The Callings
A calling is more than a trade. It is what you will be when the giants come down the road and everyone else runs.
There are fourteen callings, seven for the faithful and seven for the fallen. They come in pairs: for every defender of the city of cedar there is a defender of the gilded city, equal in battle and opposite in heart. You choose your calling when you are born into the world, and with it you choose your road.
faithful · Defender
Sentry
The wall of the faithful. Defender in plate.
fallen · Defender
Berserker
The red axe of the gilded city. Defender in plate.
faithful · Defender
Shepherd
The keeper of the flock. Defender in leather.
fallen · Defender
Predator
The wolf in the traveler's cloak. Defender in leather.
faithful · Healer
Intercessor
The raised hands of the faithful. Healer in chain.
fallen · Healer
Shaman
The keeper of the covenant with death. Healer in chain.
faithful · Healer
Cleric
The armored keeper of the altar. Healer in plate.
fallen · Healer
Warder
The iron keeper of the shrine. Healer in plate.
faithful · Wielder of signs
Prophet
The one through whom the signs are worked. Wielder of signs in cloth.
fallen · Wielder of signs
Sorcerer
The keeper of the forbidden arts. Wielder of signs in cloth.
The two sources of power
The faithful ask. Their gifts come through prayer, blessing, song and the signs that are worked through a prophet's hands. They command nothing. They ask, and they are answered, and their strength is never their own to keep. Nor is it ever bought with a debt.
The fallen bind. Their arts were taught by fallen stars and are paid for in pacts with spirits that men call gods. Every working leaves a mark: veins darken along the arms and neck, faint chain scars ring the wrists, a small sign is burned into the back of one hand, and every mark flares when the power is called. Their power is real, and it is fearsome, and it is never free.
The five roles
| Role | What it does in a company | Callings |
|---|---|---|
| Defender | Takes the blows meant for others and holds the enemy's eye | Sentry and Berserker in plate; Shepherd and Predator in leather |
| Healer | Keeps the company standing, by blessing and ward or by bargain and charm | Intercessor and Shaman in chain; Cleric and Warder in plate |
| Wielder of signs | Breaks the enemy from a distance with power no blade can match | Prophet and Sorcerer |
| Voice of the company | Restores strength, quickens hands, and bends the battle with words and song | Psalmist and Beguiler |
| Hunter of the wild | Strikes from the mist with bow and blade, with beasts or snares beside them | Ranger and Trapper |
All fourteen at a glance
| Calling | Road | Role | Armor | Weapons | Main attribute | Beside you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentry | Faithful | Defender | Plate | Sword and shield | Strength | None |
| Berserker | Fallen | Defender | Plate | Great axe | Strength | None |
| Shepherd | Faithful | Defender | Leather | Shepherd's staff and sling | Strength | None |
| Predator | Fallen | Defender | Leather | Paired claws | Strength | None |
| Intercessor | Faithful | Healer | Chain | Rod and shield | Wisdom | None |
| Shaman | Fallen | Healer | Chain | Spear and shield | Wisdom | None |
| Cleric | Faithful | Healer | Plate | Hammer and shield | Wisdom | None |
| Warder | Fallen | Healer | Plate | Mace and shield | Wisdom | None |
| Prophet | Faithful | Wielder of signs | Cloth | Staff | Intelligence | None |
| Sorcerer | Fallen | Wielder of signs | Cloth | Rod and idol | Intelligence | None |
| Psalmist | Faithful | Voice | Leather | Harp | Intelligence | A songbird |
| Beguiler | Fallen | Voice | Leather | Dagger and idol | Intelligence | A charmed enemy |
| Ranger | Faithful | Hunter | Chain | Bow | Agility | A cardinal, then a brown bear; wild beasts who come when asked |
| Trapper | Fallen | Hunter | Chain | Paired daggers and bow | Agility | A crow, then a black bear; hidden traps |
How to choose
- If you want to be the one everyone hides behind, be a Sentry, who holds the enemy's anger better than anyone, or a Berserker, who hits harder than any other defender.
- If you would rather dance than stand, be a Shepherd or a Predator. Leather, speed, and blows that never quite land.
- If you want the company's lives in your hands, heal. Choose chain for speed and reach, plate to stand in the front line yourself.
- If you want to end fights, wield signs. The Prophet's fire falls in great single blows; the Sorcerer's plagues rot whole packs at once.
- If you love to make everyone around you better, be the voice. No company that has known a Psalmist or a Beguiler wants to fight without one again.
- If you want the wild at your side, hunt. The Ranger brings friends; the Trapper brings snares.
Changing your road
No soul is fixed forever. A long and costly road of betrayal leads from the city of cedar to the gilded city, and a harder road of redemption leads back. Walk either to its end and your calling turns to its mirror: a Sentry becomes a Berserker, a Shaman becomes an Intercessor, and so through every pair. Your lineage never changes. Your story does.