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How are rich people treated in your world, and how are their lives like?

ThinkerX

Myth Weaver
The principle nation of my principle world is a stratified quasi-roman type empire with a great deal of local variation. This nation, Solaria, fought and won a decades long war against the neighboring nation of Traag. It's coffers drained, Solaria's Emperor elected to pay almost all the veterans with land and full citizenship. Previously, only 20 year veterans were eligible for these.

Something to keep in mind: in ancient societies, land is wealth. Preferably good farmland, but also pasturage, mines, practically anything. Land ownership meant power. Ordinary (non-noble) people simply did not have the opportunity to buy land barring extraordinary circumstances.

Another thing to keep in mind: until very recently - as in the last couple hundred years - what we term the 'middle class' did not exist in most places, or if it did exist, it was very small - under 5% of the population.

Now, back to Solaria.

Prior to the reforms of Emperor Franklin, Solaria's middle class accounted for barely 5% of the populace. In a few provinces, this percentage was higher, as much as 10%, in others it was more like 1%. His reforms pushed these numbers up several points - and attracted substantial ire from the aristocracy. That was most of a half century prior to the Traag War's start, and almost 70 years before its conclusion, which greatly increased the number of petty landholders (potentially 'rich'). Now, the middle class is pushing 10-15% of the population overall, and the result, in the eyes of the aristocracy, is looming catastrophe.

Strikes. Riots. Groups agitating for labor protection. Petty landholders preying on each other. Artisans are founding businesses that undercut those long supported by the aristocracy. New, game changing inventions are starting to become commonplace - a major example being bicycles, but also including agricultural equipment (making farming far less labor intensive). Sea routes are opening up, allowing for increased imports and a major uptick in ship building. The old aristocracy, in places, is getting sidelined big time, and doesn't care for the experience.
 
What is their social status?
High :)

How do they spend their money?

It depends on the person. I'm not sure if sport cars or cars in general exist in my current fantasy world, but If they exist I'm sure that a lot of rich people love them. Nice clotrs and jewlery,art, nice homes , etc.
 

CupofJoe

Myth Weaver
I've been giving this a little thought ...
In my current WiP world there are two type of rich or high status people.
There are those that have made their money either in their own generation [or in the last couple] and also there are the more traditional aristocratic elite. There is some cross-over in either direction [aristos that work, workers that live high and free like aristos].
While they be treated differently in "polite society" [working for a living is still frowned upon by some from "old-money", and not working is seen as useless to society by others], for both groups what wealth buys them is intermediaries. They never have to DO anything themselves, they can pay someone else to do it [anything] for them. If you are really wealthy you have someone to do the ordering people about for you too so you don't even have to think about that.
It is the breaking of this isolation that is one of the elements of the story.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
As ThinkerX says, in any pre-modern society, wealth comes from land. Note I say wealth rather than money. Those who merely made money were of no consequence socially. Even within the cities, the first thing a successful merchant family did was acquire land. The second was to marry into status (that's where money did start to matter).

That said, more land did not necessarily equal more wealth or more status. Rather, all three factors were in constant flux. The inattentive noble could easily lose on one or more fronts.

Anyway, the question does cause me to think about my non-human societies. Maybe I can construct status and wealth on different bases for elves or for dwarves. Right now I know my gnomes best, and land would not be the more important factor for them. I'll have to think about this one, but it's got potential to be another key distinguishing factor between peoples in Altearth.
 

wirehead

Acolyte
I'm conscious that the stuff I'm writing lately is a bit of a reaction to the social thread in America that started in the 1980s and has continued to Trump.

Feudalism as we see in medieval-themed fantasy is a product of knights and nobles and conventional weapons. And they ignore things like the Polish Golden Liberty or the Republic of Venice, where you had a much larger noble class and less of a primal right of kings. The Polish Szlachta was 15% of the population, which isn't really the same as the modern modern democracy but we'll call that progress.

One can argue that the oligarchy of the feudal period, even the Szlachta, and the oligarchy of the modern period are both built around the control over the system. Inheriting the land that makes up the country, therefore allowing you to be an oligarch and pick the next king. Being born into a family with enough resources to go to college, with enough resources to work for nothing for a few years while you build Facebook.

So I'm trying to turn down the knob of economic inequality in my fictional property.

Ergo, there are rich people, but there's consequences and things that they are required to do.

I'm trying to tune combat magic such that a scrawny local kid who has been practicing his fireball can spoil the battle for a bunch of knights trying to suppress a peasant revolt often enough to make it not the sure bet that actual Medieval feudalism had of the knights mowing down the peasants. But not enough that everybody is in thrall to a wizard-king instead of a king.

I realized there was an interesting thread from history to draw from. In Medieval Europe, the Jewish people had some advantages and huge disadvantages. They weren't allowed to own land but were allowed to loan money at interest unlike the gentiles. I've been working through the fictional consequences of elves running the bank that loans money to the farmer, because the traditional Elvish affinity to plants means they know who's a good bet. So, there's rich people, with money, but with some risks and consequences, and it's mostly about providing a service.

