Metolut

Metolut is a widely-used term in South Crona to describe the institutions of social stratification, stemming from Tierrador and expanding throughout the rest of South Crona. Metolut is an extremely complex and diverse concept, being decided by various legal, social, political, and financial characteristics. Normally, the structure of the metolut system is purely hierarchal, however there are various overlapping order associated within the institution. Metolut had a concept widely-accepted throughout the Qabóri Woqalate, even becoming a legitimate government institution in 1351.

Many Tierradorians follow the original organization of metolut, which outlines five main social groups or orders: Asetat, Avtolat, Qu'ulanas, Atursales, and Tosalet. More concept models include dozens of different, overlapping sub-groups based on more specific income models, however, the five aforementioned classes are the ones recognized by the Taxable Income Office, which help determine their income tax brackets for the Tierradorian general public. Different determinants for a Tierradorian individual's place in the metolut system include wealth, income, education, type of occupation, and the individual's membership within a hierarchal institution, subculture, or general social network.

Tierradorian social stratification is a prime example of a meritocracy. Despite Tierradorian society being a mixture of several different tribes, the metolut system does not take a person's ethnicity or race into consideration when determining that person's social class, rather favoring whatever various achievements that person had earned throughout his/her life. Overall, metolut as an institution is studied by sociologists throughout South Crona. Metolut has existed throughout Imperial Tierrador since the height of the Abio Woqalate around the 1st century CE.

Determinants

An individual's place in the metolut's hierarchy is determined by many different factors. Some definitions of order only look at numerical measures, such as that individual's wealth or income. However, qualitative factors, such as education, occupation, and general social status are also taken into consideration by the metolut institutions. The stratification of an individual in the metolut system normally begins at birth, where the child is placed under the same societal standing as his/her mother, due to the matriarchal society seen in Abioic civilization.

Types of orders

Order of Asetat

Asetat is the highest order in the metolut system, and is the only order in which subjects who were not born or married into the order are not able to move into the order. Asetat consists of the aristocracy of Tierrador, and it fully represents the pinnacle of social prestige and influence throughout South Crona. Members of Asetat make up 1.2% of the Tierradorian population, or 2,534,205 members of the general aristocracy. Asetat are categorized by their wealth, historical privileges, historical influence over Tierradorian society, and their higher roles within the political, economic, and cultural scenes of the country. The general aristocracy of the Asetat Order is divided into two main subgroups; the Imperial Asetat and the Lower Asetat. The Imperial Asetat consists mainly of all the aristocratic ruling houses in Tierrador, including the House of Woqelee, House of Aisa'aia, House of Havqanoq, House of Tula'ahet, the House of Qwahakee, and many other smaller houses. In total, there are around 7,122 members of the Imperial Asetat, making it the smallest order of metolut. Lower Asetat is used to describe the remaining general aristocracy which is not a part of the Imperial order.

Order of Avtolat

Upper class, non royalty

Order of Qu'ulanas

Middle class

Order of Atursales

Lower class

Order of Tosalet

Immigrants