Avora
From Mizahar Lore
 The Craftsmen |
Also known as the Craftsmen, Avora hold a great deal of responsibility in regards to the stability of the city. This caste of upperclassmen are recognized for their skills in falconry, hunting, glasswork, smithing, medicine, and masonry, among other things. They fill a niche that the less skilled or knowledgeable (or capable) cannot, providing necessary services to the overall maintenance of Wind Reach. They are nearly as respected as Endal and have similar privileges to the eagle riders, though not separate dwellings. However, their moral sense can be somewhat negligent and abuse of the lower castes from Avora is very common.
Contents |
Rankings
Like Endal, there are ranks within the Avora Caste, usually spread throughout a workplace. A Master will oversee all within his field and can be easily identified. A Master is only chosen when they have truly mastered their field and have proven their value through the years. The Avora beneath a master, and Chiet and Dek, will always answer to the Master of their workforce; however, all within the caste must defer to the Valintar's wishes.
The Masters
A Master Craftsmen is a truly respectable individual. They have demonstrated over the years their ability within their selected craft and have even branched into related skills, honing their chosen job even further by the mastery of more. They are intelligent and versatile men and women who have worked hard through the years and earned the trust and respect of those within their jurisdiction. They typically manage their craft well and may or may not be easy to approach. Masters can be identified by the golden circlet around the Badge they wear, identifying their Avora role and Master status.
The Masters also act as the voice of the Avora; when material is needed or workers short, it is they who speak with the Valintar and assist in scouting for potential craftsmen.
The Mentors
Mentors is a unified name for any Avora who has an apprentice. While not required of all jobs, Mentors teach new recruits the lay of the land in their field and help hone the skills they had shown promise in. They have a standard badge for their craft. Any non-apprentice Avora may be a Mentor.
Apprentice
The fresh faces of their craft, Apprentices are just barely a step above Chiet and Dek in terms of status within the Avora ranks. They enjoy the same freedoms as others in the caste, but are often used as "extra hands" during the first few seasons of their training until they demonstrate their value to the craft. Once they have, their Mentor will begin providing more serious lessons that help them elevate out of Apprenticeship. Apprentices are always identified with a single copper line through the badge of their craft, telling others that they are new to the position and have not yet earned the full freedoms of those within the ranks who have more experience.
Mentality
Known not just for their level of skill, most Avora tend to present a very aggressive frame of mind. Whether it's physically, emotionally, or mentally, they will use this aggression to their advantage to get what they want. They are usually quite haughty and can be downright derogatory to all but their superiors. Chiet and Dek, and even Yasi, are very much beneath them and provide nothing more than a stepping stone to their own personal goals.
Avora are also known to abuse their position and take full advantage of the lower caste men. In this case, Yasi become exempt due to the nature of the abuse. Men and Women of both Chiet and Dek caste will commonly find themselves targeted to provide a service to the higher ranked Avora, blackmailed into working for them under threat of a rank loss or, worse, exile. Sexual services are the most common. While the higher authorities within the city do not truly support the underground whoring that goes on, they do not actually stop it. There is rumor that an Avora pimp of sorts has, in the last five years, begun selecting from the middle and lower castes some of the more attractive men and women for use by the Avora and Endal not interested in long term relationships. It cannot, however, be proven as no single location can yet be located.
Besides the sexual advantage, Avora will also escalate their abuse into physical punishments if a lower caste member simply looks at them wrong. The term "Dek Diving" was actually developed by a young Avora who commonly bullied the older or less mobile Dek in the city. He would lure these individuals out to the Twin Lakes and more or less shove them off one of the cliffs just to see if they would be able to swim back to shore. Not all could. Eventually, the Avora was apprehended and executed for the string of murders and purposeful assaults, but the coined phrase stuck around. Now, it describes a particularly un-eloquent dive an individual makes from one of the cliffs in the city or on the bay into the water. The less controlled the dive, the higher value the title.
Housing
Housing Info
Jobs in the Caste
- Bowyer/Fletcher
- This is not usually a job one is apprenticed into. Retired Archers will commonly fill this slot unless they are needed heavily and the Valintar must force placement of Avora. Bowers and fletchers do the bulk of the repair and crafting for all archers within the city of any competency level or caste placement. They are also one of the more forgiving (depending on the individual) because they know many of those that come to them are Yasi first learning the nuances of archery. Broken strings or arrows from that caste are far from unheard of. Their wares are also readily available in the Market on Market Days.