Similarly, there's still feudal Barons in some areas, but there's more give-and-take. They need to be the general of the army required to repel invaders and kill wandering monsters. Or they need to be the economic manager of the land and hire a general. Or they can maybe be the idle rich, but with most of the money going to pay a castellan and a general.

Which means that if the eldest is an idiot, he might get disinherited in favor of the smarter younger one.

I'm pretty sure that globalized fractional reserve banking and a floating currency is one step too far, but one has to understand the services that a banker provides in a fantasy kingdom. The last time a joker came around paying his tab with illusionary gold pieces, the banker got involved.

On one hand, there's no Divine Right of Kings, but there's also no hypocritical Church Guilt For Being Rich.

I'm going for flying boats and magical conveniences, but a good-sized flying boat also requires an army of magic users, and given that they aren't super-common, that means that flying boats cannot be purchased.
 

Annoyingkid

Banned
Rich people can afford to live in the capital city where the king and queen live. It's a majestic city of white marble based on greek/roman architecture. There they have running tap water and working sewer systems, they have magically induced electricity and can indulge in the finer things in life, without fear of bandit attack or monsters wreaking havoc. Vagrancy is unheard of. The largest temple of the state religion is there, harpists play in the streets and there you may even see the princess' unicorn. One of the rarest sights in all the land. It would be like the greens on the monopoly board. As the upper middle class can afford to stay there.

Even more expensive and in demand than land there is in the second most prominent city. It's much smaller, but even more secure than the capital as it's protected by the world's greatest hero. It is an artisan city, arguably more so than the capital and the temple has a very unique architecture. While the capital is based on grand majesty, this city is more decorative and detailed. The trees have very special properties unique to that area and much like the capital, it has a sewer system and magical electricity. They have the best orchestra, opera, theatre, art galleries, fashion shows and fine dining. The night time sky looks supernaturally beautiful in this city. It is so in demand it requires the permission of the city's regency to move there. Here resides a very different kind of unicorn. These would be like the dark blues on the monopoly board. VERY expensive.

The inventors city is next in demand. its situated on a large island hill with a cave where people can flee to in danger. The city runs on solar and wind power. If one wants to find the latest technology advancements this is the place to go. The scientifically minded rich person would live here. This would be like the yellows on the monopoly board.

Then there's the explorers' ship building ship merchant city, located near the coast. There are inns that cater to the wealthy who want a seaside holiday. The real interest here for the rich is the chance to go on an exploration voyage and an adventure across the ocean in foreign lands. This would be the reds on the monopoly board. It's vulnerable to bandits approaching by the sea and sabotaging the vessels.

Then there's the city of friendship. A solidly middle class city with alot of housing, in a rustic style and traders posts. The rich people here have their own mansions and estates, but they're gated and hidden, cut off from being accessed by other residents. There is no sewer system here and water must be bought and sold by the barrel, but it does have magical lamp posts. This city is prone to frequent small bandit attacks. This would be the oranges on the monopoly board.

Then there's the city of graves. Few rich people want to stay there as it's haunted, but some people hope to make contact with the spirits. This has very gothic architecture and owls hoot there alot. Some like the ambience. Nobles visit the regency alot. This would be the pinks on the monopoly board.

The last major city, which could only be considered brown on the monopoly board, has by far the cheapest property, as its a city of mud huts and burrows. The poorest people in the land live there, but some wealthy people go there as its the drug centre of the realm. They go there to smoke and get high and lick toads and take mind altering herbs and potions. It's more fun as most everybody is doing it there.
 
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TheKillerBs

Maester
I'm trying to tune combat magic such that a scrawny local kid who has been practicing his fireball can spoil the battle for a bunch of knights trying to suppress a peasant revolt often enough to make it not the sure bet that actual Medieval feudalism had of the knights mowing down the peasants. But not enough that everybody is in thrall to a wizard-king instead of a king.

What's stopping the nobility from knighting mages and recruiting them into their retinues so that they'll be suppressing peasant revolts and not spoiling their battles?
 

ShadeZ

Maester
In my stories, only snobby rich people and high borns(royals) display their wealth like people nowadays tend to. Most of the wealthy are champion warriors who do not wish to draw attention to themselves so they don't show off and immense monitary wealth except to buy weapons, armor, supplies, and may to hire mercenaries or body guards.
 

plasticroyal

Dreamer
The richest Rymaerans live in Deijarune, the nation's capital. The core Rymaeran Royal Family live in a central palatial district and they are not permitted to leave. This district allows them to interact with the opulency (the wider royal family on the fringes of the breeding programme) and is enclosed in magically crafted crystal arcades.

The Senagon, Rymaera's religious government, keeps the royal bloodline carefully guarded and enforced a breeding programme which massively increased the family's numbers. The Senagon ensures the royals are uneducated but keeps them entertained with pointless political feuds and a luxurious lifestyle.

Most of Deijarune's inhabitants are considerably wealthy and spend their money indulging their pleasures and purchasing oblis, a magical honey with a variety of effects (some drug like, some medical, enhancing, etc). The nobility often enter positions with the Senagon and are highly educated, they see the royals as kept pets.
 
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