Archetypes are particular types of character in each nation, which offer a framework of the default types of mage, priest, warrior, artisan etc within that culture, and a way to think about designing a character who fits into the nation as a starting point, in order to encourage a cohesive nation that can make choices about individuality from that point.
Courtiers – The Refined Lords, Ladies and Ledans
The houses of the great court, who were once the monarchs and heirs, all titles from lost lands and a previous age, Courtiers now seek to regain importance through whatever means they can dream up. Some prefer to take their battle to the floors of ballrooms and promenades, hoping to win allies, favour and recognition from others like themselves. Some prefer to take their battles further afield, hoping to win the support of commoners or foreign dignitaries with pledges and trades.
Each has their own individual method of seeking to recapture that lost glory, and each has their own view on the power they once possessed. For some they enjoyed the fear or respect that allowed them to command a room to tense silence by simply walking into it. Others enjoyed the praise they feel is owed to them, the recognition of being the fairest, of being exceptional. Others still miss having many people owe them many favours, and having myriad strings to pull on to make their puppets dance. Whatever it is they have lost, they are fierce, graceful, and cold in their pursuit.
In somewhat faded finery, courtiers bask in the likewise faded glory of their refined peers. Having no true power of their own, theirs is a reflected light, and their wish to improve the status of their fallen overlord is often the wish to improve their own station and influence.
Whilst their peers cannot be seen to get their hands dirty, courtiers are more than capable of carrying out any inelegant task, or finding someone who will do the work in their stead. They are a mixed bunch, with some fiercely loyal and fiercely trusted, and some changing their allegiance and court colours at the drop of a handkerchief for whoever is currently in favour.
Castellans
These are common folk of good standing, who do the real work in the castle. Whether they are cleaning a cellar or stable, or cleaning up a courtier’s mess, they always get the job done. Although they are looked down upon by the refined, they are absolutely not to be underestimated. They know more of the inner workings of Andhien castle and its people than anyone could guess, and whispering the right secret in the right ear, they have changed the course of many a fortune.
The Stalwart
Those who spend their lives at the border, holding out against the encroaching corrupted are not brave, but dedicated to changing the course of the larger story of Valdraeth. Their job is a simple, terrifying, grueling one. Take up the sword and keep its point between the enemy and that which you would die to protect. Though they are all sorts of people come from all sorts of backgrounds, wealthy and impoverished, clever and dull, sung and unheard of, here they are all equal in standing and story, and they face the howling hordes together. Citizens with martial skills will often volunteer to be part of the stalwart mission in order to guarantee themselves a place in story. People who can bring skills beyond fighting, such as those with strategic minds, are highly prized.
They are seldom seen in civilisation, but when they are amongst those they have sacrificed to defend, they are treated with respect.
The stalwart wear their oath as a simple symbol of a watchtower, easily recognisable to all.
The Grimward
The Grimward are a group of fallen warriors that move beyond the edges of civilization. These are cast out Valdraethi who have been stripped of their identities and had their stories expunged for their past transgressions. These are the oath breakers, marked, and exiled.
They are here to help.
Seeking a chance at redemption, the Grimward model themselves after tales of the grimshadows. Their clothes simple and ragged, their attitudes sober and somber, they wander the wilds looking to dispatch terrible creatures that threaten humanity, and save people from the deep dangers beyond the pathways of civilization. They seek new stories, and have no names – any epithets they have earned through past glories are ripped away when they are declared Grimward, leaving only the name gained when they came of age. Having spent most of their nameless lives in each other’s fellowship, the Grimward tend to be no less serious, but much less guarded in each other’s company than they ever are with named humans.
They are typically dressed in cloth faded by grime and time to blacks and greys, and some choose to hide their faces to hide the shame of their brave deeds having been removed from their legacy.
OC Note: There may be times where people want to make another character Grimward as a punishment. Any character seeking to inflict this on someone Must check in beforehand and make sure the recipient is ok with this progression of their story. If they are not then you must look for alternatives.
Waymakers
Waymakers are the people who tend the long paths between the city and the towns and villages. They prune back the ever encroaching forests and ensure the wisp lamps are kept lit. Their job is a necessary but dangerous one, as they travel lesser used paths, go where the light has failed, and where bandits and monsters lurk by the wayside. Waymakers can expect to be regarded in good standing by all in society, and can generally expect to receive hospitality wherever they go. They can be relied upon to have at least one interesting story to their name to tell beside a hearthfire, and without them there would be no trade or travel between places.
They may work alone or in teams, and their lives vary in intensity and style depending on which ways they choose to be custodians of. For example, a Waymaker that takes responsibility for the route between the city and the farming village that supplies its grain will be unlikely to run into many strange creatures, though bandits are a distinct possibility. Whereas a Waymaker that tends the paths connecting two remote villages in the deep woods may have the opposite problem. And then there are those Waymakers that choose to forge new paths, they are a different breed altogether.
