Quoted By:
The Merchanta Caste is the merchant social class and, depending on who you ask, they are the true rulers of the Empire. Certainly it is they who run the day-to-day operations of Cathagi, they are the backbone upon which rests the constantly turning gears of the unfathomably enormous Cathagi commerce and economy. There are other city states located in the fertile northern coasts, many rivalling the size of some Cantôn duchies if grouped together along cultural lines. While all pay homage and tribute to Nova Cathagi, prominent members of the Merchanta Caste in effect rules these city states with virtually no oversight in various roles and titles often analogous to Vizier or Merchant Prince. Armies have been raised and nations conquered on the say-so of these viziers and viscounts, often without any such decree being found necessary. Or the decree that ostensibly called for some sort of like action was very loosely adhered to.
Any decree of the Dragon must be obeyed, any dictate fulfilled without undue delay or reluctance. Always. Without exception. However... it is not impossible for these wide-spanning decrees to be creatively interpreted. Or the means of fulfilling them be achieved by methods not initially considered when it was first made. Or, if enough time passes and other decrees are at the forethought, conveniently forgotten. Then such quibbles are a matter of historical relevance, of little bearing on the then-and-now without the Medusae clamouring for its completion.
A Merchanta who is too defiant or too creative in their interpretation can be censured, cast down and cut down. Reduced to the lowest piece of human meat in an instant, and that is in the lucky instance their life was not forfeit. A Medusae who is too outspoken on a decree not being met, or perhaps words the decrees with far too little wriggle room, or even makes a habit of raising inconvenient historic decrees, may find themselves under the assassin’s dagger.
In Sir de Ferros’ opinion, this is a gross oversimplification of the reality of Cathagi society. There is a near-infinite web of allegiances, favours, family connections and debts tangled together between individuals across the castes. While there might be shared interests across a caste, it is far more likely individual interests dominate rather than any party line. While Reginate intel last reports that the Medusae and Merchanta are at odds, and typically are, Sir de Ferros would not be surprised to find bipartisanship and conflict over certain areas depending on the issue at hand. Nonetheless, if there is cross-Caste factional divisions it is important to identify who the main leaders of those factions are.
[3/5]
