Scholar Caste

Colour: Blue. Any Warrior Caste man half worth of his red cloak will enthusiastically die to protect the integrity and honour of his city. The average mage (but not sigraxes, who are Mage Castes but aren’t “true mages”) will sacrifice both his life and the very existence of his city for the sake of Mage’s Brotherhood, because that organization is essential for the survival of humanity, and even for the continuity of life on Sharitarn. Those are know facts, believed to be true among High Castes, in most civilized nations. One may not take equally seriously the following assertive, because it is harder to digest. A good Scholar Caste will ratter sacrifice himself, his city, and the very existence of the Multiverse with all living talking things in it, if the alternative is lie about his field of expertise or intellectual convictions. “Like torture a Scholar” is a popular expression in Sharitarn civilization. Too often iis who are learning Merchant Language get it wrong, assuming that Scholars are morally weak. They are not regarded as less strong, more afraid to die or less able to endure pain than average men. The point acknowledge by the expression is that the Blue Robes abhor lies; and that they aren’t found of hide what they know as true either. You will find out that Scholar Caste has only as many fanatics per capita as any other Caste (with the probable exception of Warrior Caste). About minor domestic subjects, not related to their fields of study, Scholar Caste men may bend the true almost as often as other civilized men would. And they understand the notion of “professional secret” when working as book keepers and advisers. Still, lie and hide the true are two necessary parts of life that go against the core of what the Blue Caste is, and feels, about itself and its position in existence. The Blue Cloaks are not competent at those things, recognize that weakness, and make honest effort to avoid situations where it could compromise their personal interests. Or those of their cities.
Vocation
The Blue Caste belongs to a short list of “essential” castes, those that one could hardly imagine a state city worth of that status if those castes are not included. Most cities are born with, and from, Peasant Caste. It can be replaced by Hunter Caste, or Fisherman Caste, and there is other more exotic possibilities for certain, but 9 in each 10 times is Peasant Caste. Warrior Caste is a necessity, usually solved long before the new settlement reach the point where it can expect to be recognized as a Feudal Domain. Builder Caste comes next. As a Feudal Domain you may or may not have Physician Caste, Merchant Caste, Artist Caste and even Mage Caste. However, there is no chance of anyone mistake a large Feudal Domain where all those castes exist for a town if it does not have a active and well structured Scholar Caste. “The Doors of Civilization” is how some call the Blue Caste, because of that. Merchants and Artist travel more often than Scholars. Even Warriors can claim that about themselves. While true mages are the only ones who have real time access to a global net of communication, in their Mage Towers. Despite that, the Scholar Castes are arguable the most cosmopolitan humans on the planet. They study all elements of reality, and civilization. Mage Castes have a tool for find out the objective reality, in their Divination Spells, that goes beyond anything Earthlings ever dreamed. The Blue Caste lacks that, but compensates with intellectual discipline, method, and more discipline. Every bit of information produced by a Mage Caste, or by anyone else, will sooner or later fall in the hands of a Scholar Caste. Ones that happen, there is no taking it out the collective patrimony of civilization: because the Scholars write everything. And they circulate those devious books, read each other’s works, and derivate new knowledge from different sources: all the time! That’s what they live for. Information does not circulate as fast among them as it does in the Mage’s Net, not even as fast as it travels through the merchant caravans and Long-Distance Ships of Merchant Caste. However, Scholar Castes will remember facts long before the other Castes have forgot about them. And they will make connections that no one else would between those facts, because unlike the other Castes, this one do not focus only in their subject of expertise. Mages care little for what does not have to do with Xar, Merchants care little for what does not have to do with commerce, Warriors have little interest beyond protect their nations and win wars, Scholars study everything. If there is a field of study, an information to be had, there is a Scholar investigating it. They are the ones who write all Laws down, but you would be hard pressed to find a Scholar that could be forced in the position of city ruler. They are the ones who list the Caste Codes of their own caste, and all others, and write studies comparing them. There is no industrial labour on Sharitarn, the Exclusion Law does not allow the necessary machinery, therefore the little printing Scholars dare to make is artisanal and slow. On the other hand, many nations have access to cheap and resistant paper, and ink. And more important books can be preserved by the poorest version available of that same Magic Spells that create indestructible magical weapons. Thanks to that, Scholars don’t have to hand copy the same book as often on Sharitarn as their counterparts used to copy manuscripts in Ancient and Medieval times. Libraries on Sharitarn reach huge sizes. Nothing on Earth could be compared with collections of books found even in even modest sized nations, until the WWW arrive with its virtual libraries of digitalized books. As a general rule, Low Caste citizens cannot read. They have no complains about being spared all the energy and time needed to learn that. Feeling instead very happy for not need alphabetization. On the other hand, even those who are neither able nor willingly to write and read enjoy great pleasure in the size and importance of their City Libraries. In that regard Scholar Castes are a bit like Mage Castes, and Municipal Libraries the equivalent to Mage Universities. Other castes, particularly the Low ones, see those people as odd fellows who speak a lot of nonsense. Dress funny. And worry about silly stuff. Side by side with that notion is the believe that those same odd folks are a reason for high pride. Their achievements make the city what it is: a civilized place. They are, so to speak, both symbols and physical manifestations of civilization. Goes without saying that Scholars do not command the same fear and reverence true mages do, not even the prudent respect granted to sigraxes. They are a more abstract and symbolic manifestation of civilization. Still, in a sense, their presence is even more essential for a nation’s reputation. Most cities do not have Mage Universities, a number of them do not even have wild sigraxes among their citizens. All those places are recognized as part of civilization, whit no problem. And yet, the instant a state city loses its Scholar Caste by any reason is the same instant it stops being a state city. You may have everything else, stone walls and true mages, Physician Schools and even True Nobles from the blood of legendary heroes of Clan Age, and still no civilized person would count your nation as a civilized one. Not without an respectable Library, and a handful of half decent Scholars.
Is worth to mention, before change topic, that when we use the word “Library” in this context, we are not just referring to a building with a lot of books inside. That is necessarily included, but the word in Merchant Language being translated here has a meaning closer to the one we use when we say “Library of Alexandria”. Back in those ancient Earthling times a “library” was a complete centre of research and study. A mix of University, Library and book editor, likely to have a heavy tentacle entangled in local politics as well. That’s what Municipal Libraries are on Sharitarn.

