farumens

In the beginning of written memory, there weren't any great realms in the land of Notwarr, only warring clans of humans. As time went on, clans started to unite in alliances to better protect themselves from others. The largest among these groups founded the kingdom of Farum, their power at the time, unmatched by anyone else. As there was no outside threat anymore, farumens focused on agriculture and industry instead of fighting. Their lands grew along with the population, eventually reaching a size, where it was impossible to control everything effectively from one capital. The lands of Farum, that were too far from the central government became known as the colonies.

The time of growth ended with the rise of Shurrah, an old and ruthless clan. Shurrans, through slavery and bloodshed, achieved a similar level of power to Farum, but as a single clan. They began pillaging the farthest farumen colonies, then they moved closer and closer to the central kingdom. A war ensued, but eventually Farum had beaten back Shurrah. Realizing that it would cost far too much to eradicate them with no guarantee of success, they offered a peace treaty to the invaders, which the now broken kingdom accepted.

With the age of growth ended, farumens focused all their efforts on improving their kingdom. This improvement came in the form of better technology, academies and arts. Farum entered a new age of prosperity this time not relying on expansion, thus Shurrah was unable to stop it.

Farumens believe that life's purpose is the improvement of life itself. True farumens are those who ever strive forward for a goal that would better the world around them. With no other nation powerful enough - except for the warmongering shurrans - to truly shape the world, the people of Farum are the ones charged, at least in their own eyes, with the task of advancing humanity. It is their duty.

Hierarchy

    Commoners

On the lowest societal step are the commoners. Most commoners live in small towns and villages. They tend to work the fields as farmers or crofters. The skilled among them can become village blacksmiths, carpenters, millers, butchers or other such craftsmen supporting agriculture. Commoners can also be found among cityfolk, working as servants.   Citizens

Citizens are not much higher in rank than commoners, the only real difference is that they live in the cities. Their occupation includes, but is not limited to armor- and weaponsmithing, tailoring and shoemaking. The wealthy among them often become traders. Those who lack the skill for craft or the wealth for trading, enlist as soldiers.   Nobility

Landowners and warlords, the noblemen are the true rulers of Farum. The so called Grand Houses own the lands, thus controlling the foodsupply in the kingdom. They all hail from the clans who originally founded Farum. Many lesser nobles live in cities, where they have control over certain districts. These nobles were initially members of higher nobility, but as these families grew larger and larger, not every scion could inherit land, so the least important of them were sent to the cities with only a small wealth and their titles. Cities are mainly supported by trade, thus the lords of these cities depend on good relations with the owners of the farming- and miningtowns, as well as citynobles from other cities. Some lesser nobles, who are wealthy enough, have attempted to build a colony far from the reach of the royalty and the other nobles.   Royalty

The highest ranking among the nobility, the royal family is the ruler of the kingdom, at least officially. While the army of Farum is loyal only to the king, the high nobility owns most of the land in the kingdom, so whether the army gets fed or not is mostly up to them. This is supposed to keep the king and the nobles in balance, but it slowly erodes the power of the king.   Colonists

Denizens of the farumen colonist are hard to categorize. There aren't any big cities in the colonies, thus there isn't a real difference between citizens and commoners there. Lacking strict societal rules, most colonists are equal. They can became craftsmen, soldiers or traders, if they have the skills or work as farmers if they don't. Only the colony owner is above the laborers, who is a lesser member of the nobility.   Outlaws