FrivYeti/DragonsHavenSociety
Contents
SOCIETY
The people of Scarlet Haven, over the last one hundred years, have evolved a strange variant on traditional Realm society, based on their needs to survive and Ujiro's own beliefs and strictures, as well as their massive military.
Dragon-Blooded
Over the years, the divine mandate of the Dragon-Blooded has been weakened by the continual connection between the army's few Exalts and the mortals of the city. Because there were so few Dragon-Blooded, it was a foregone conclusion that they would begin interacting with mortals on a more direct level than was common in the Realm proper.
Because of this, while Dragon-Blooded are still meant to be emulated, the people of Scarlet Haven do not have the instinctual reverence for them that is found in most of the Realm. Dragon-Blooded are very respected, especially those who are older or stronger, but that respect is tempered with an understanding that they are also fellows, and locals are often willing to talk back or dispute what an Exalt says (although they will generally do so in a polite manner, unless truly enraged). In addition, Ujiro was a firm believer in the responsibilities of Exaltation, and holds most Dragon-Blooded to a higher standard than he does his mortal troops; while the Dragon-Blooded command is the only force in town legally allowed to pass judgement on the Exalted, these judgements are frequently harsher than an equivalent one for a mortal would be.
According to law, all of the Dragon-Blooded of the town must fill one of four roles: soldier, savant, priest or craftsman. Ujiro does not have enough Dragon-Bloods to spare them for any other task. Most of the Exalted fall into the first role; of the twenty-seven, there are a full sixteen soldiers, five craftsmen or farmers, four savants, and two priests. Not all of them are enthusiastic about their roles, but that is not something that concerns the town's leaders overmuch.
Laws
As a rule, Scarlet Haven follows the laws of the Scarlet Empire; however, a few extra additions have been made, due to the strange nature of the place. The most basic of these are the rules governing military service; all citizens of Scarlet Haven are required to spend one year training in the reserves prior to adulthood, regardless of gender and fitness. Because of this, every citizen of the city has at least basic military training; a factor in the maintenance of the city's massive army.
Dragon-Blooded are expected to follow the laws of the others, but any offense by a Terrestrial is judged by a military tribunal, led by one of the city's five colonels. Traditionally, all five colonels have been Dragon-Blooded, three of them compatriots of Ujiro's. However, with two of the three dead during the quakes, and the last one hastily promoted to General to fill Ujiro's shoes, there is currently some discussion as to whether any local mortals are worthy of such a promotion. Sesus Kaijen, the current general of the army (and by extension mayor of the city), is seriously considering adding at least one mortal general to the roster; whether this colonel would be prohibited from judging Dragon-Blooded is unknown.
Punishments for less serious crimes tend to be fines or a period of hard labour. More severe crimes are punished with exile or death. Only one Dragon-Blood in history has ever been punished that severely, and that was fifty years earlier.
Technically, the city's currency is run on a system of promissory notes based on Realm currency. However, most people simply use barter to determine value, and eschew the notes entirely. The military is the only group that trades in the notes primarily, and they are mostly used to requisition food and materials to keep the massive army solvent.
Religion
The people of Scarlet Haven remain folllowers of the Immaculate Doctrines, and two Dragon-Blooded monks (along with a handful of mortals) govern the festivals and prayers of the congregation. Failure to properly obey the Doctrines are marked with fines and admonishments. The monks also deal with the region's sole god, who has no other contact with the population. There are no known ancestor cults or other heresies present; the population is simply too small to safely hide them.