Women
If you are one of those who arrived from the Vortex caring in their hearths anachronistic ideals of gender equality that used to be common place on certain parts of our planet during most the second half of XX century_ after the occidental Universities raise the idea of female rights and before the XXI century replace it by the mockery that gave birth to Global Government values of female supremacy_ then the Scholar Caste is likely to be your best chance to find something you could call “home” on Sharitarn; without have to cut that hearth out your chest and eat it, I mean. Assuming you can get yourself an invitation to be tested, and pass their admission test (which is know to be one of the hardest) to enter the caste.
Do not read more in that than what I am writing, or you will be sorely disappointed.
The closest you can get to “gender equality” on Sharitarn is not, by any Earthling standard, equality. All Sharitarnes believe that human females are natural slaves, born as such, and human males their natural masters. All believe that female freedom in our specie is a artificial necessity of civilization, and the same is valid for male slavery. Scholars place those basic trues in more complex terms than anyone else, but they do not find flaws in them.
Scholar Caste houses do have slave-girls, and they are used for the sexual pleasure of their male owners and much as for small domestic shores such as clean and cook. Scholars are neither particularly kind nor particularly cruel as slave masters.
Besides, the rules of the caste regarding vocation are not “gender egalitarian”, purely. All men must pass the test to enter the caste, and are expected to fulfil certain jobs according to their personal capabilities, when the Caste Circle asks them. Women do not have to take the test, they may just join a Scholar man as free companion for a given number of years, renewing the free companionship without interruption: that grants the status of Scholar Caste to a woman, without the need of do any work for the city or for the caste as Scholar. Men do not have that option: so, no equality really. Well, there is a small but perhaps transparent lie in what I just told you, on the paragraph right above. You may have spotted that already. I mentioned “that grants the status of Scholar Caste to a woman”, well, does it? Yes, and no. There is a huge distance between a Scholar who is actually an active member of his caste, doing what his caste is supposed to do, and a woman scholar who does not endured the test. She is entitled to all the citizen rights and is protected by her caste brothers no doubt. As far as legal rights goes, yes, she is Scholar Caste. You understand what I mean now, I hope. “Status” does not stops in that. That is where enter the opening lines about hearth eating. Is an morally valid, socially acceptable, choice for a Scholar Caste woman to not do any study. Because she can choose to submit to that admission test. Warrior Caste women (aside rare exceptions, in some state cities) cannot choose to endure the rigorous training of their caste and risk their lives as warriors. They are mothers and companions. Peasants, Fishers, Merchant Caste women all work in their vocations, but the female work in those castes is very different from want the males are do, on each giving moment. For a woman who is a Scholar Caste following the vocation of her caste, being a woman seldom makes any difference in what she will be doing daily. Scholars weight arguments carefully, and have no patience for errors. In their eyes, who is speaking does not matter, only what is said. As long as a woman is sharp of mind, and has the discipline to acquire the necessary erudition, she will build a reputation and command respect of her pairs. As much as a man whit the same intellectual quality would. Neither more, nor less. That is the “gender equality” I was talking about. (In fact there is one human city on Sharitarn where you will find more of such equality, and in all castes instead of just among the Blue Robes. However, very few iis feel welcomed up there)

