The caste system was introduced by the Communion just after the end of the war with Velak. It is believed that before her death, Enora had instructed her inner circle to divide the people into groups based on their involvement in the war. Those who commanded were given the highest honours, closely followed by those who fought the First and assisted Enora in other ways. Thus, a hierarchy was created. As the rhyme says:
The monarch*,
the noble,
the clansguard and the priest,
the skilled, the farmer,
and all that dwell beneath.
* Added after the first monarch, Queen Tara of the Ovantae, subjugated the other clans in the year 245.
Apart from the monarch and nobility, all other caste children must receive their identifying brand on their thirteenth birthday. There are many rules regarding caste, with the lower castes bearing the harshest restrictions. Caste interactions are strictly regulated and those deemed in breach of the rules are punished. The most serious cases could result in the perpetrator and their family being banded ‘casteless’ and sent to camps run by the Communion’s Grey Cloaks. The Caste Uprising of 1185 by the People’s Alliance was in response to the failure of King Rodric to uphold his promise to abolish the caste system.