While one of the defining traits of fantasy is magic, characters who master the use more mundane weapons are also a staple of the genre. Orders of knighthood, fighter’s guilds, mercenary groups, soldiers, and martial arts schools can all provide depth and sources of conflict within your setting. As with real life, the interaction between groups goes beyond simple good vs. evil to rivalries, political battles, and alliances.
As with other subcultures, the basis of creating a hierarchy of social estates will be coming up with a foundation for status. This foundation should be rooted in the culture, but will be further defined in the context of how people of martial prowess support those societal goals. For example, if status in the culture is based on tradition, being a member of a prestigious order of knighthood or being taught by a well known blademaster may increase your status above guildmasters from lesser known organizations. Societies based on wealth may well value someone who made a fortune on a single adventure over someone who has complete mastery of a dozen weapons.
Once you’ve determined what the basis of status will be, you will need to come up with a comprehensive list of groups that incorporates the vast majority of people within the martial world, from squires and privates to knight-commanders and master duelists. There will necessarily be a fair amount of overlap, so if there are no definite difference between two groups in terms of who they are or their status, feel free to combine them. For example, if mercenary groups are generally treated the same, with the leaders held with slightly higher regard than the rest of their band, then you basically have two groups, mercenary leaders and mercenaries. If the same culture has five orders of knighthood, with one held in extreme regard, another in high regard, and the other three well regarded and each has three tiers of status, you might have nine different groups to place in the hierarchy of social estates.
One of the groups you should pay special attention to in the martial world is the military. How the military interacts with the rest of society is a vitally important aspect of your worldbuilding, whether it takes center stage in your story or not. For most fantasy settings, the military includes the police, but that may not be the case. A hierarchy of social estates for the martial world will be incomplete without incorporating the military and the police. Keep in mind, not every society holds this group in high regard. They could inspire fear, anger, or a sense of awe. Feel free to explore different emotions when it comes to this important group.
Next week, I’m going to do another writing update. See you then.
