It is a basic principle in Lirith Kai that the members of one caste may not interfere in the inner workings of another, so that one may be expelled from one's caste, made casteless, for misconduct only by one's peers, who are presumed to understand whatever stresses may have induced the unacceptable behavior and to be able to judge it fairly. Each caste has its own standards that may not be violated. Thus a noble may be expelled for cowardice, cruelty, a callous disregard for the rights of others, or acting contrary to the best interests of the Empire, but not for heresy, for example. A priest may not behave in a manner his god considers immoral, nor break the vows he took as novice and aspirant, nor may he change his religious affiliation without being cast from his priesthood. A merchant-trader may not charge extortionate interest (at least, not to fellow Adantri), nor deal in stolen goods; and a craftsman is not to cheapen his wares by using poor materials or careless workmanship. A farmer who steals his neighbor's irrigation water, a herdsman who is cruel to his flock, a miner who attempts to sell a salted claim--all are in danger of censure or expulsion from their caste.

The ranks of the casteless are never large, for to be a member of that group is a thing of shame and failure. One who has been expelled from any caste is automatically divorced from his or her spouse, may not marry, is stripped of all property, deprived of all rights before the law, and denied the privilege of serving in the militia. It is an unusual warrior society that will not rid itself of a member who has become an outcaste, also. Most who are forced into the outcastes turn immediately to earning reinstatement. Someone who accepts his lot here and makes no effort to improve it is called bisata or zagan. The basic meaning of both words is similar to our "drunk," but the connotations of willful irresponsibility make them much more negative terms. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but purists insist that a bisata is an active ne'erdowell of the sort who becomes a professional beggar (and probably a thief), while a zagan is "merely" lazy.

One who is "casteless" may enter the farmer, merchant, or priestly caste, regardless of original caste, by engaging in appropriate activities and lifestyle, but the caste of the nobility may only be entered by a casteless man if he can prove descent from members of that caste; also, the requirements to be reinstated in the caste of nobility or the priesthood are more stringent than for the other two. One exception is the outcaste who becomes a street corner preacher in one of the minor cults, or who starts his own cult--with few or no superiors to inquire into the fitness of these practitioners, there is a tendency for outsiders to look on all the minor and peculiar cults with suspicion as harboring bisatas.

Intercaste marriages are few. The children of such "mixed" marriages may choose, upon their coming of age (at fifteen), which caste they shall belong to; once the choice has been made, they are stuck with it for life, as are their children.