Sun Kingdom: Politics
Position in society comes only in part from one's family. Those displaying the traits closest to the perfections laid out in the Journal du Keife have more status As to the selection of heirs, the process is closely guarded. The heir apparent is usually the progeny of the current king or queen but there have been incidents where another was promoted as being more suitable.
The Bhareau line is the line to the throne. Jet black hair, high cheek bones, almond shaped eyes and a medium well-proportioned frame that is tall in males and shorter in females mark these people as Bhareau. Confidence to the point of arrogance is typical for them. All are trained from early childhood in the skills of the rapier and the horse.
Those of Natim lineage share the jet black hair, but their frames are lither, shorter and the jaw stronger and better defined. The occasional expression of mahogany hair or beard also shows from time to time. It is said to be a throwback to a favorite queen of King Edmund that was taken from her island home in the Sea of Scales before the Cataclysm swallowed it entirely. These are the officers of the royal navy or the heads of merchant shipping houses, the salt of Edmund's sea blood runs strong within them.
The Bhewak Keife shares some of the characteristics of the barbarian tribes that once owned those dry plains that surround the mountain. Several sons and daughters of clan chieftains were "adopted" into Edmund's plan as both a means of taking advantage of the heartiness of the stock and the cultural ties to family in a diplomatic means. These lines are marked by the blond hair and blue eyes common to the steppes peoples, but different than their distant ancestors is their darker skin tones and muscled physique. Keife du Sob'ety can be recognized by their intensely green eyes, sable hair and inherited strawberry red birthmark on the left shoulder. The larger the birthmark the greater the gift of the Al'Noth, it is said. Infants not exhibiting the mark from this line by the age of two are often prone to a mysterious ailment known commonly as crib death.
The most mysterious of the Keife are the R'visred. Given the intense distaste that all the nobility of Sun have for non human races, and especially all things elven, the presence of pale white hair and red rimmed eyes makes this line very odd indeed. To even suggest a resemblance to elves to one is to court death, and given the line's propensity toward magery, that death may not be quick and painless. Where ever they came from, members of these families are known to be bright, some of them exceptionally so. It has been suggested that this intense intelligence comes with a price and that many of those born to the line are doomed to madness. The line is reported to be dwindling in numbers through the ages due to untimely deaths of its progenitors. Other than the occurrences of hair and eye anomalies, a R'visred can indeed resemble any of the other Keife. The proof of heritage is; again in the form of a birthmark, one that appears only at the onset of puberty. Where this mark is located is a family secret.
There is always a constant jockeying for position with the various layers of the social castes but the traditions and customs long ingrained in Sun society serve to buffer what could be intensely chaotic. Political intrigues, backstabbing and court politics are commonplace. Blood ties are important both to family and to the Keife. While infighting may occur, when a family or the society in general is threatened by an outside influence, the nobility of Sun tighten ranks.
The Sun Kingdom is currently at peace with all on Alindor. The sacking and defense of Stone by Blood's forces taxed the meager reserves that the kingdom had built up while under the thumb of Milara. The government's current focus is the survival of the nation and dealing with the aftermath of the Dark Ages' famine by distribution of food and resources.
Diplomatic relations with the other kingdoms of Alindor are good, with the most strained being those with Erilyn. One thing that must be stressed in Sunese society is that one must always be aware of one's station. To step outside the boundaries of such is to court penalty. During the Milara years and the transition afterward this position softened somewhat but the emergence of those set to rigorously enforce the laws of old have chipped away at any degree of social tolerance that may have been gained.
It is also worth noting that as a result of the distrust and dislike of non-human races in the Sun Kingdom, while human slaves are prohibited, non-human slavery is prevalent.
