Circles (CCW)

To gain Skills & Competencies outside of the Circles system, see Training.

Most inhabitants of the world do not come by their trade and skills by accident or in isolation. A multitude of institutions and communities exist to properly train and regulate the members of a field or profession. The most prominent of these, of course, are Guilds and Universities, but many more exist. Broadly, they are called Circles.

Below are descriptions and skill point costs for placing your character in a Circle. In addition to providing you with a bundle of relevant >>Skills & Competencies, membership in a Circle opens up important >>Networks, and improves your overall >>Standing. Higher valued, more costly Circles come with more benefits, but may also come with restrictions and obligations.

At standard ages and in standard circumstances, you are limited to two Circles, but you can always use extra points to purchase more training or improve the skills you have. Note that though Circles come with Skills and Competencies, prerequisite (required) skills must be purchased separately unless otherwise stated.

In certain fields, and depending on your character’s background, Elite Circles may be available as well. Elite Circles may yield higher >>Skill Levels, but mostly provide a large boost to Networks and Standing. Contact the game maker to negotiate into one. Also note that certain circles will be restricted to specific backgrounds and locations; especially Arcanist Circles and any of the Elite Circles. You may need to adapt the rest of your Character Chart to fit the Circle you want to join.

Ranks
For most Circles, you will notice that there are three Ranks to choose from: Rank I (Master Rank), Rank II (Adept Rank), and Rank III (Apprentice Rank). Higher ranks will cost more, but will give you much higher benefits and Skill Level.

Note that for specific professions and backgrounds, Elite Ranks may be available. These ranks come with the very best benefits and the highest Skill Levels, but also come with an unpredictable set of restrictions, obligations, and story complications. Contact the game maker to negotiate an Elite Rank for your character.

Class I: Guild/University
The Guild Class includes the most selective of Circles, devoted to professional development in highly skilled and demanding trades. These Circles are strong, prestigious networks that provide exclusive training and benefits in exchange for lifelong loyalty. Their demands usually involve adherence to certain values and codes of conduct surrounding professional practice and the treatment of other members.

Arcanists
See the main article Arcanists & Occultists for definitions, restrictions, and a better understanding.

Magic is intertwined with both higher education and religion in the human world. To be an ordained practitioner of magic is to be an individual of the highest standing and intelligence. But prestige is a double edged sword; magic is a highly regulated field and Institutions of the Arcane demand much of their members.

Mages are practitioners of Magecraft; a practical, systematic magic that can be learned by anyone. All legitimate Mages must learn their craft at one of the great Universities and go on to apply their skills in a variety of fields. Mage-Sorcerers are mages that are aided by additional innate abilities. They are also trained at Universities, though they follow the Agular track.

''*These are the formal terms. Apprentice, Adept, and Master are used more colloquially.''

Sorcerer-Enchanters have innate sorcerous abilities, but they learn to use them in the tradition of the old Dalgun gods. They are trained in Temples, which differ greatly from each other depending on the culture and pantheon. Temples with the means and personnel to train new Sorcerers are relatively rare and are geographically limited. Consult the game maker. Theurgists, specifically Enekhite Necromancers, Arcurian Thaumaturges, and members of the secular theurgical societies, study and exploit the remnants of divine magic--especially ancient artifacts and symbols. They are trained in Societies, Academies, Temples, and Vestries.

Craftsmen
Workers in the applied arts and crafts, are highly prized for their contribution to human civilization and trade. They are renowned for their pursuit of perfection and consistency.

Smiths, Masons, and Carpenters work with metal, stone, and wood. Wrights fashion these materials together into ships, buildings, carts, barrels, and other objects or structures. Artisans, including glassworkers and clothiers, do skilled work with other materials, usually on a smaller scale. All these craftsmen are organized into Guilds, which dominate their professions in most countries. While historically, most Guilds have been local, recent consolidations mean that some now have national or even international reaches.

