Off-pouch zoogs are still full members of zoog society.. The zoog system is far superior, they feel, because the chosen zoogs are hand-selected by the mother for superiority.. When zoogs
Trang 1Off-pouch zoogs are still full members of zoog
society They are sources of valuable labor and services,
and though they are never leaders, they are neither
mistreated nor enslaved by other zoogs They belong to
a lower social class Zoogs are puzzled when other races
take offense to their system After all, humans, elves,
and dwarves have hereditary systems of government
as well, often incorporating serfs, a middle-class, and
nobility The zoog system is far superior, they feel,
because the chosen zoogs are hand-selected by the
mother for superiority After all, in many humanoid
societies, nobility is inherited, regardless of merit or
ability Not so with the zoogs: an inferior baby is eaten
by the mother or becomes an off-pouch
When zoogs mate, it is common for an off-pouch
zoog to become infatuated with a chosen zoog and
vice-versa, and offspring from such a mating are subdivided
into off-pouch and chosen as normal In other words,
zoogs, unlike many other humanoids, do not segregate
by social class when mating
When two chosen zoogs mate, however, their own
chosen young are termed second generation, and are
considered upper-class They are considered higher
than the average chosen, but not true nobility When
two second generation zoogs mate, their chosen
offspring are third generation This process continues
up to the eighth generation, and of course can go
beyond, but the zoogs don’t always keep track past that
point, particularly as eighth generation chosen zoogs
are vanishingly rare
Second-generation zoogs are considered the
upper-ranks of society, but are not true nobles Each successive
generation is more highly rated The zoogs feel this is
fair and just With the sixth-generation, it is clear that
all ancestors of the zoogs were chosen as superior by
their mothers
If a higher-generation zoog mates with a lower-generation noble, the offspring are considered to be the same as if the lower-generation zoog had mated with its own kind Thus, if a fifth and a second generation zoog mate, the chosen babies are considered third generation
However, an off-pouch zoog born even to a sixth generation zoog is still just off-pouch It has no generation and no special privileges, though it may enjoy advantages based on family ties For example, a high-ranking zoog noble often has family guards and aides chosen from among off-pouch siblings
Third generation and higher zoogs are the zoog nobility, and these individuals are not only rare but valued by zoog society for their superiority and leadership qualities The higher the generation, the higher-ranking the zoog, so a third generation zoog defers to one from the fourth generation
It sometimes seems odd to humans that zoogs make
no attempt to preferentially mate higher generation zoog together, but the zoogs are happy with their system, and it seems to work for them Another alien aspect of zoog culture is that despite the fact that they keep few records, they are somehow able to keep track
of their generations
Each zoog forest is run by a council of nobles, who consult one another to make all decisions Zoogs don’t have monarchs or any sort of head zoog Instead, the various nobles gather together when major decisions need to be made and do so as a group Zoogs are not stupid, and the nobles are perfectly willing to take advice and suggestions from lesser zoogs—even off-pouch zoogs
Zoog forests are never true monarchies For one thing, the highest-ranking zoogs in a forest are born in groups of four In their councils, the higher-generation nobles speak with greater weight, but all voices are