Capricia

Capricia was a small city-state that thrived for around a century on the Maesk River during the mid First Chaotic Period. The site was never rebuilt, and the river shifted course; leaving it in a relative desert. The Tel left behind by the city was excavated during the Golden Age and proved to be well-preserved, including a cache of manuscripts that shed much light on the city and its inhabitants.

Size and Occupation

Conservative estimates put the population at around 40,000 at the city's peek; however most scholars agree it could have been considerably higher. While some private homes existed, most families lived in large, interconnected communal dwellings. These were quite advanced, with central heating and sophisticated natural ventilation systems. Families had individual belongings such as dishes and clothing, but many items were shared communally.

Caste System

By all accounts, Capricia had a loose caste-system separated into four groups:

• Slaves
• Workers
• Tradesmen
• Priests

The primary distinction was between a "slave" and a "citizen". The slaves of Capricia were treated well, and were more in line with an indentured servant class. Slaves were fed, housed, and allowed to have families; they were considered the property of the city and did not belong to individuals. Though they were not directly paid for their labor, they could earn extra rations of food which could be traded for other goods(grain being the common currency of the city). A female slave could earn her freedom by bearing a child for a barren woman of any of the other classes, and slaves of both genders could earn freedom by serving in the military. It was also common practice for slaves to simply be granted the status of citizen simply by being skilled or contributing more than was expected of them.

In many ways, the working-class had it worse-off than the slaves. They had to earn money and pay for housing necessities; however they often had the pick of much better jobs. Surviving documentation does not indicate a distinction between skilled and unskilled labor, but it seems that high labor, low skill tasks such as picking crops or grinding flour were generally reserved for the slaves, while tasks requiring a bit of ingenuity or skill went to workers. Some of the surviving accounts of the city seem to indicate that at times, the lines between the two classes were heavily blurred.

Tradesmen were the skilled workers of the city, and often the most wealthy. This class included merchants. Anyone skilled in the making of things was likely to be a trader.

The priests were responsible both for the city's religious practices as well as government and overseeing defense. Soldiers were not considered a separate caste as they were mostly conscripts, with very few professionals.

The caste system was not considered rigid, with individuals being able to move between them with some degree of freedom. Learning a trade, while often a challenge for a worker, was certainly possible. Likewise, children born into the slave caste were not automatically considered slaves, though did usually end up as such. Children could effectively be sold into the slave caste by their parents, often as a form of taxation. Slaves were not completely bared from joining the priest-caste, but doing so was very common.

Agriculture

Because of annual floods on the Maesk River, very little infrastructure was built on the banks. The city was made overlooking the river on a nearby hill to provide both some geographic protection as well as to defend against floods. The peoples of Capricia cultivated the fertile land on either side of the river, which was renewed by the annual floods. Irrigation was used to supply an abundance of water, and because of the warm climate, the people could grow three or four crops a year. Livestock could be kept outdoors, and large flocks were possible. All the people of Capricia, including the slaves, ate meat regularly.

Farm land was considered communal. A certain amount of acreage had to be planted every year to meet the city's basic needs, with private crops being grown further up and down stream, or on irrigated land further away from the fertile riverbanks. The wealthiest members of the worker caste were specialist farmers, who grew spices and other flavorful food crops. The people of Capricia enjoyed a rich and varied diet.

Religion

Capricia was founded by multiple groups who came together in the region, and as such was not religously homogonous. The priest-caste was actually made up of multiple belief systems

“Ya don’t say…” Scarlet shuddered. Capricia was a tel, a mound of ruins discovered along an old course of the Maesk River. Every indication was that it was a short-lived, but thriving metropolis for less than a century. With no mage tower of it’s own, the city-state was likely sacked by the Narano, and the mostly wooden buildings burned. Most historians placed the rise and fall of the city in the early First Chaotic Period of the Mage Wars, around the time the atlas Scarlet was using had been written.