Free Companionship
Scholar Castes are as likely to renew the free companionship contracts time and again as they are to end their unions. There is a light attitude about the matter in most houses, and is common for a Scholar to stay alone for life. Or find a number of companions in life, before the one that stays for the rest of their days with them. The closest equivalent to lawyers you will find on Sharitarn are Scholar Castes dedicated to study legal matters. Despite that they have precious few conflicts about heritage or family law. Is usual for the women to stay with the children, when the contracts end, but there is a fair number of exceptions for that rule in any given state city, at any given time. That “open minded” spirit about domestic matters is part of what make me suggest that Scholar Caste could be the most advisable option for Earthlings on Sharitarn. Or, more properly, for those who can master the necessary skills, and acquire the basic theoretic knowledge.
Physicians are like Scholars in some aspects, but is less usual for their women to choose the path of caste vocation. And the Green Robes are far more likely to keep the same free companions for all life, renewing the contract every lunar year. Some say Scholars are “light headed” and even “promiscuous”, or sometimes “irresponsible”. All that is fair, in some extent, but comes with a misunderstanding. Scholars are deadly serious about what they care about, their vocation, and they have little seriousness left for minor issues such as money and personal pride. The average green robe is a half-step between the average blue robe and a Merchant Caste, in regard to his attention to monetary matters. As a consequence of that you will seldom find any powerful “Scholar House” in the city, with influence based in accumulated goods and favours. The caste has a lot of power, but that is either collective and in the hands of the caste as a whole or essentially personal. In the second case, it comes from the works written by a Scholar and cannot be passed to new generations. Be the son, or the grand granddaughter of a important author is a interesting curiosity about you, but do not replace your own achievements.

Place in the City
Scholars may not care much for material comfort, lost in the complex abstract mazes of their works, but they do not lack it. Usually, the Blue Sector is one of the most privileged locations inside the city. In a central area, next to the Mage Sector, and not far from the Builder Sector. All High Castes must make use of the Municipal Library every so often, and they like to have Scholars nearby. State Cities do not keep schools for the children, families look their castes for that or contract their own preceptors. Scholars are the ones contracted to educate children, naturally. The Blue Caste is (speaking as a general rule, that may not be the case in every single nation) less numerous than the red cloaks, of Warrior Caste. Less numerous than the Builders as well, but by little. More numerous than the Physicians, and far more so than the Mage Caste. Scholars are free to work for money, to anyone who contracts their services. However, most of them expend their time in projects approved by their Caste Circle, and get their money and status from that. Most houses in Scholar Sector belong to the Scholar Caste, not to individuals, and are assigned to each member of the caste according to the contributions that member has done. The logic in that system is that most Scholars want to expend as little time as possible thinking about where they will live or where their food and clothes will come from.

Career

Payment & Reimbursement

Scholars can find clients in all castes, depending on their field of interest. However, most will dedicate almost all their time to their own caste. The Circle assign each caste member with a task, and promotes them from there according to their work.                Blue robes are paid by their caste, but they do not care much for money (most of them don't, I mean). More expensive books and materials needed for scholars are provided by the caste when the projects are approved. Beyond that the typical member of this caste enjoys a frugal but comfortable existence, with very few reason for worries.

Other Benefits

Scholar Castes are High Caste citizens, with that came the right/obligation of take part in the political destiny of your nation.  
     You are entitle to a house in the Scholar Sector, that will be assigned to you by the Inner Circle of you caste. According to your previous works in benefit of your caste and city. You are also expected to be involved in some project, or conducting some research.

Type

Research / Scientific