wear theirs, what kind of brooches they will ornament it with, and what kind of jewelry to match it with. Older women tend to wear their hair up, but younger Firan noblewomen have had the increasing temerity to wear it down and in curls like commoners — a habit their parents complain about bitterly.

Food

Having become much accustomed to the luxury of spices, Firan nobles tend to shun unprepared foods, and so if breakfast is not to your liking, you may choose to ride into the city for your morning meal. Though Firans do have chairs, most nobles prefer the old way — they recline on couches while they dine from banquet tables set out before them. If you are forced to eat sitting upright, you may feel annoyed, or decide that you don't mind "roughing it" for the day.

Business

Because one of the requirements for nobility in the Firan culture is large swatches of land, nobles are always concerned with keeping the land they have and getting more. Rather than hire laborers to work the land, most nobles rent out their property to commoners to farm (and it is considered good manners for the renter of the land to hand over some amount of the crop to the noble family, if only a token amount, in addition to the payment of money).

Thus the head of a noble family will frequently start out the day by either riding out to visit his or her renters to collect rent due, chat with them about the crops, or otherwise inspect the land to make sure that there has been no poaching or other unauthorized entry to the property. Though the horse is a relatively new addition to the Firan culture, it is a much valued one by nobles for this purpose and riding is a much beloved noble past time.

Government

Firan nobles consider it to be good citizenship to involve themselves in matters of state, and thus, it is considered an honor for them to be appointed to any governmental position -- no matter how honorary the title or powerless the role. In fact, the Ranivor has been heard often to complain that he thinks some nobles like to obtain governmental positions just so that they may have the appearance of being civic minded without having any inclination to do the work required. If you've got a government position, you'd most likely spend some time in the city making an effort to do some of the work required for it — if only for the sake of disproving this criticism of the Ranivor.

Military

Depending upon the clan of your birth, it may be that you've taken a position in the military — in which case, you're likely to be of high rank and you might spend your afternoon dealing with matters accompanying that post. The Ranivor has been quite strict about rank in the military — unlike previous times, where your social class was absolutely determinative of your rank, it's impossible to both be high ranking and incompetent in the Ranivor's army now. Thus, you may spend your time practicing your combat skills or talking over the latest plans to drive the Shamibelians out of Ellish.

Shopping

In the afternoon, you might engage in some shopping. Firan nobles are an acquisitive bunch, sometimes buying things just for the novelty of having them. However, you probably do not frequently visit the marketplace in Civic Center Square. The crowd is too noisy and it is hard to obtain the kind of specialized goods that you prefer. Most likely you have a favorite craftsman or artisan in the city and you might visit his or her shop to obtain custom goods (i.e., You'll buy most of your goods from player characters rather than the automated market). If you have the opportunity, you'll visit the public or private bath house. Firans are exceptionally clean people in general, and the nobles moreso. A day without a bath will most likely make you cranky and stressed. All the best gossip comes from the bath houses anyhow.

Worship

If you're from a particularly religious clan, you'll want to make a visit to the temple of your choice at least once a week. It can't hurt your social standing to be seen amongst the faithful, and even if you have a private altar at which you worship at home, you know that the commoners might mistake you for an atheist if you don't make a big show of it once in a while. This is sometimes a distasteful task, however, as commoners will often flock to you to beg for coins or help in some trivial matter that they think of as of great importance. Sometimes you may give in and give out a few stenis, but it is, of course, wise to give to a worthy charity all at once. Priests and priestesses at the temples are always starting collections for various causes, and you will probably want to contribute to one of those either because you genuinely care, or because you want to be able to say that you've already given today.

Patronage

You will probably prefer to take your evening meal at home, because just before dinner is when the great stream of visitors will begin to arrive. The people that you sponsor socially (always beneath you in social class) will call on you frequently to bring gifts, to talk, or to otherwise show their gratitude for your patronage. It is considered extremely rude in Firan society for you not to receive such visits, and so even if the persons you sponsor have nothing of merit to give, you would at least appreciate a visit in which they engage in small talk. It is at times like these that you give out advice to your social inferiors, perhaps give them money, or otherwise allow them to listen to your problems. No doubt they will ask you for help with something, perhaps to intercede on their behalf with a clan leader, or to pray for a sick loved one, or to speak to their employer about mistreatment. If you sponsor an artisan or craftsperson, it would not be uncommon for you to request the person you sponsor to give you lessons and teach you his or her craft.

If they are particularly favored, you might indulge in a political discussion with them, and though it is not impolite for them to disagree, you will expect that they do so in the most gentle of ways. The arrival of your guests for the evening meal signals the end of these patronage visits, and you will, no doubt, retire with your guests to the dining room for a lavish dinner. It is polite in Firan society to bring a gift to your host, and so your guests will likely bring you wine, fresh flowers for your home, or some other token of their esteem. If your guest is, however, a clan leader, you would be remiss not to give them a gift as a momento of their visit to your home.

Parties

You are expected to have guests to dine with you frequently as a Firan noblewoman or nobleman, and if you are unable to arrange to dine with your friends frequently, you should endeavor to throw large parties. The more people that attend your parties the better, and to this end you will invite the persons you sponsor — as it can only help them in life to rub elbows with their social betters. You expect them to be greatly honored by an invitation to one of your parties, and you will provide them with appropriate clothing if they are lacking. The performance of the people you sponsor at your parties reflects upon you, and so if they are charming and well behaved, your standing in the community goes up. If they are crashing boors, you will be embarassed. Thus, you may feel it necessary to lecture the people you sponsor on correct social behavior.

Firans love parties, and they love to be entertained. If you can arrange for speeches to be given, or games to be held, or musicians to play, your party will be considered more of a success. Firan noblemen are notorious for loving parties, but hating to arrange the details of them, and thus it is considered to be a prized Firan wife who can arrange a successful party. If there have been no parties in Anarinuell in a great long time, you will probably brood about your boredom and otherwise endeavor to liven things up in the city of Anarinuell. One habit that young noblemen and young noblewomen have gotten into as of late is that of betting. They'll bet on anything. The result of a horse race, how long it will be before the next huge fight between the Ranivor and his wife, or, in the case of the less honorable noblemen, how many women they can persuade to have sex with them in the space of a week.

In closing...

All of this should not imply that Firan nobles are lazy. It is very hard work to maintain their social status and property holdings. To this end, Firan nobles will work very very hard. Moreover, since it is considered to be a virtue to be involved in matters of state, Firan nobles are concerned about politics, war, economics, crime and other social issues. Moreover, the Great War did a lot to expose even noble families to hard times, and thus, nobles do not take their positions for granted or shun serious topics. Moreover, Firan nobles are especially active in the upbringing and education of their children, and will rarely turn down the opportunity to learn a new skill, no matter how "common" the application (i.e., even though one wouldn't expect a noblewoman to cook her own meals, she'd most likely love to learn how it's done; as a result, Firan nobles can be expected to be most interested in sponsoring skilled laborers).