The Chrysanthemum People- the Revolutionary Vanguard of Progress, the enlightened humanists in a world of monarchists and reactionary elements. No more shall humanity be behold to the “faith-based entities” that call themselves “gods” or the mad tyrants who seize power through force. No, society shall be properly organized by pure intellect and skill.
May the Manifest Destiny of Meritocracy Thrive.
Learning about the Chrysanthemum people- they just call themselves “The People”- is difficult. Most of them never leave their Isle, just off the coast of the Commonwealth, and wide-spread colonization of the Asterask isles and Tsarlund peninsula has provided it with enough trade to sustain itself independently. They abhore religion, and thus have no spiritual connections to the rest of the world. The best place is in one of their colonies, but getting to the island is another issue.
While this subject definitely could be it’s own blog post the TLDR is this- a world that follows D&D/RPG mechanics naturally has at least a slight slant towards autocracy (albeit a perpetually unstable autocracy). No man can rule alone, but a side effect of having people who can kill armies running around is that one man can kinda rule alone. The Chrysanthemum People started as a counter to that idea- an enlightened social structure where everyone’s position in the world was clear and based on their own talents. In order to implement their version of enforced equality, the Chrysanthemum established a ranking structure, where everyone’s rank depends on their own talent (and political acumen). Note that, as a classless society, rank refers only to one’s rank within the party (definitely not the same thing as a social class).
Ranking up isn’t actually complicated. It mostly comes from three things; magical talent (most Chrysanthemum People, and almost all ranked individuals, have at least a cantrip), service to The People, and sucking up to your boss. So, starting from the top and working down
Great Leader Class-
The top of the top, the members of the Closed Comesate, the “founding fathers” of The People, the esteemed First Revolutionaries. Imagine if Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky were immortal and mostly learned to work together.
The People were founded by the archmages Boda (the Great Benevolent), Colesa (the Viper), and Girin (The Longsighted). A few centuries ago they added Manwarin (The Compromiser) to their numbers, and Girin retired. They mostly focus on their own joint projects; they have quite the collection of artifacts after a few millennia of collection.
S Rank- The International Class
Members of the Open Presidium, these are the archwizards entrusted with the day-to-day management of the People, and leading the revolution aboard. They are the Chrysanthemum entrusted to deal with external affairs. They are the absolute brightest people alive, and everyone of them knows it. Unfortunately, that often does not make them the wisest or most persuasive.
A Rank- National Class, Highest Heroes, Wish Rank, Archmages
The National Class get their name from a simple idea- each of them should be relatively able to fight off a smallish nation. All archmages, all capable of casting Wish. Most are highly differentiated- Bodrick the Cold Wind, master of Ice vs Yellen of the Vine, that type of stuff. Propaganda heroes that are plastered on just about every surface.
A- Rank- Esteemed Elder Class
The highest rank someone can be given without mastering magic of the ninth circle. Lots of status, none of the actual power. Generally when an actually competent administrator arises (a rarity in the People) and his or her skills are more important than magical power (even more rare). Sometimes called “Grandpa (or Grandma) Class”.
B Rank- Prefecture Class, Regional Class
B Ranks are the regional heads of each prefecture. Governors, congressman, secretaries of state, that type of stuff. Most are at least capable of casting teleport or disintegrate. Fireball at the minimum.
C Rank- Champion Class, City Class, Voyager Class
Middling casters. Some take roles within cities as mayoral candidates, others take a more wandering approach, acting more like a “standard” adventurer. Of course, Chrysanthemum adventuring parties are almost all wizards, so battles feel a bit more like MAD doctrine or carpet bombing than as typical.
D Rank- Province Class, Hero of the People Class
D Ranks are skilled enough to get a minor position- sometimes just through administrative skill, or they’re the second or third level wizard getting ready to head off on a grand adventure. You can find D Ranks just about anywhere, especially among the older folks. Probably the largest class, even more than the F class.
F Rank- Cell Class
The lowest level existing within the party structure. New members, barely able to cast a second level spell. Boring.
The People view magic power and rank as synonymous with respect and ability. These are the respected members of society, the guys who actually hold power. Want to get respect in Chrysanthemum? Teleport into the town square. Use cantrips for trivial crap. Use Gate to fetch the meat from the cellar. Just don’t make it too obvious you’re showing off.
This isn’t to say that the unranked members aren’t important, or differentiated. The Chrysanthemum as a whole are a bit OCD about categorization.
Unranked Classes
Proletariat-Class
Your average trades-mage, selling their skills on the market like any other artisan.
Initiate-Class
The first step to joining the party.
Apprentice-Class
Apprentice class varies mostly by the skill of the apprentice and the fame of the master. Technically the same as student class, but having a formal master is almost always seen as preferable to the public schools.
Student-Class
Students at the larger public academies (the People have universal education in magical arts), without the money, fame, or skill to attract a single formal master.
Knack-Class
The worst wizards allowed to call themselves “mages”, they can barely manage a single spell of the first circle. Mostly a few cantrips.
Of course, not everyone has the knack of magic. Some people just can’t manage to cast a single spell. Those people… are still citizens. Technically. They have all the rights of everyone else, but who wants the one person who can’t cast mending? Especially given that intelligence and magic tend to be linked, stereotypes abound. An odd minority, often making up large portions of the colonization efforts.