Xratinian Race & Class Primer

“Born of Flesh, Tempered by Iron.”
Filed under: Aegis Department of Xenological Anthropology — Class Ω Clearance

I. The Xratinian Race

Species Designation: Homo Novus Ferratus (“Ironborne”)
Common Name: Xratinian

Xratinians are genetically identical to baseline humans, but generations of exposure to industrial conditions and platinum-rich environments have altered them both physically and psychologically. They are not mutants, nor superhumans — simply the final product of relentless national conditioning.

Physical Traits:

Height: 5’10”–6’4” (average), compact muscular builds.
Complexion: Pale bronze to grey undertones from years of mineral exposure.
Hair: Ranges black, dark brown, or steel-grey; rarely any natural blondes.
Eyes: Commonly grey, pale green, or dull blue — all with a faint metallic sheen caused by micro-platinum content in the bloodstream.
Voice: Naturally coarse; decades of industrial smoke make even youth sound hardened.
Average Lifespan: 58 years (shortened by environmental strain and labor cycles).

Health Adaptations:

Lung density 12% higher than global human average.
High resistance to toxins and heat.
Average pain tolerance measured at double standard human response before blackout.
Partial metallic microfibers detected in bone samples — theorized to result from diet high in ore dust.

Cultural Identity:
Every Xratinian views themselves as a tool of the nation — not in servitude, but in pride. Individuality exists through function, not ego. Their phrase “I endure, therefore I am” is recited in schools, military drills, and marriage rites alike.

II. The Three Social Classes

Every citizen of Xratinia belongs to one of three enduring castes. Movement between them is possible but rare, and only through mastery, merit, or blood.

1. The Ironborn (Mundane Civilians & Labor Class)

“The Hands of the Kingdom.”

Overview:
The Ironborn are the workers, miners, builders, and machinists who keep Xratinia alive. They are the heart of the kingdom — unglamorous yet revered, for without their forges, the King has no sword to swing.

Appearance:

Hands permanently scarred and calloused from manual labor.
Faces often smudged with ash, eyes steady but rarely expressive.
Clothing: Reinforced workwear of heavy canvas and alloy-thread fabrics, often sleeveless for mobility.

Training:
From childhood, Ironborn are educated in tool mastery and endurance. By age ten, every child can weld, lift, and maintain basic machinery.

Daily Life:
They work 12-hour shifts, live in communal blocks, and rest in Cooling Halls — where steam baths serve as both sanitation and meditation.

Mindset:
Prideful in simplicity. Many Ironborn live by the mantra:

“I build. I burn. I become.”

Privileges:

Right to communal housing and education.
Food rationing guaranteed.
May enlist into the Knight-Legions to rise to higher class.

Limitations:

Cannot own land.
No participation in Council deliberations.
Bound to labor conscription for seven years.

Notable Subgroup:
The Forge Mothers — women who oversee foundry crews and family forges; considered local matriarchs and spiritual leaders.

2. The Forged (Military & Enforcement Class)

“The Blade of the Crown.”

Overview:
The Forged make up Xratinia’s military machine — disciplined soldiers, Knight-Legionnaires, Arc-Bowmen, and Iron Guard. They are the embodiment of national perfection: body, will, and weapon in seamless unity.

Appearance:

Impeccable posture, no wasted motion.
Scars are worn openly, often etched with ceremonial black ink to form linear markings symbolizing each victory or wound.
Uniforms: Alloy-plate armor polished to silver-white, tabards bearing the sigil of their Legion (Iron, Steel, Cobalt, etc.).

Training:
Begins at age 12 with the Oath of Temperance — seven years of mental and physical forging:

Precision swordplay.
Psychological silence drills (days of enforced muteness).
Energy deflection and perception focus to track plasma projectiles.
Combat philosophy emphasizing efficiency over rage.

By adulthood, soldiers are capable of reacting to plasma bursts mid-flight — not supernaturally, but through reflex conditioning and instinctive energy awareness.

Psychology:
They believe in control above emotion. Every Forged is taught:

“A scream wastes air. A breath can win wars.”

Privileges:

Ownership of personal quarters.
Access to officer education.
Right to invoke the Crown Oath — the ability to call upon the King’s attention once in a lifetime for matters of national security.

Limitations:

Cannot marry or bear children without service completion.
Bound by seven sacred oaths; breaking one marks them Rusted and dishonored.

Subtypes:

Iron Guard: Elite internal enforcers.
Arc-Bowmen: Mobile plasma archers.
Hammerborn: Heavy combat troopers.

Symbol: The Crossed Saber — representing life’s purpose: to protect and cut cleanly.

3. The Tempered Blood (Nobility & Royal Lineages)

“The Flame That Shapes the Forge.”

Overview:
This is the smallest and most controlled class — consisting of the Royal Family and House Miyakoshi, the hereditary stewards of Xratinia’s industry and treasury.
They are not idle nobles but living standards of what perfection means. Each member is expected to lead by work, not comfort.

Appearance:

Lean, athletic, scarless — not from avoidance of war, but from elite training that prevents mistakes.
Eyes often pale silver or blue-grey.
Attire: Black ceremonial robes lined with polished platinum; each garment weighs several kilograms as a mark of responsibility.

Education:
They train separately at The Hall of Embers, learning mastery of the Inner Pool — the focused human potential to sense energy, deflect kinetic projectiles, and occasionally manifest brief energy extensions (like controlled bursts or short-range kinetic push).

Their curriculum includes:

Diplomatic theory.
Swordcraft and statecraft.
Emotional containment under duress.
Ancient history of the First Forge and the Founding Monarch.

Abilities:
While not supernatural, their heightened neural discipline and awareness grant reflexes and clarity bordering on precognition.
A few can manifest “Forge Pressure” — a brief projection of internal energy used to push, paralyze, or disarm opponents, though use is rare and culturally restricted.

Mindset:
They see themselves as the moral spine of the nation — not gods, but the living flame that keeps the forge alive.
Their creed:

“The common build. The soldier bleeds. The Crown endures.”

Privileges:

Direct access to the King and the Council.
Command over any Legion in wartime.
Authority to initiate duels of honor — lethal or symbolic.

Limitations:

May not own personal property — all belongs to the Crown.
May not leave Xratinia without written decree.

Symbols:

The Platinum Mantle — worn during coronation and war declarations.
The Anvil Seal — family sigil of House Miyakoshi.

III. Inter-Class Relations

The Ironborn revere the Forged as living shields, but also envy their freedom.
The Forged respect the Tempered Blood, yet fear them — nobles represent impossible standards.
Nobles rely entirely on the Ironborn for legitimacy; thus, they sponsor festivals and education to maintain loyalty.

No class despises the other openly — hierarchy in Xratinia is symbiotic, not oppressive.
Their society believes:

“Ore without hammer is nothing. Hammer without ore is meaningless. Crown without either is dead.”

IV. Aegis Field Report – Agent R-7, Highspire

“They don’t believe in evolution or mutation.
They believe in improvement — the kind that bleeds, sweats, and hurts until it becomes something else.
I’ve seen nobles spar barehanded with soldiers, workers pulling rifles from assembly lines like prayers, and children carving their names into metal before they can write on paper.
Xratinia doesn’t breed people. It makes weapons — the kind that still have souls.”