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In the Final Empire, everyone seems to know how well the other houses are doing, and this knowledge is used to determine who ranks where in the hierarchy. This socioeconomic rating system is designed to do just that for the RP: Just use the 10-point scale below to figure out where your house stands, or to instantly see what other members' ratings mean. Please note that when rating your own house, decimals (7.2, 3.9, 6.8) are allowed for ranks 1-9, to a reasonable extent – that is, one decimal place. So no ratings of 5.245879568425, please. A rating of 0 means that the house is completely bankrupt and must be bought out immediately or else scattered and destroyed.
10 – The peak of wealth and prosperity. Houses who reach this level have achieved the ultimate goal of political and economic dominance. They live off vast holdings amassed after years of blood and toil, not having to depend on any one trade or financial avenue, while at the same time continually exerting pressure on the competition in order to maintain their hard-earned dominance.
9 – A level of wealth obtained only by the most powerful and successful Great Houses. These families are firmly established in the political and economic scene, and often dominate their primary trade, if they have one. These powerhouses have maintained their status long enough to be very dangerous opponents to up-and-coming families, and have almost certainly crushed upstart rivals in the past.
8 – Houses at this level can afford to maintain a keep in Luthadel and still remain afloat. They are not among the most powerful of Great Houses, but they have established themselves well enough to have survived the critical period after ascending, and now wield a significant amount of influence and power.
7 – The dividing line between the Great Houses and everyone else. Wealth of this level means that a house can either afford to begin building a keep or has just completed one, but a Great House cannot survive at this level for long.
6 – While technically of middling rank, houses of this level are established and stable. They rank just below the foremost aspirants to Great House status, and could reasonably be expected to try to aspire to that level themselves soon. Outside of the Central Dominance, houses of this level are almost certain to have achieved High House status. In the absence of Great Houses, they wield a significant amount of influence, economic sway, and political power.
5 – Houses at this level have achieved a respectable level of wealth and influence. Their holdings are large and prosperous, and they are generally regarded as having achieved success in their field. If they are feeling particularly bold, they could potentially try to break in to Luthadel to ride the treacherous currents to financial and economic prosperity, and – ideally – Great House status. This is also the minimum level for a family to be considered a Major House.
4 – While neither powerful nor wealthy, members of these houses can afford to live in relative comfort. Many of the houses at this level own large plantations or small but moderately successful trades.
3 – While not truly poor, houses of this level need every contract they can to survive. Upon reaching this level, their small enterprise becomes more stable, and they might even be able to hire a few workers, but that only adds to the pressure to make good contracts. Opening a shop or a business is still risky at this stage, so while some entrepreneurs do exist at this level, the vast majority are plantation owners or, in the case of Vassal Houses, operate under the umbrella of a larger house.
2 – Being slightly better off than the poorest of families, houses of this level must still work hard for their living, and cannot afford to rent skaa from the Lord Ruler, much less hire servants. The vast majority are still servants or employees of some sort to stronger houses, though some brave souls do invest their meager holdings into a business of their own, often in the form of a single small shop or some other localized operation.
1 – The poorest of the poor, houses of this level are only a step above the skaa themselves. They cannot afford to own their own trade, and so must work for others to survive.
Addendum: Please note that this is not a linear scale. The difference between levels 2 and 3, for example, is not the same as the difference between levels 8 and 9. Because the slightest difference in power amongst the uppermost houses can impact inter-house dynamics in huge ways, we felt the need to have a wider range of ratings available to the Great Houses. This allows us to more accurately reflect even the subtlest difference between them, while also emphasizing the potentially vast difference in power between the Great Houses ranked at the top of the list and those ranked at the bottom. The provided descriptions are intended to help illustrate the differences between various levels, but of course the staff are always available to answer any questions.
Also, please be aware that this rating system does not just measure how much money a house has: money and sociopolitical power are closely intertwined in the Final Empire, and you cannot separate the two. This is why even though a given house might be as wealthy as the lowest ranked Great House, they will not be allowed to have a rating of 7 or higher until they have been approved for ascension. It is their sudden increase in fame and political power that bumps them up to the 7 level, not a magical infusion of extra money that comes out of nowhere.
Edited by KChan, 27 September 2013 - 07:39 PM.
