.:Rank Descriptions:.
KINGS - The kings are, in many ways, mere figureheads in the ruling of Diego. Their main duties are to check each other's power through vetoes on rulings and be the top military leaders; because the military is of crucial importance to the pride's culture, theirs is the most respected office. During military campaigns, one king goes to act as commander-in-chief while the other remains in Diego to attend to domestic affairs. They have personal opinions and agendas, and will try to influence the Gerousia to write legislation according to both. Kings are automatically considered Gerousia themselves, making a total of thirty, and serve as the presiding officers during gatherings. To become a king, a male must be born into one of the two royal families as an heir; the two families are not allowed to intermarry. A king serves for life unless he chooses to pass the throne to a blood-related heir before it ends, but must be trained in the agoge prior to taking the throne.
QUEENS - Kings may mate with more than one female over the course of their lifetime, according to the customs and regulations of Diego, but only a male carried by the queen may become an heir.* A king will generally avoid choosing a female to be his "true" mate if she is not at least decently strong, and thus will not provide strong, healthy children. The queens command just as much respect as the kings, though not the same power. They oversee the female ranks and will appoint or promote other females as they see fit. The queens are also given the power to promote members into nobles, and often influence their mates to make the decisions they seek. A queen remains a queen for as long as her mate holds his own position. Should her mate die or pass on the crown, it is customary of the new queen to make her predecessor a noble. If there are no queens during a period of time, the highest ranking female will carry out a queen's duties while retaining the same level of respect usually associated with her current, "real" rank. If there are two females of equal rank during the absence of a queen, the kings determine which shall gain that temporary responsibility. If they cannot come to an agreement, the nobles shall decide.
*See below: HEIR
EPHORS - Where kings are the faces and bodies, ephors are the backbone to the pride. The grand majority of the decisions that regulate Diego are made by ephors, not the royal family. There are always five, and all of them are elected, or reelected, in the annual election by the apella males. An ephor is a highly respected, intelligent individual trusted by the pride to make decisions on the behalf of Diego, rather than personal interests. Ephors vote on the legislation provided by the elders of the Gerousia as well as discuss amongst themselves on topics not already publicly addressed; their decisions on problems run the day-to-day activities of the pride. Ephors legitimize new heirs and kings in the appropriate ceremonies. They must also be consulted before Diego goes to war, and without their blessing (as determined by majority vote) pride members will often refuse to fight as a sign of respect to the teachings of the agoge and customs of the pride.
GLADIATOR - The sole gladiator, almost always male, is appointed with the blessing of both kings, and must also be unanimously voted in by the ephors. When a gladiator dies by combat or natural causes, or if a gladiator has been tried and found guilty of treason, all the executive officials gather to discuss the next gladiator. (Although the queens participate in the discussion, their presence is primarily ceremonial as they do not actually make any of the decisions.) There must always be a gladiator, and so the meeting to choose one always lasts until the group has come to a consensus, whether it be minutes, hours, or days. The absolute responsibility of a gladiator is to represent Diego's strength as a pride. If there is a dispute between one pack/pride and Diego, there may be an agreement to pit the gladiator against the opponents' greatest fighter rather than enter into war or leave it unresolved. Sparring and competitions aren't uncommon. Even more generally, however, the gladiator will be showed off locally and to foreign visitors as a symbol of power, and should not be disrespected.
AMBASSADOR - An ambassador is also appointed with the blessing of both the kings. If they cannot agree on an individual best suited for the job, they each put forth the name of the individual they
would like promoted, and the ephors vote on whom they prefer. Generally, however, the kings will settle their differences in a sportsmanlike fashion on this particular issue. The ambassador has one main job: convince other prides and -- if advantageous -- packs to join the League.* They carry on their shoulders the reputation of Diego, and are often powerful, intimidating or particularly influential members of the pride. Past experience as a king, or an ephor that is favored by the current kings or was by their fathers, increases the likelihood of being appointed into this position. Sometimes an ambassador will spend weeks living in a single region earning the trust of a potential League member.
*See below: The League
NOBLES - Becoming a noble is a mere act of gaining favor with one of the queens. A king who gives his position to an heir before his death will almost always be promoted to a noble by the queen who becomes his son's mate. Anyone who has, in the past, been in the respected class or served for the executive has a high likelihood of gaining this rank also. However, to preserve the sanctity of the position, there are usually only five to ten individuals with this rank at any given time. Nobles are expected to be high-class citizens who would devote their entire lives to Diego's progression; breaking that code is intolerable. The nobles are privileged with nicer living quarters, have a higher likelihood of gaining permission to mate, are given priority to food over ranks beneath them during pride feasts, and are periodically summoned to special meetings with the ephors, kings and queens during which important matters are discussed and the nobles' opinions are weighed. (No decision-making occurs during these meetings, but it provides a rare opportunity for "lesser" ranks to give direct input on issues.) One who is given the status of noble is still expected to carry out the duties of their usual rank although they enjoy the additional benefits of their new one, and only citizens -- those who are ranked in the apella or better -- may be considered for nobility.
ROYAL MESSENGERS - Where ambassadors seek members of the League, royal messengers rarely spend extended periods of time in a foreign land. If a message needs to be delivered swiftly, the kings will call upon a select royal messenger for the task. If they don't hear from the messenger within a certain period of time, it is usually presumed that he or she died during the delivery, and another individual is sent to replace them. Royal messengers must be very quick, and are often also used to fetch locals when the king wishes to hold a private conversation.
