I found this thing: http://kittyspace.org/leviathan0.html and I’m gonna play with it because I’m finding it instructional!
Sidetrack- Army Ranks
Of 7.2 million on the continent, about 4.8 million are Calenyena. Of those, about 480,000 are active in the army.
Leaf, rank-one
Double, Squad Leader (Squad of Nine)
Trefoil, Ride Commander (9 squads – 90 soldiers)
Starred, Fist commander (9 rides – 819 soldiers)
kalōkāt, War Leader (9 Fists – 7380 soldiers)
calenkat, Army Leader (9 Wars – 66,429 soldiers)
Emperor, leader of the Forces (Up to 9 armies – currently 7,465,010 soldiers)
7. DETERMINE YOUR ECONOMIC VARIANCE.
jot down two to three sentences about the economic aspect of the setting.
Cafangnia is on the major river (Velka Ree in Calenyen) and, before the assault and occupation by the Calenyena, it was a major trade hub for the Bitrani. It was an affluent city, one of the richest in the nation, and also – because of its proximity to the Calenyena – one of the best defended.
At the time of the story, it had been fairly thoroughly plundered. Anyone who had the wherewithal to leave has long since left. Its remaining defenses have been taken over by the Calenyena.
The border territories have very little permanent agriculture and few permanent structures, at least on any travel route. Deep in the mountains, far off the river or the roads, some people live; others live just far enough off the road and the river to not be seen or easily found, not be bothered by soldiers or by deserters. Many of those people are bandits, and they are tolerated by the others so long as they take their cut only from travelers, and leave enough for the trading stations to plunder more legally.
There are former towns along both river and road. There have been long periods of peace before, and the Calenyena and the border Bitrani build in stone. Sometimes, a group who lives further back in the mountains will take up residence in a town when the army is passing through, just long enough to sell them wares.
On a separate piece of scratch paper, jot down two or three sentences about the economic background of every character who appears or lives in that city or country.
Characters encountered in this section include:
Bek and Torie, prisoner guards:
A career rank-1, Torie has made herself comfortable on her soldier’s wage by supplementing it with gambling, trading, and small plunder. She has an upscale tent, a nice brazier, her own goat, a very nice bedroll, and enough money and plunder squirreled away to perhaps set up a tavern, but only if she got a bit of financial help.
Bek has only been a soldier a few months. He comes from a goat-breeder’s family – hard work but profitable – but is only pulling basic soldier’s wages so far. He owns his own goat and that’s about it.
The Prisoners:
Some of these were farmers, some the equivalent of serfs; some were officers, one dukes, several landed noblemen. Right now, they have had everything they were carrying seized; their land is likely to be grabbed by the invaders. The difference between serf and duke right now is the quality of the clothes they’re wearing – and their potential fate.
The Calenyena spying on them:
Is a mid-ranked weasel who is good at collecting favors. They wear much of their wealth (as the Calenyena and many originally nomadic people tend to) and could comfortably buy a small plot of land and house with what they carry/possess.
Exiting check-point and another unit:
These go from basic rank-1 soldiers who own their clothing (three changes of clothes, two changes of boots), and, if they’re lucky, their goat, all the way up to a Fist Commander who has at least 7 changes of clothing and enough salary to own a decent house when they leave. A Fist Commander owns their own goat and a remount/pack animal, and has a tent big enough for comfort.
Border-people:
a fortified piece of property, several goats, enough food to get through a long winter. Individually, they often own gee-gaws and jewelry or trinkets given to them or traded to them by passing soldiers. They are not affluent, but they survive well enough.
Tracker:
Mid-ranked soldier in the special forces, outside of a squad or Ride and directly serving a fist commander. They are decently paid, enough to rent a decent place in a city for a year when they leave the army, three-four changes of clothing.
Variance runs from:
Owns nothing at all, not even themselves
Owns enough to survive, even it by scratching by
Owns enough for comfort
Owns enough for comfort and some luxury
Almost all of these people, however, have a slightly to much greater comfort level because of family and/or community; see Rin’s earnings as a mid-ranked healer vs. her family wealth, Bek’s rank-one salary vs. his family’s goat-wealth.
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