"You are in fact NOT mistaken, Pontifex," Ikoral nodded faintly as he reciprocated Gnaeus' gesture.  "There are three castes for my people, though more an indicator of lineage rather than the hard-set, birth-determined roles they were in the past: the Kitsai are the foremost scholars and priests, the Mansatzis form the bulk of our warriors, and the Zukuru our merchants and artisans.  However, nowadays all groupings are upon equal social footing due to the formation of the Great Houses and the High Council some millennia ago."

The crimson-skinned alien released the man's hand, his fingers steepling downward towards the ground.  "For example, in terms of both my bloodline and my chosen education, I am one such Kitsai."