Chau
The Chau (tʃaʊ) caste is upper-middle class, members of this caste are defined by ambition or talent more than bloodline. The Chau caste rose from Rothet by their own power and secured their position as an intermediary caste for trade and labor between the Vana and Shan castes, and the Rothet and Vauth castes. Chau are businessmen/women, and have their fingers in all areas of the Danaij markets. Families have built fortunes peddling necessities to the higher castes. At this point, most Chau have established prestigious family lines, but they do not allow their heirs to grow soft and complacent—all potential heirs to the family business must prove their worth or risk being disowned or replaced by a more competent relative—or even a reliable worker that shows more promise than they do. Occasionally, Rothet and even Vauth can rise to the rank of Chau through ambition, hard work, and the right connections. Disowned Chau often find themselves caste down to the rank of Rothet—but some families may be so disappointed that their own child could be demoted to Vauth and sold as a slave.
Chau can marry within their caste, or within castes lower, rising their spouse up to the rank of Chau, and their offspring as well, so long as they prove their worth. Chau may marry up into Shan or rarely Shuri, but their children’s first privilege will be to the higher caste if they prove worthy. The Vana castes will not marry a Chau, and if an affair with a Chau bears children, those children will never be considered legitimate to rise to the rank of the Vana castes.
Chau are predominantly of lower class appearances, including red-black and green-black skin colors, though blue-black and violet-black occur sometimes as well. Eye color has broader ranges, including not only the original red, but also gold/yellow, blue, green, and violet. Hair color can be either fair, or darker shades of gray, sometimes black. Their beauty can range from high to low by Danaij standards. Their lifespans typically range between 700-500 years, but can be higher if they have noble blood.