Warlocks
Do you hear that ominous crackling and wailing coming from the tower? Pray that’s as bad as it gets. Last year it rained black slime for a week and everyone’s hair started falling out…
Warlocks are the eccentric people whose vice-like minds are turning towards genius or madness, and pursue their goals relentlessly. Addicted to gaining knowledge, or power, or with an unquenchable curiosity, they delve further into their studies than is safe, and the outcome is often not without both dazzling rewards and the potential for great calamity. Some started down this path with heart and lofty intention, some with scores to settle, some to prove themselves.
They are people who have found their purpose, and know how they wish to live and what their stories will be. They are people of great dedication to the study of magic and are both revered and feared in equal measure. Though thankfully, a lot of the time, they are too busy in their books to cause catastrophe. Warlocks are often tied to high society. It is both a status symbol to have a Warlock seen working for you, and if you sponsor them to focus on a particular project you can often prevent them getting into too much trouble on your lands.
Witches
Witches are highly resourceful, self taught magic users. Their power has come through observation, inheritance, luck, curses, and deals. They work not with libraries and tomes, but with the world around them and its secrets. Because of this, they tend to be more secretive and self-sufficient themselves. Some live within society and are quieter about their ways and subtle with their works to avoid too much attention. After all, a spellweaver is a worrying person to have live next door. Whereas others like to live however the hell they want, sometimes rather outlandishly without a care, and do so at a distance to the judgment or cajoling of others.
Others gather like minded individuals into covens and are as wary of outsiders as they are of them. You will not see these people in high society, they have no time for fools and are as outspoken as they wish to be. You can find them in the city’s streets, sleepy towns, and damp boglands. Sometimes seeming like nothing more than a strange elderly person or a slip of a youth, but cross them at your peril.
Those Witches whose magic takes on a more physical shape may be found straddling the lines between several disciplines. They may be found stirring worryingly large pots full of myriad rare ingredients, adding drops from this bottle or herbs from that pouch to make into tinctures and philters and poultices. They may on the other hand, be folding their magic into the dough of pastries topped with jam made from magical fruits, so good they will take all your cares away. Or hammering the essence of wind into a sword, so that its strike is swift and cruel as storms.
This however is no simple or boring job, storied smiths have even ventured into the elemental plane of flames to learn the secrets of their forge fires.
Chanters
It’s commonly noted by foreigners to their lands is that everyone in valdraeth is a bard. From shopkeepers to nobles, from witches out in the woods to priests at high tables, everyone has a story. There are those however who make it something that they build their life around, using wits rather than brawn to make their way in the world.
Chanters are a kind of bard central to Valdrae life, and a people who make stories truly magical. Usually with some form of magic up their sleeve, they cast cantrips, or perform rites with a degree of artistry that shows off their stories and songs to their best advantage. Courtiers of old kept a Chanter on retainer, and many still keep up this practice to keep up appearances if nothing else. It can be very handy in diplomacy to have someone who can dazzle your rivals, and on the battlefield to befuddle in other ways.
The name comes from the old tradition that these folk were also enchanters, mages who would appear at the final moment with a magic weapon and a song to inspire all those whose bodies were weary and minds heavy with the day’s work. Many still keep up this practice, as a welcome source of income now Courtiers are fewer and further between.
Lorekeeps
A Lorekeep has asked more questions than you can imagine, and answered twice that. They are people of calm faith and great wisdom. Their roles as community leaders, officiates, mediators, and advisors earn them respect, even with those who don’t agree with their decisions. Despite not being flashy or boisterous like bards, and having nothing more to mark themselves out from the crown other than a small symbol of their station and a knowing look. When they speak, people listen.
For all their knowledge and authority, they tend not to be egotistical, they do not force, and will listen to the words of others no matter their background or standing. However they are not reticent or soft. With many willing to wade into argument with goat-heard and leader alike.
They can be found keeping records of people’s stories. Officiating oaths. Bolstering faith. Preparing the dead and leading ceremonies. Settling complicated disputes for the good of all parties. Challenging authority with uncomfortable questions. And keeping their heads in crisis.
Lorekeeps are marked out with a quill symbol. Some choose a broach for convenience whilst others wear the symbol as part of their clothing. They are also often found carrying around their personal notebooks to record the business of the day. Lorekeeps that frequently find themselves in crows sometimes opt to wear a vertical line down their face over one eye, so as to be easier to spot from a distance.
Physicks
Some of these are respected healers and physickers, with many years of hard won wisdom and often formal educations from learned elders to their name. Many Physicks are highly sought after for any serious ailment, and the wealthy will often have one on retainer for their household to tend to every need.
A Physicks’s methods range from surgery to potions, they are scholarly and highly orthodox, and will work together to research new cures and treatments to be bound in their ever growing books. They are highly respected healers, who anyone would trust to take their lives in their hands. However, the pursuit of knowledge and good status can be… compromising.
In the grimey alleyways of the city, and in the ramshackle shacks on the outskirts of villages you will find the other type of physick. These are lone healers that got more of what you might call a rather loose and informal education, or no education at all. They do their best for the people they treat, but their means are limited, and their methods range from the unconventional, to the bizarre. They might not know exactly what they are doing or why, or they may be clever enough to be a little experimental. They are always a little disconcerting, and no one wants to have to visit the Physick. But sometimes, they are all that stands between you and more gristly death.
