Lifestyle and Magic

The country of Shai is a fairly wealthy, but all the same there is an obvious division between the rich and the poor. There is not much a middle class in between: The Nobility have plenty of money, which is spent lavishly on entertainments and novelties, while the peasants work on farms that make money for the upper class.
Those who might fall under the category of 'Middle Class' are Crafters: Smiths, Glassblowers, Carpenters, Seamstresses, Weavers and the like. Bards and Healers generally come from this class, but since they cater to the Wealthy, often buying positions through favor with the nobility, they are considered somewhere in between.

The Nobility seem focused on one thing: entertainment. They couldn't care less about what is going on in the world, and accuse everyone else of doing nothing to help the poverty situation, when it is they who cause it. They spend thousands (if not millions) of pounds of Gold a year on parades, and masquerades, and feasts, and balls, and parites. Not to mention exotic pets and creatures imported from foreign lands such as Gerny and Taenel. This is a blatant waste of wealth that could be used elsewhere...but it occupies them, so why should they care?

Twice a Year, on Holy Days in honor of their Goddess, Shamyth, the Nobility go down to the Temples to pray and offer a fraction of their money to Her service, which is supposed to be used for the poor. Few give more than a token amount, so there is not enough to really aid the commoners.
The Royalty live in much the same astonishing luxury as the Nobility, but they are noted for spending more time and money in devotion to the Goddess. The King or Queen settles disputes among Nobility, and delegates others to settle the disputes of the commoners. The youngest Prince or Princess is always sent to serve the Goddess as a Priest or Priestess, as a sign of devotion. For all of their carelessness with money, the Royalty are far better than their Courtiers.
Middle Class and commoners live far beneath these standards, and have very little time for entertainments: they know far too well what the Dragonwarriors do (who do not live the soft court lives many think they do) to keep them alive and safe. At least, they do around East Hall. In the Capital, there are complaints rising...

Magic

There are several forms of Magic in Shai. The most prominent is Casting, where the user is called a Magician or Caster.
A Magician's abilities are focused through a staff or a focus (usually a pendant) that they take with them everywhere. Their type of magic is merely a sort of energy which they can call on and manipulate as they will. To do so, they draw it from this 'well' inside of them, and direct it through their Focus. This 'Power Well' is an area of their mind where this energy is found. It can be used to do anything. This means that their abilities range from creating simple shields, to elaborate cloaking illusions, to sealing opponents in the earth or creating Firestorms.
A Magician cannot work magic without some sort of Focus, as their power comes from within.
A Mage varies from a Magician in only that they do not need a focus to direct their energy through, and can send something up in flames with only a flicker of their eyes. This is because not only do they have an internal well of power to draw on, but they can take it from nature, and from everything around them.

The most common Magic in Shai is Mind Magic. It is more along the lines of being able to make things move by using ones mind, and most especially Mind Speech. Many people in Shai have some form of magic in them, whether it is powerful enough for them to need no focus (meaning that they have a great deal of energy in that Well, or can take it from nature) or so subtle that they will never be able to draw on that power.
Even if it is in such a minuscule amount, that is enough for a Dragon to Bond to, and many of those with even a droplet of usable power end up being Dragonwarriors. Mages, Magicians and Dragonwarriors are extremely valued in Shai. Mages and Magicians often find favor with Noble houses, and end up being hired to aid in protecting them, or become a part of the Monarch's Army. Some Mages or Magicians are Healers, which means that their energy can be used to mend broken bones, burn away fevers and the like, or even can be Mental Healers, meaning that they can mend broken minds. This sort of modification on the standard all-purpose Talent is rare.

Another way that Magic is used is in Runes, which is a very common way of using one's talent. Runes are carved by Magicians for the most part, with small amounts of magic that cannot be drawn on to do major Enchantments. They are carved onto various things: ranging from wood, to stone, to armor, to expensive gems for the protection of the Nobility. The more power one has, the better the Runes can be. For example a minor Magician might carve runes on armor for a Dragonwarrior to make it so that their Dragon could withstand fire. A moderate Magician might carve runes on armor for a Dragonwarrior to make it so that their dragon could breathe Fire. A major Magician might carve runes on armor for a Dragonwarrior that made it so that their dragon seemed as a creature engulfed by fire. Many Dragonwarriors are Rune crafters if not Mages, and make a little bit of extra Gold for selling protective of offensive Runes to their fellows.

Some people are called Catalysts, but these folk are very rare. These are people born with an abundance of magic that comes from around them but they cannot touch this magic. Rather than using it themselves, they may give it to others or take it from others, depending if they resist or not. This allows other Magicians to cast spells they normally cannot such as shape shifting.
They do however weaken if they give power away but not always, if they are especially strong of will. However, they don't have any magic of their own but can be energized by the use of their power. They are extremely valuable to less powerful Mages or Magicians, so they will often become servants to magic families, or nobility.

There are three ranks of Mages or Magicians: Third Rank, which means that they can basically be Rune crafters or Mindspeakers; Second Rank, which means that they have more power to draw on, and First Rank, which means that they are extremely powerful, and very valuable. Their abilities are almost unlimited. First Rank mages or Magicians are very rare.