Life as Valet

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    • Hi.
      So the big difference here would be in your social caste and what is acceptable to do, and how much independent space you have.
      A member of an Honor Guard as a sunborn (noble caste) can do the following that a Valet as merchant caste cannot:
      • act on his master's behalf even if the master is not around.
      • He can kill a foe without having to prove without a doubt the foe was intent on killing him or his master.
      • he can enforce a law.
      • he can fight another sunborn.
      • He can mete out summary execution.
      • He can use restricted weapons without fear.
      • He can open carry restricted weapons (Firearms, and Suthra Weapons are in this category I believe)
      • Hold Rank, and honors outside his house.
      This is of course not a comprehensive list but highlights some of the biggest differences.
      If it comes down to the rules or the story; sorry but the rule book just became a paper-weight.
    • The latest response is correct and indeed did highlight some of the major benefits to being a Sunborn honor guard has versus a Trade Caste valet. I would like to stress the importance of caste for just a moment by saying that there is a reason why it is listed as an advantage and as such must be purchased with valuable character points in order to possess.

      Consider that all sunborn would be socially higher than any trade caste member and as such would receive subtle benefits which might not normally be considered in social situations. They might for instance be seen as more believable, more deserving, more honorable, and thus receive bias in their favor from judges with respect to the interpretation of written laws and punishment for crimes even if they were to be technically guilty of some transaction against a non-sunborn target.

      That is not to say that this is always the case but it is easy to assume that these things might be common considering that within any society certain beliefs are held to be true about those who live in a manner which is below (or even above for that matter) the common level of those forming the biased opinion. Just as in our own society some are given certain considerations, take for example a policeman, they are commonly seen as more honest than a doorman at a night club and might be seen as less honest than a high ranking priest. The same could be said of the difference in consideration for the words of a massage therapist versus the words of a medical doctor. In each of these situations the lesser-ranking caste might be absolutely correct in its statement but if it contradicted the higher ranking member's words it would be less credible to most ears hearing it due to the difference in the perception held by those hearing the testimony.
    • Once again it's a caste thing. An Honor Guard is Sunborn -- a Valet is trade caste. A Sunborn would be unlikely to want to associate with a member of the trade caste, and it is even more unlikely that a Valet would be hired by a Sunborn. In general, castes stick with their own castes. It's why chefs are often of the Holy caste -- no Sunborn or Holy caste janah would want to eat food prepared by someone from the Trade caste or lower.
    • Teenage Mutant Sarpah wrote:

      Does kind of make me wonder what would be the point of Valets even existing if Honor Guards seem to be so much better...Like are Valets for those who can't afford Honor Guards? The Discount Body Guards?

      Teenage Mutant Sarpah wrote:

      Did I just ask a stupid question?
      Not at all! It's questions like these that show you are giving thought to how things work in the world... And as Ednoria said above, the reason why one person might use a Valet versus an Honor Guard would most likely merely be one of choosing a personal protector who was of an appropriate caste comparable to you own... Though, its good to mention, there might be rare examples in a game where someone of a certain caste might actually end up needing to have a warrior from a different caste guard them...

      Consider, a noble lord travelling through a distant land might lose their companion honor guard to some terrible sickness... Now that sunborn lord desperately needs protection on the road, but can only find a humble (but skilled) valet in a nearby village... He hires the valet to travel with him, and imagine the interesting interactions that might happen as a result!

      Likewise, imagine a very rich merchant (one who can afford novelties far beyond the economic means of most Trade Caste individuals), deciding that she must make a grand impression when she arrives at a distant trade-guild to gain permission to sell her wares in that foreign city. She encounters a master-less noble guard (one of the few survivors of a shipwreck washed up up on this foreign shore) and makes a bargain with him such that he accepts a position as her honor guard for the duration of her journey and subsequent return. To repay his loyalty (in addition to the valuable crystal coins she offers) she promises to introduce him to the Aryah that she serves in her own homeland, thus making a place for him once again in the ranks of a noble House and Line...

      Enjoy! ^^