Commoners

This category of members actually get to have a lot of fun. You dont have all that fancy bushido stuff to worry about like them snotty samurai guys sat up there in thier castle, and even better, you dont have to disembowel yourself if you are naughty! Now doesnt this sound like fun?

So, the commoners categories in Rising Sun, in the pecking order, starting from the top, are farmers, geisha and other entertainers, beggars (excluding ronin), merchants, and outcasts ("non humans").

dont forget if you dont pay proper respect to the snotty samurai chaps they are quite within thier rights to chop your head off - even if that is quite rare these days in 1773. other important historical note for your character development, only samurai were allowed surnames. - well so what you cant eat a surname!

Rules

Farmers

You are at the top of the commoners pecking order, in fact, some of the lower ranking samurai are farmers as well. You are more appreciated for the simple reason that you produce the food that everyone eats, and the fact you are seen to work your butt off! Most of your life revolves around the agricultrual year.

Entertainers

If you are theatrically addicted this might be the role for you. Men can be theatre actors (heres a good website on Japanese Theatre) or street entertainers. Ladies may be Giesha or street entertainers (ladies werent allowed to act in theatres). You get to show off a lot, and who knows you might be an assassin or spy in disguse. Theatre actors and Geisha were well thought of by the samurai as well, much as film actors are in the 21st Century. You generally live in the towns.

Beggars

You have fallen on hard times - maybe you are an escaped criminal, or a member of the other commoners categories, too injured or ill to work. You are considered a pest!

Merchants

Funnily enough you are not as appreciated as much as you might be. you are probably rich, richer than most other Rising Sun characters but because you are seen to make your money out of other people thats considered disgusting. Nevertheless, you have a very comfy little empire in town. If you are a capitalist at heart, join this group.

Non Human outcasts

well thats what them snotty samurai call you. If you are something like a butcher, or undertaker (no pun intended) and you work with dead things, then you are considered not even human - however vital your services. Life is just not fair is it?