- Healer/Doctor
- The difference being whether one has a gnosis or not. Doctors will use only mundane means while Healers will use a mix of Healing and traditional medicine. Both positions require good or at least reasonable people skills in order to handle the variety of patients that come through the infirmary. They must also have a good understanding of injuries of all degrees and how best to treat them. Triage should be referred to healers when applicable as often these patients will die without rapid treatment. Doctors will see the bulk of moderate injuries (minor broken bones, mild burns, various degrees of abrasions, less than common ailments or diseases that Chiet Nurses cannot otherwise handle). Severe or life threatening injuries should always be deferred to a healer.
- Apprentice doctors/healers are required to assist both class and occasionally Chiet to learn the basics of medicine and healing as well as study a minimum of 12 hours in a 10-day period. They must serve 4 hours in the hydroponic gardens to learn about the various herbs that are cultivated in Wind Reach.
- Jeweler
- A less common job of Wind Reach, jewelers will often work in tandem with the glassworking artisans to create beautiful jewelry for citizens. They should be familiar with the various precious stones of the region, how to and the types of cut per stone. They need to be familiar with temperatures and how to use the kilns and must have excellent eyesight and a steady hand. These craftsmen are sometimes retired glassworkers. NPC note
- Hydroponics
- Considered more essential than some artisan works (and often one of the haughtiest members of the Avora caste), these citizens specialize in the care of the hydroculture that goes on within the mountain and often oversee the care of the underground forest as well. Hydroponics specialists work to maintain the bioluminescent lichen that grows in the walls that provide light for all of the produce that is grown in these gardens. Non-apprentice artisans are responsible for training new apprentices, overseeing Chiet in the garden, the addition of new plants and the adaptation of old. They work closely with the few farmers who work outside of the volcano as well, knowing quite well that if they do not work together to maximize the produce, the city could starve in winter. Unlike some jobs of the caste, this requires work throughout the year, each artisan specializing in certain types of produce (leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, tubers, herbs, etc.) to ensure a balance is kept. Hydroponics Avora are often marked by Bala with a Cultivation gnosis due to the unique method of agriculture Inartans use.
- Apprentice Hydroponics help maintain water ways for the various plots, do most of the harvesting (alongside Chiet), and are required to spend at least 8 hours in the Enclave studying plants. Often, apprentices are chosen because they simply do not fit in anywhere else but have enough skill to not demote them to Dek. Their skill is too high to place them as Chiet. Hydroponics consider themselves the Cleansers of Wind Reach because they can sometimes see the budding fruit of prosperity in a Yasi who may otherwise seem useless.
- Tanner
- One of the lesser jobs of the Avora, they work in tandem with Hunters of both castes to produce usable hide from their kills. Tanning is the process of preparing hides for use as leather or rawhide. It is separate from leatherworking as tanners do not typically MAKE the hides into something such as a coat or boots. They only prepare them for the leatherworkers. This caste will commonly accompany a hunter during a hunt to prepare a hide should a kill require immediate cleaning (cleaning done by a Chiet, usually). They use natural supplies such as woodash, water, and animal brains to produce the slurry which helps preserve the hides once they have been stretched and scraped.
- Apprentices are responsible for the majority of the scraping while non-apprentice see to the rest. Apprentices should work at least 4 hours in a ten-day in the cleaning quadrant where kills are brought and prepared.
- Chefs and Soux Chefs
- One of the smaller positions, but equally important. These two roles only differ in that one feeds Avora and Endal while the other feeds the Chiet and Yasi. Dek meals are provided for by Chiet cooks. Chefs develop, test, and serve the Endal of Wind Reach, fulfilling their appetites to the best of his ability as well as oversee the use of the kitchens alongside Chef Davoid. Individuals must have a high master skill level to be considered Chef and must undergo a difficult test with Davoid before they are promoted.
- Soux Chefs oversee the service of Avora, including the development of recipes for them. When told to, they will also work alongside Chefs should they be needed. Both Chef-types and apprentices are required to spend some time in the hydroponic gardens, the underground forest, and the outer-city farms. This aids them in understanding where the food comes from and how better to utilize it in recipes.
