There are ten ranks of status that a player may assign to their character during character creation.  This determines their background life (prior to adventuring) and thus their wealth and available skills as well as helping somewhat with certain Presence actions and other similar events.
Social status can change through the efforts of the individual, however, such a change of status is the same as if they were attempting to improve an ability score or skill code, and must be done in place of such.

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Slave (1)
Slaves form the backbone of the economy of the Tyr-region.  Men, women and children sold like kanks to the highest bidder, forced to work long hours for no pay, little water and food, and live together in dirty barracks.  They wear rags and animal skins, whatever they can scavenge for.  Nothing they own is considered to be theirs, but is instead the property of their master.
A slave can buy his freedom in some areas, however, the chances of doing so on the little wealth they come into are minimal.
A slave has few skills, and those who show talent in some area are kept by their masters in the fashion of prized pets, shown off to others.
Slaves are not granted any skills other than their initial allotment, and, in fact, must reduce all but two skills to rank 'C'.

Peasant (2)
A step above the slave, but not by much.  These are men and women who are legally freemen, but are so poor as to be the indentured servants of another, or homeless squatters.  Servants are given shelter (even a small plot of land or a room of their own) and protection in return for their work, and are treated better than a slave might be.  However, they are bound to their employer, and the land he or she owns (if applicable).
Peasants do earn a very small income, which quickly vanishes in the purchasing of daily goods, food and water.  What little the peasant owns, however, is legally theirs, and they cannot be bought and sold like slaves.  This does not stop the disreputable from kidnapping and selling homeless squatters upon the slave block, which is one reason it is good to have a master who will protect one from such.
Peasants may eventually rise into the ranks of the common class, but the majority are skillless, adept only at simple farming, herding, homemaking or laboring tasks.  A peasant must reduce all but four skills to rank 'C' and does not gain any additional skills to their initial allotment.

Commoner (3)
The first truly free of the freeman class.  These are unskilled laborers who are not so poor as to have to sell their freedom to another for shelter and protection.   While still in danger of being kidnapped and sold by corrupt slavers, the chances are far less.  They earn a living wage, enough to support themselves and sometimes a family in the buying of food, water and renting a room somewhere (or making due in a small home in the poorer sections of a city).  All they own is legally theirs, though they have little more than most peasants, they sometimes have a little left over each month.
Commoners are generally unskilled, but form the backbone of a city's economy.   They dig ditches, unload merchant caravans, wait tables at the busier inns, maintain streets and fulfill all the other tasks that keep a city running.  They are also found as caravan guards, animal tenders and such with the merchant houses.
A commoner gains no extra skills to their initial allotment.

Tradesman (4)
The tradesman is an individual who has some small ability in a single skill and uses it to create wealth for themselves.  Oftentimes, tradesmen are junior or apprentice guildsmen, first learning their trade from a master.  Other times, it is a commoner who maintains a simple pottery shop, inn or other such craft booth or store.
Their income is enough to provide for themselves and a family, with some wealth to spare each month.  Tradesmen tend to make their homes in better sections of the city than some commoners, where crime is lower and the streets are patrolled.  Tradesmen are the employers of the majority of commoners, who help them run their businesses by performing the mundane tasks.  Tradesmen are also landlords, renting out rooms and homes (to those who can afford them) to others, paying taxes on the whole property.
A tradesman is allowed to take one additional skill of rank 'C'.

Guildsman (5)
Guildsmen are individuals whom are recognized as skilled individuals, often belonging to or affiliated with guilds or the various merchant houses due to the quality of their work and their ability with the skill.  Their work is sold via the tradehouse and if they fall on hard times, they can often rely on the guild or house to help them out.  The guild will also provide apprentices and training, though the actions the guildsman may undertake will be limited by the dictates of the guild.
Guildsmen are comfortable in the amount of wealth they take in, able to purchase a few uncommon and decorative items, as well as take some time off from their work and survive (for a while).  They tend to live in the same sections of the city as tradesmen and most commoners, sometimes renting out rooms for extra profit.
A guildsman is allowed to take one additional skill of rank 'B'.

