icekatze wrote:I'm pretty sure I've asked this question before and gotten an answer, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. Do ex-warriors have an additional stigma that goes beyond just being a civilian, or does their warrior birth give them an advantage in the civilian sector? Is their warrior dropout status an asset or a liability?
The daughter of a Loroi warrior is not herself a warrior until she passes the trials; her birth status makes her eligible for diral training and the trials, but not much else. If a Loroi drops out of training or fails the trials, then she never was a warrior.
The rites of passage for a Loroi warrior are really just a test of toughness; the only way to fail (aside from being killed) is to quit. The contests in the trials are all group contests; as long as her companions are willing to cover for her, a weaker or less-competent individual will usually not be singled out and failed... the whole band passes or fails as a group, and a group that fails will usually be given another chance. So, chances are that any Loroi who failed the trials did so because she couldn't take it and voluntarily quit. Reaction to such a person among the civilians would vary, but I think many would have contempt for someone who squandered her chance at being a warrior.
Actual ex-warriors (that is, a Loroi who passed the trials but was later demoted) are very rare. This is because, similar to the trials, the only way for a Loroi to lose her status as a warrior is for her to voluntarily resign or refuse duty. Warriors never lose their status due to age or injury, and they can't even have it taken away as a result of criminal action; she can be punished or even executed... but she remains a warrior. Refusal of duty is a shameful affair, even for civilians, and so an ex-warrior would have no special status among civilians (though some might enjoy hearing tales of warrior life).