HEIRS - Traditionally, the eldest son of a king, born after that king's accession and only to the chosen queen, holds birthright to the throne in the future. Should that child not be deemed worthy by his first birthday to hold that birthright, he may be "disowned from birthright" by his father. Until they take the throne, they are little more than the Apella in official rank, but it is traditionally understood that they not be blatantly
disrespected, lest the offender be faced with the wrath of a king who feels protective of his bloodline. As such, tradition dictates a different level of respect to an heir than do laws and regulation.
ELDERS - Write legislation for the ephors to vote on; to become an elder you must be considered wise, trustworthy, and uncorrupted. Anyone in the executive can promote an elder, and since elders only have to do their job during Gerousia meetings with other elders, which are called if there is a need for new legislation or law, they also double with their "regular rank".
MALES OF THE APELLA - The general populous is split by sex within the apella. The duties of a male apella member include being physically prepared for battle at any given moment, providing for their wives and children (if they have them) with adequate food and shelter, guarding the borders, and attending meetings. Because only males can vote in the annual elections, they have the sole responsibility of casting their votes for the ephors they favor. Occasionally, the ephors will choose to let the apella make the final decision on a controversial issue previously proposed by the Gerousia. Although they are not required, males are encouraged to help in the specific duties commonly assigned to the females, provided that it does not interfere with their regular duties. All males in more prestigious ranks are still considered apella members in the voting process, with the exception of heirs who have not graduated from the agoge.
FEMALES OF THE APELLA - The female half of the apella, the non-voting citizens that make up the majority of Diego, is not to be underestimated. Without its existence, the pride would be left unstable. Females are charged with a variety of tasks as best suited to their abilities or the needs of the pride. A female may be assigned to multiple positions if necessary or convenient. The sub-ranks of the female apella class are as follows:
Hunter: Provides food for un-married citizens and are the special task force in gathering enough prey for celebratory feasts. They are expected to keep tabs on local herds and understand effective group hunting strategies.
Scout: Though the males are charged with guarding the borders, female scouts are asked to search for possible additions to the territory or impending threats outside those borders. They may also accept strangers into the pride. If they do so, and the newcomer ends up being a problem, the scout may be stripped of her rank for poor judgment. As a high-risk position, only strong, quick females are allowed to be scouts.
Herbalist: While the agoge teaches basic military and healing uses of local Diego plantlife, herbalists are expected to have an in-depth understanding of such plants and others. Particularly skilled herbalists may be asked to accompany the army during war marches.
Assassin: Unlike the male warriors who stand proud of their militaristic ways, the assassins are quiet and never speak of their duties. It's rare that an assassin is required, so few hold the position, but there are times that the kings may decide it's necessary to eliminate an enemy secretly. When the only way to save the arm is to cut off the hand, dishonorable combat may be the necessary option.
Soldier: ---Explanation on its way; most females will not be able to achieve this rank.---
STUDENTS OF THE AGOGE - The Agoge is the name of the military school of sorts all individuals must attend before they can become citizens (and join the Apella, the rank of basic citizenship). Diego laws and traditions are also taught here but because both domestic members and Trophimoi attend, the main goal is to strengthen the youth and prepare them for military. Both males and females attend. Certain tests must be passed before graduating from the Agoge (including a year requirement of Agoge training) regardless of how long it takes for a student to pass. Technically, adults can never become citizens if they never pass the Agoge. The longer someone is in the Agoge failing tests, the more disrespect they're bound to be given. If someone truly can't pass the tests, and so they're only bringing down Diego and consuming resources, they may be sent to live outside of the borders until they are prepared to join Diego's ranks. It rarely happens, but could.
Domestic: Diego cubs/youth (primarily) at least one year old (age may be altered) who are separated from their mothers and entered into the Agoge.
Trophimoi: Diego allows others to send their youth to join the Agoge, where they are also trained. Trophimoi do not become citizens when they graduate, but they have the option to do so if they choose to stay with Diego instead of returning to their homeland. Members of the League may participate in this "foreign exchange" program of sorts, and often do; allowing Trophimoi into the Agoge increasing the soft power and influence of Diego.
PERIOECI - Perioeci are non-citizens, those who haven't graduated from the Agoge and who won't even attend it, given the right to live on the lands of Diego according to an agreement between them and the royal family. They are to be treated the way which is stated by that agreement, and once a pact has been made between a Perioeci and Diego, either side breaking it is cause for great anger and disrespect. These non-citizens are given permission to reside within Diego Heights as long as they benefit the pride somehow, or if their presence does nothing to hurt the pride. Examples of usefulness could include being tradesmen, being backup messengers in times of need (i.e. birds who can travel much easier than felines), or if they have knowledge to share. Perioeci have no say in the run or organization of the pride.
--- In this group would be included other animals such as snakes, birds, whatever that have been given permission to remain on the lands. Obviously prey animals can live on the land without being Perioeci, but they are granted no protection; the royal family won't kill an animal even if its denied Perioeci status just for coming to them and requesting it, but after that meeting it's anyone's ball game.
HELOTS - These are the low-lives of society. If a Diego member severely disrespects his pride, commits treason, or gratuitously attacks another member (excluding spars or official duels), he or she may be demoted to Helot status. Helots are essentially prisoners, either waiting for their trial to determine their ultimate punishment, or set to remain as slaves (if they have anything of worth to provide) in return for their life being spared. Anyone demoted to this position is stripped of his or her citizenship. No longer pride members, they are viewed as the scum of society. Their treatment is determined by the king or queen who demoted them, but if they are being held until a trial to determine their level of guilt, the worst they can be treated is a restriction on food and water.
Prisoners of war are also put into the Helot status, but are treated slightly better.