- Archers
- Different from hunters, this caste sees to the training of Yasi (when Endal do not step in) and rarely Chiet. While they are not required to hunt, Archers do volunteer occasionally. Mostly, they are teaching their skills to the other castes. Bowers fall into this category. Archers will frequently take on promising youth for a short period until the Yasi turns 15, at which point they will recommend them for apprenticeship with a hunter if the individual does not show enough leadership or teaching ability. This class is required to frequent the ranges and assist Yasi there whenever they have time.
- Weaponsmiths
- Similar to a blacksmith, Weaponsmiths work solely with weapons, crafting metal in the fires into the well-known talon swords of Wind Reach (among other weapons). High competent to expert level Avora work tirelessly to maintain the gear of Endal and Avora as well as the crafting of new weapons requested by citizens or visitors. Master level craftsmen are required to spend some time each season in the Yasi quarter, teaching the youth about the weaponry and armor they make. Apprentices are responsible for minor repairs and are allowed use of the fires under supervision for their own projects that will release them from apprenticeship (2 year rotation typically).
- Blacksmiths
- Blacksmiths work with all other non-weapon based product of Wind Reach; they repair and create synonymously the needs of the citizenry as well as work with the Yasi. There are usually two Avora blacksmiths who teach in the Yasi quarter. They keep an eye out for prospects and report back what they find to master and expert level Avora. These individuals are highly respected. While weapons are important, without basic blacksmithing, many of the day-to-day necessities might not be met. Hammers, chisels, hooks, climbing spikes, and more are all essentials for life in the volcano.
- Glassworkers
- Avora glassworkers are the go-to for advanced glass working. They also take on promising apprentices to train from the Yasi caste. These glassworkers do all of the primary replacement (not repairs) of damaged glass within the city proper, produce unique product for citizens and non-citizens, are permitted use of more rare materials for glassworking and see to the training of all glassworkers in Wind Reach. To be considered for teaching, however, individuals must have a high competency or expert level. Only experts are allowed to take on apprentices.
- Apprentice glassworkers are allowed to work hand in hand with their Avora teacher, but are not allowed the use of rare materials unless explicit permission is provided. Apprentices must train for a minimum of 2 years (depending on the teacher) before they are released from training. Apprentices are responsible for repairing damaged glasswork in the city and must provide examples of their practices each ten-day following apprenticeship. They are allowed to practice solo once they have completed a season of cooperative work with their teacher. Their practice pieces are eligible for sale on Market Days.
- Masons
- Stone masons are considered the top of the chain in the Avora class because of the greater necessity of their station. Without them, the volcano could very well collapse around them. Stone masons are divided into three classes: Reimancer, Mason, and Apprentice. Apprentices can fill both positions, but must be initiated to work as a reimancer in this field.
- Reimancers are responsible for significant alterations within the city as well as major repairs. These res-users work more closely as a team than some of the other Avora. They are known for being as immovable as the earth they move, often earning themselves nicknames such as Eagle Totem or Caste Iron. They are, however, slightly smaller in size to their mason counterparts, if only because of the lesser amount of physical work they put into what they do. Reimancers also help with delicate sculpting where hammer and chisel would otherwise detract from earthly beauty. This class is allowed use of rarer materials
- Masons are solely responsible for moderate and lesser construction within the city, including the improvement of paths, stone-ladder construction, training of all incoming apprentices, and other things reimancers and apprentices otherwise do not do. Masons also manage the uses of their kilns, making sure the apprentices do not ruin them in some form or another. This class is allowed use of rarer materials.
- Apprentices work solely with the Masons unless they have been initiated by a reimancer. They are responsible for bringing material for the masters and their teachers as well as practicing in the kilns to improve their skills. Apprentices are able to sale their practice ware on market days, and accompany masons on lesser repairs that Reimancers otherwise do not do.
- Hunters
- Avora hunters work hand in hand with apprentices that show more promise than small game but have not been bonded by an Eagle. Master level hunters should have at least one apprentice at any given time. Non-apprentice hunters are eligible to hunt with Endal, but are not required to. Master and Expert level hunters are expected to bring in the most meat (medium to large game) while Competent hunters are responsible for trapping medium game, though are not limited to this. All levels must have a medium level of skill with the bow as well as some skill with a secondary hunting tool (knife, spear, sling, etc.). They are expected to take frequent excursions that can last up to 3 days into the Kalean wilderness around Wind Reach to make sure their skills remain sharp.