Gentry (6)
The highest class of freemen, and the wealthiest.  These are the merchant lords and caravan masters of Athas, who keep the lines of economy open and the routes of commerce well-travelled.  They are the city councilors of villages, the overseers and lesser guildmasters and other such minor titles which still hold some amount of wealth and power, or the inheritors of family wealth that can provide for their comfort even if they must work to stay comfortable.
Gentry are wealthy enough to own a few slaves and often have a number of servants, they can easily provide for their whole family, and can afford to purchase many of the more unccomon, decorative items.  They can afford to send their children to the schools of the Way though it may add some burden.
The life of the gentry, however, is not the lax life of the nobility or even the aristocracy.  In many ways, they are the slaves of more powerful men, whom oversee the roots of the operations which they run a small part of, or whose own egos and desires must be appeased if they wish to continue in their comfortable life.
The gentry are allowed to take one additional skill of rank 'A'.

Aristocracy (7)
The lowest class of the aristocracy, but nonetheless wealthy enough not to worry about doing real work themselves.  The aristocracy tend to have small farms, a good number slaves and servants, but little influence in the government per se.  They may be the heads or children of the heads of merchant houses, the mayor of a prosperous village, an instructor in the schools of the Way, the guildmaster of a successful guild or merely the son-of-a-son-of-a-son of a well-to-do farmer whose lands have increased through the generations.
They are the inheritors of great family wealth and want for little, their homes large enough to house three or four families of commoners.  They are educated in matters of law and custom from an early age, introduced to the beauracracy from birth, and constantly finagling to increase their own social influence and wealth.  Their children commonly attend the schools of the Way, with little strain upon the family wealth.
Though lacking the great wealth of the nobility, only expensive and rare items are unavailable to them.  Most Templars of commanding rank are of this status.   Their estates in the city tend to be in the wealthier portions, with little crime (of the simple sort...though assasination and political entrapment games are common) due to the common patrols of guards.
A member of the aristocracy is allowed to take one additional skill of rank 'A' and one of rank 'C'.

Nobility (8)
Even more wealthy than the aristocracy, they own many slaves and servants and large portions of land.  They have seats on any city council or senate, and have for generations.  They are the inheritors of very great family wealth, both materially and in terms of land (especially farm-land).  Their estates are palatial and could house many commoners.
High ranking Templars are found commonly at this status.
There is almost nothing that is unavailable to them, however, the political power games played at this level of social ascendancy thin out their ranks quickly enough.
A member of the nobility is allowed to take one additional skill of rank 'A' and two of rank 'C'.

Royalty (9)
Reserved for the highest level Templar officials and the oldest of the noble families, these are the top of the chain of political and governmental power for everyone else.  They have direct access to the Sorcerer King if needed, and oversee the governance of the vast city-states in the King's (or Queen's) name.
There is very, very little that these people could want or desire materially; however, the political power games played at this level of social ascendancy are vicious and attempted with great caution, for few wish to raise the ire of the true ruler of the city-state by removing or hindering a valued pawn.
A member of the royalty is allowed to take one additional skill of rank 'A', one of rank 'B', and one of rank 'C'.

Monarchy (10)
Only one of the Sorcerer Kings can claim this rank of status.  With the will (even forced) and wealth of an entire city-state at their disposal, there is little they cannot do and little they do not have power over.
The Sorcerer Kings answer to no one but themselves, and the Dragon.
A character may be able to attain this rank of status should they achieve lasting greatness in the annals of Athasian history (or what passes for it, at any rate), such as becoming the warrior-lord of an unconquerable army, a Cerebral Master in the Order or a similar title with similar influence across the whole of the Tyr region and the resources to match.
Most characters should not choose this level of status and wealth, those who do have two additional skills of rank 'A' and one of rank 'B'.

 

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