Professions in AlundraRPG

For professions, practically anything goes as long as it fits into the overall culture of the setting. This means an overall social class system in a medieval style. There are nobles, though not too many; it depends on the kingdom. Craftsmen and merchants are quite common. Soldiers and rangers also exist. Somewhat less common are fine artists, though they certainly are out there (painters, bards, and the like). Priests are not too terribly common, but most of the bigger towns or cities have them. Magicians are unheard of for the most part, except for charlatans selling fake amulets and love charms. Magic is not a power that rests in the hands of most people, and anyone with true magic power is exceedingly rare. For more details, keep reading:

• Nobles of Silverland:
  In the kingdom of Silverland, there are a few noble houses that serve as regional lords and also advisers to Queen Rain. Most nobles live either in or around Glindrelle, or on their own private lands in the region over which they rule. Many nobles live in the Lake Country, if nothing else owning summer homes there. Nobles have power, but not too much of it; there is a definite partnership between a noble and his subjects. If a lord or lady does not properly care for the people and the land, a complaint may be made to the crown. Such things have happened before, and the nobles have been duly reprimanded. Representatives of the crown check regularly to see if matters are improving, and if not, the noble may be stripped of his or her title in extreme cases and a family member or neighboring noble given charge of his or her lands. Noble families often send their young people to court in Glindrelle for a time, or to the lesser courts of the Lake Country, to learn about governance and to make social connections.
• Nobles of Cerredy:
  Cerredy's nobles are much like Silverland's, and there are family connections between the two kingdoms. However, the noble families hold more power in Cerredy and the king often answers to them as much as they answer to him. The royal house has less power because of the nobles, and also because of Lor'ash influence. There is some corruption and power-play among the noble houses of Cerredy, moreso than in Silverland. Alliances, both political and social, are made primarily to gain personal power.
• Nobles of Lor'ash:
  Nobles of the Rannisk River valley primarily live in Sirleth and Rhaleth, at the mouth of the Rannisk. These nobles tend to be split along two lines: the somewhat traditional, and the really traditional. Lor'ash is not exactly a liberal nation. It is not very centralized either, and usually the Kisreth (the ruler of Lor'ash) only has real control over the cities on the river and on the trade routes to Cerredy. Any tribute offered from other parts of the kingdom is usually a polite gift, given with the full knowledge that should they have a rough year, they would not hesitate to withold their yearly tax, and normally the Kisreth would be unable to do anything about it. However, the Kisreth is usually chosen from the existing nobles during trials of physical and tactical skill, and Rynothan, the current Kisreth, hails from the northern deserts. Thus he has more influence with the northern tribes and also tends to rule more in their interests. Among the tribes, there are no nobles, but there are positions of power and influence within the clans and the tribes that make them up. Respect tends to be earned by physical skill, whether it is battle prowess or skill at a craft. Society is primarily patriarchal in the desert.
• Artists and fine craftsmen:
  Any highly skilled work of great artistry is highly valued in any of the kingdoms, though they are somewhat less common in Lor'ash. Silverland is the home of the best artists, and Cerredy also produces a few. Examples of such professions include glassworkers, fine seamstresses and tailors, composers, painters, sculptors, jewelers, goldsmiths and silversmiths, and other workers of delicate and fine materials.
• Other craftsmen::
  Other craftsmen may have more basic or fundamental skills, such as weaving, spinning, blacksmithing, tanning, carpentry, etc. Other craftsmen include thatchers, shoemakers, bakers, chandlers, stoneworkers, farriers, and just about any other major craft you can think of that might have existed in a medieval sort of society. As these types of craftsmen play more essential roles, some variation of each of their professions can be found in any of the three kingdoms.
• Bards:
  Fine artists by nature, bards are a bit different from their fellow artists. They may be composers, but they are also performers, storytellers, scribes, and record-keepers. They tend to travel a great deal, and in the north especially, they are held in extremely high regard. In some of the northernmost towns and villages of Silverland, bards are held as sacred. A bard's presence is good luck, but failing to provided hospitality for a bard will result in the worst luck imaginable.
• Merchants:
  Merchants are quite common and tend to roam the land from one end to another. Merchants have been allowed as far north in Lor'ash as Rakhtal, but few actually go that far as the northern tribes are not particularly friendly to outsiders. The most traveled trade routes tend to go back and forth between the Rannisk River delta, where ships put in from across the sea, and the capital city of Glindrelle in Silverland. Other merchants make shorter trips out from the major trading centers. Nearly all merchants travel by land; sailors are extremely uncommon in Lor'ash, and almost all the ships that put into their ports are sailed by folk from across the ocean.
• Farmers, ranchers, and horsebreeders:
  Those who work the land and work with livestock are essential in all three kingdoms. They can be found all over Silverland and Cerredy, though the Rannel Valley is the biggest center of farming in Silverland and very little farming happens in Lor'ash outside of the Rannisk River floodplain. There are a few oases scattered here and there throughout the desert, but that's it. Ranching is common wherever there are farms, but also particularly on the Dalsen Plains and anywhere in the deserts where livestock can be supported. The primary sources of horseflesh on the continent are in the Lorr Desert and the Dalsen Plains.
• Soldiers:
  Each kingdom has a standing army, and most warriors of Silverland and Cerredy tend to belong to their respective armies. Many warriors come from the northern desert tribes of Lor'ash, however, in addition to their standing army. Occasionally hired soldiers will accompany merchants as bodyguards, but for the most part, mercenaries are fairly uncommon.
• Rangers and hunters:
  Particularly in the forests and the mountains, and especially in northern Silverland, rangers and hunters commonly make their living. Rangers usually serve as guides and often hunt as well. Both types are particularly well known for their code of ethics in serving the land as well as living off of it. They tend to have a great respect for nature, and many of them tend to be loners who prefer the outdoors to excessive human contact.
• Priests and doctors:
  Most larger villages and towns have at least one doctor and priest, and the larger cities tend to have several. Priests take care of the emotional and spiritual needs of the people, and doctors take care of the physical and medical needs. Priests tend to be devoted to local gods, and it is considered important to show respect and reverance for the gods of whatever region one is in over any personal gods. Of course, some people have family or personal patron gods too. It is not at all uncommon for people to be non-religious however, preferring not to pray to any gods. Even nonbelievers will often go to a priest in times of emotional distress or for marriages, blessings of newborn children, and burials. Doctors are rather more common than priests, and their services can be a bit spendy for some. Some of the smaller villages have only a village healer, who is rather less trained and tends to rely on folk remedies. Of course, doctors have imperfect knowledge in the first place, and although they are a bit beyond the practices of bleeding patients, they only have a sketchy knowledge of surgery or sanitation. In most cases, a village healer will be just as useful as a doctor, although there are times when a doctor may be able to help with a serious injury or illness. Many doctors are quite good at handling battle injuries, and most military units have at least one. Healers are quite common in the desert tribes as well, and they tend to use folk remedies that have an uncanny tendency to work nearly all the time.
• Criminals, beggars, and charlatans:
  Criminals do exist, especially in the bigger cities, and brigands sometimes roam the more remote areas. There are also beggars in most bigger cities, as well as charlatans who sell stolen or counterfeit items. Most magicians fit into this latter category, telling fortunes and selling charms that have no real magic behind them, only fabrication and guesswork. It is not impossible for someone to have magical ability, but if they do, they are likely to belong to another profession. Some priests are rumored to have magical ability.