Nahn

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Nahn
Relacionado con	Vorinism
Mundo de origen	Roshar

Nahn is a caste system for the darkeyed peasantry who live the Vorin kingdoms, such as Alethkar and Jah Keved. Its counterpart for lighteyes is the dahn system.

Ranking

Since darkeyes are peasants in the Vorin kingdoms, the nahn system is inferior to the dahn system. Holding any level of nahn would be socially inferior to the lowest level of dahn. However, there are situations in which practical reality makes the social standing between two persons less relevant or even reversed. For example, after Kaladin, a darkeyes, was promoted to captain, he was socially outranked by many lighteyed soldiers, yet still possessed higher military rank and authority than them. A worker, such as a carriage driver, would treat a wealthy darkeyes as any other master, since their wages would be paid by the darkeyed passenger.

Within the nahn system itself, there are ten different levels ranging from one to ten, with one being the highest and ten being the lowest. Those at the highest levels of nahn enjoyed relative comfort and wealth while those at the lowest level of nahn would be serfs restricted from being able to freely travel.

At the first and most prestigious nahn, one is even worthy of marrying into a lighteyed family. At the second nahn, one could also potentially marry into a lighteyed family. These two nahns are confirmed to be full citizens with the right of travel. Wealthy darkeyes of the first or second nahn were addressed by the title "citizen."

While those at the lowest level of nahn without the right of travel are essentially serfs tied to the land they are currently on, this is relatively rare. Many more people at the slightly higher levels of nahn that includes the right of travel.

Protections and privileges

There are some protections built into the system of nahn to prevent abuse by lighteyes.

The first is the the right of travel, which is assumed to be included with most nahns. To not possess that right would imply that some issue that occurred with one's ancestors or having done something to have that right revoked. The right of travel allows a darkeyed person to leave a town being ruled poorly by the citylord. If the town experiences a substantial loss of persons, the citylord may be stripped of his position and be demoted in dahn.

The second known protection is exemption from military conscription for those who are of sufficient nahn and provide an essential function to a town. It is known that a second nahn surgeon and his only apprentice, also of second nahn, are exempt from military conscription.

Moving between ranks

Moving between ranks is a fairly fluid and common occurrence, except for the very highest ranks, which are harder to attain. The structure of the nahn system pushes people towards "stable ranks," which are ranks in which the child automatically inherits the same rank as their parents.

Joining the army is one way to permanently increase the nahn of a person and their children; for example, if a very low-ranked darkeye joins the army, he would most likely receive an immediate one nahn increase. Another way to increase one's nahn is to buy yourself up a rank, although this only works at the lower ranks of nahn.

There is also an extremely rare method to change ranks out of the nahn system and into the dahn system. By becoming a Shardbearer, regardless of method and whether one is darkeyed or not, one immediately raises his rank to the fourth dahn. This was accomplished for the first time in generations when Kaladin Stormblessed was granted a full set of Shards and, instead of claiming them for himself, gifted them to his subordinate Moash.

Inheritance of nahn

The nahn of a darkeyed child is influenced by the nahn that his parents hold. Generally, the child's nahn will be equivalent to the highest nahn that either of his parents hold. For example, a child from a union of a fourth nahn husband and fifth nahn wife would be fourth nahn.

However, for those of very high nahn, the children might slip down in rank until they hit a stable rank.

Notable darkeyes

First nahn

• Bashin, Huntmaster

Second nahn

• Kaladin Stormblessed, son of a surgeon

Sixth nahn

• Gaz, sergeant of Highprince Sadeas's bridgemen