Worldbuilding: The Empires

Ranks

In addition to the Cities, The Empire has many ranks that separate them.

The Noctua is the leader of the Empire. They're the highest authority and the representative of the Empire as a whole whenever necessary. They handle any official ceremonies and are responsible for keeping the Empire running smoothly. The Noctua is required to have kits, who will be their Iht, (their heirs.) This is regardless of their sexual orientation. A cat from any City can become a Noctua, though over time the City of Tempest has had the most Noctuas.

The Iht are the kits of the Noctua. The Iht are trained in leadership, as one is will become the next Noctua. The Iht undergo vigorous training, and spend their entire lives competing against their siblings, proving that they are the best. Everything is a challenge, and the Noctua is always assessing them. Some challenges are public spectacles for the Empire to watch. Cats choose their favourite Iht and root for them. Their lives are seen as entertainment by the others in the Empire. The Noctua keeps an official ranking of each Iht. Some are knocked out of the competition altogether. Eventually when the Noctua is dying, they name their successor. It is customary that the Iht in first place becomes Noctua, but on rare circumstances, another is chosen. If anything happens to the Noctua, the second Iht takes over. The Iht are from a variety of Cities.

The Ushul is a council of cats from all different ages and Cities. Their job is to keep the Empire fair. They guide the Noctua in making decisions so that power doesn't belong to just one cat. They observe issues occurring in the Empire and take them to the Noctua and discuss solutions. Their main job is this discussion. They talk through major conflicts, bring forth laws and such political matters. If a Noctua is acting unfit the Council are able to unanimously stand together and oppose them. If this occurs, the entire Empire gets involved, sharing opinions.

The Ulna are the seers of the Empire. They communicate with the afterlife and the Gods through prophecies and omens, and perform many spiritual rituals. Occasionally an Ulna will become a medium and be possessed by a God, but this is incredibly rare and in extreme circumstances. The Ulna are highly respected and must dedicate their entire lives to the Gods. They live a life of complete unselfishness, and must vow chastity. They're able to have friends outside of their rank, but it's often discouraged. They must be very disciplined as they have their own set of rules. Everything they do is done as a collective. There is only a few Ulna at any given time. They are highly respected among the Empire and seen as very strange and mystical. Some cats are even afraid of them. Ulna are often very close to each other. A cat cannot choose to become an Ulna; they are instead chosen through prophecy and omens. Cats can ask to become Ulnas, and then it comes down to the Head Ulna. The Head Ulna also has the ability to request a specific cat become an Ulna if the majority of the Ulnas agree. All Ulnas go through intense training and only the best can truly become Ulnas. Cats from all Cities become Ulnas, but there's commonly more from the City of Lucid.

The Scrai'i are the keepers of history, of tradition, of language. This rank is dedicated to keeping the Empire as the Empire. While cultural evolution is encouraged, Scrai'i ensure the Empire keeps to it's roots. They teach the Old Tongue, the ancient language of the Empire. They tell stories and keep history alive. They keep record of important events through bone carving and wall paintings. They often perform spoken word poetry and plays of certain events. There is no official training for this rank, though cats must learn Old Tongue and be able to paint. They spend a lot of time with Lapith and Ef'fih (kits and apprentices.) Cats choose to become this rank, but it's rather small in numbers. This rank is usually favoured by cats from the City of Epiphany and the City of Lucid.

The Seica is another smaller rank, in which cats from any City will journey either alone or in groups outside of the Empire to extend their knowledge. Usually they encounter other societies of cats to learn about them, seeing what works for them and what doesn't. They take this information back to the Empires and if applicable, apply it to their own way of living. They extend their herb knowledge this way, their laws, even inviting new blood into the Clans. Most commonly they observe cultural practices and traditions. Seica have their own set of rules about what they can interfere with and what information they can share with outsiders. Their major rule is that even if they disagree with certain rules and practices, they cannot change another cat's society. This is a rank cats can choose, and training includes survival skills, problem solving, and even philosophy (when is it right to intervene in a situation, etc.) When not going on journeys, Seicas work to implement their discoveries into Empire life, and help out in other ways. They usually serve as messengers between the Cities and hunt when needed. This rank is pretty balanced between all Cities.

The Hyrn makes up the bulk of the Clan. This rank consists of the hunters and the fighters of the Empire. While all cats learn basic hunting and fighting skills, Hyrns specialise in this. There are two branches of the rank, hunting and fighting. The hunters hunt for the Empire, spending their says providing food for the cats in their Cities. The fighters handle predators such as lynx and beavers. It's rare that there are any hostile cats threatening the Empire but when this occurs, fighters go and deal with then. Whenever there is a need for more hunters or more fighters, the two branches merge as the hunters and fighters have enough skills in both branches. Ef'fih train in both areas until they choose one and complete an assessment. This rank is pretty balanced, though the fighting branch is predominately made up of cats from the City of Tempest, and the hunting branch usually has a large number of cats from the City of Luminescence.

The Pryla'an make up another large part of the Empire. These are the healers, handling herbs. As the Empire is so large, it's important that there are many healers to handle any sicknesses and injuries. As there isn't many conflicts with hostile cats there is less need for healing those sorts of injuries, though there are many other predators to deal with. Pryla'an often have specialties - some cats like to experiment with herbs, some like working with kits, some like working with mental health. Specialities are not requirements and it's up to the individual what they want to do, though all are needed to help with general sicknesses and injuries. Ef'fih can choose whether they want to pursue this field. This rank is favoured by the City of Luminescence and the City of Epiphany.

Ef'fih are the apprentices of the Empire. These are the young, figuring out what they want to do. Upon becoming an Ef'fih at eight moons, they choose which rank they wish to become. They can swap around and change if they wish. All Ef'fih are must rotate around each City and experience the life of each one before eventually choosing which City they wish to live in before they can become a full member of their rank. This is a more permanent decision. They are not trained by any one cat, but instead many different cats.

The Aranines are the mothers of the Empire. These are the queens expecting Lapith or currently nursing them. Some cats choose to become Aranines permanently. This is not restricted to gender. They must help expecting mothers and look after the Lapith. All Aranines share one nursery located in The City of Hiraeth. Mothers co-raise kits, and form close bonds with each other. It's their job to teach their Lapith about the world around them. Permanent Aranine positions are most commonly cats from the City of Luminescence.

The Lapith are the kits, and they all grow up together in one large nursery. They often form close and lasting bonds with each other as they're all raised together. This is the stage where they play and learn about the Empire. They must choose which rank they wish to become before the age of eight moons, when they become Ef'fih.

The Olnae are the elders of the Empire. Upon retiring they are allowed to give up duty and spend their days doing what they like - hunting, playing with kits, guiding Ef'fih, whatever. They are regarded highly for their service and are looked after by the entire Empire. They can be from any City.

The Che'e. This is a secret rank managed by the Noctua. Only the Noctua, the Ulnas, and one or two members of the Ushul know about it at any given time. The Che'e are a small group on assasins who kill cats whenever the Noctua decides it needs doing. They were created by a Noctua a few generations ago. Che'e usually kill any cat who is deemed a threat to the Noctua or the Empire system. Occasionally they kill outsiders. Cats of this rank are chosen by The Noctua. They go through long training, learning how to conceal their work and how to kill. If a cat refuses the job, they're killed so they can't share the secret. They maintain a normal rank and life outside of this. Cats most commonly part of this rank are from the City of Tempest and the City of Epiphany.