- Apprentice hunters must remain with their Avora teachers most of the time and should accompany their teachers on at least one of their excursions. This level must perform successful solo-hunts at least two times in a season (excluding winter) in order to maintain apprenticeship. They should be studying tracking and trapping techniques regularly and using them when training with their teacher. For safety reasons, apprentices will primarily hunt small game. They should be familiar with the process of cleaning a kill, but do not need to do this (see Chiet).
- Falconers
- Separate from Hunters, this class of Avora specializes in the use of birds of prey for hunting. Only master-level Falconers can take on an apprentice, though should be perusing the Yasi regularly for new blood. A good falconer makes for a better prospect for Endal. Falconers hunt primarily small and rarely medium game. They have special aeries they can keep their birds in if the birds do not live exclusively with them, separate from those of the commoners and visitors. Falconers must work regularly with apprentices, teaching them the nuances of birdkeeping, falconry, and tracking. Falconers, too, must go on excursions throughout the year, working with their birds in the wilds. Non-Apprentice are responsible for the procurement of new birds for upcoming apprentices and helping familiarize the new birds with humans (and other).
- Apprentices work hand in hand with non-apprentice falconers, though will only work with low-level birds solo, and never wild birds unless explicit permission is given. These new falconers are required to exercise all falconers birds (when non-apprentice cannot themselves) as well as begin training one of their choice from the falconer aeries (under non-apprentice supervision) until which time they can purchase the bird to work with indefinitely.
- Tailor/Seamstress
- One of the more necessary crafts in Wind Reach, though not always the most popular, Tailors and Seamstresses see to the clothing of all of Wind Reaches residents. They are responsible for ensuring all of her two thousand citizens have fresh clothes at the start of each season. They work in tandem with the few traders Wind Reach receives as well as the Flights from Wings and Things to obtain material that simply cannot be obtained within or near the city. They are intimately familiar with the sizes of all of the cities workers and keep a well-maintained ledger of what each person needs. Math and an excellent memory are important skills for these craftsmen. Tailors will typically take on 1 apprentice every 3 seasons.
- Cobbler
- like Tailors and Seamstresses, Cobblers are one of the higher necessities within the city but one of the less popular. Cobblers ensure that all citizens have working boots or sandals for their jobs and provide at a reasonable cost recreation shoes, depending on the task they wish to do! Cobblers will only take on 1 apprentice every 5 years.
- Herbalist/Poisoncrafter
- Herbalists and Poisoncrafters work in tandem with the Healers, providing a small service for the greater work that the medical practitioners utilize. These individuals will collect toxins from the surrounding area (both plant and animal matter) and work with it to both find cures for the toxins and use them as an aid to those the healers may not be able to cure. This job will only allow one apprentice per ten year due to the difficulty. Apprentices are usually culled from the Nurse Chiets that work in the Infirmary or Aviary.
- Leather Workers
- Usually having come from the Tanner group, Leather workers use their skill to craft the various leather gear that is used throughout Wind Reach, including aprons, harnesses for the Wind Eagles, material for the cobblers to make shoes, and much more. While they do not have their own work area, Leather workers use a small niche in the forges to do their craft. They will take on 2 apprentices a year.
- Apprentice Leatherworkers will start a project for their mentors as well as fetch supplies, They will be allowed to use scraps of material to make test pieces to gauge their skills from, but little more.
- Cartographer
- Cartographers work with the Endal to map areas that they travel in and they also copy old maps. Cartographers join hunting parties and trade flights in an attempt to map useful and dangerous areas in Kalea. They map hunting grounds and places with dangerous predators to help hunting parties choose suitable hunting locations. Sometimes they navigate the mountains themselves in order to create more accurate maps and so mountaineering is as valuable a skill as cartography. Those that work in the Enclave copying old maps will willingly teach an interested the Yasi cartography and may later take them under the wing as their replacement. There are only a few Avora working as cartographers at any given time and a new cartographer will be trained to replaced a lost one when the need arises.