Maestros
The Maestros, and those training to reach that status, are practitioners of the institutionalized fine arts at the center of human culture and politics. They are idolized for their pursuit of beauty and transcendence.

Painters, Sculptors, and Architects are trained in Conservatories, Guilds, and Academies. Musicians and Composers are trained in Conservatories. Cartographers are trained in Guilds and Academies Poets and Calligraphers are trained in Academies. Toutiers are acrobats and dancers that feature at the center of Sunyan Carnival. They are trained and organized in Academies. Fabulists and Opretists are storytellers and actors in the highly stylized Mathsrian Traditional Theater. They are trained and organized in Guilds.

Criminals
Organized crime is a lucrative and pervasive feature of the human world, though its ranks include a large number of non-humans as well.

Assassins, at least those of the official Assassin Guilds, are feared and respected throughout the world. Some are highly secretive, some operate almost in the open. These circles come with high levels of restriction. Forgers craft items of deceptive value, banned items, and Guild Master imitations. When they organize, they operate much like legitimate Craft Guilds. Note that when it comes to Art Forgery, only Painting, Sculpting, and Cartography are supported by Guilds. Smugglers and Thieves run in similar circles. Their Guilds tend to work in cooperation with each other and have fewer governing rules. Selling out a fellow thief or smuggler, however, is dealt with lethally. Corsairs and Gangsters hold to tight, lifelong crews, unforgiving to those that betray them.

Class II: Company
Company Class Circles are midway between the highly formal Guilds and the more informal Associations. They involve high investment in either training or community, but not necessarily both. Companies don’t carry any inherent prestige, excluding certain Elite Companies, and when membership is active, they come with a high level of obligation.

Soldiers
Those who fight under a banner do so for many reasons and in many circumstances. And in most cases, going to war means leaving another life behind, one that may not have to do with soldiering at all.

Knights fight for their order, Mercenaries for coin. Rebels and Nationalists fight for an ideal. All fight under the banner of a military company. Vigilants, Knights that guard Dalgun Temples, may purchase Theurgy for 1pt.

Courtiers
The world of nobility, wealth, and celebrity is populated by an array of roles and personalities. More than any other kinds of Circles, a place in a court of influence may require specific backgrounds beyond just skill points.

Socialites are full time party-goers and companions to the courts of the great and powerful. They may be quite notable themselves, or are at least of high social standing or pedigree. Depending on your background, being a socialite may not count towards your two Circle limit. Consult with the gamemaker to negotiate. Secretaries aid the apparatuses of power through counsel and clerical work. They must have an appropriate social standing and extraction for the court and culture in which they serve. Military Secretaries must usually also come from a Military Circle, but not always. Being part of Academic or Arcanist Circles can help, but not always. Stewards are the servants and caretakers of noble courts and other great households. Unlike the other courtiers, they are more likely to be of common birth. Includes Orderlies, who perform the same functions in religious and academic settings. Orderlies may use different titles than those listed here (Postulant, Votary, Principal) and may include Theology C at all levels.

Academicians
Learned folk used to comprise a tiny fraction of the human population, but as the world advances and wealth increases, more families choose to send their children to study in the esteemed Academies.

Physicians, Lawyers, and Scholars train, teach, and network within Academies and Lay Universities. Scholars may specialize as Philosophers, Naturalists, Astronomers, Antiquarians, or Lay Theologians. Some Theurgists are trained in Academies, though they are generally Arcanists or Occultists as well. Clerics, including Priests and Sages, serve within major religious institutions. They live and learn within Temples, Churches, Priories, and Sanctuaries. For Orderlies, who maintain religious facilities, see the Steward section. Clerics serving Dalgun Temples may purchase Theurgy C for 1pt.

Entertainers
Folk traditions and other “low” forms of live entertainment have always been a part of life in the human world. But the rise of a larger middle class with a more disposable income has meant a boom in music clubs, playhouses, and more unsavory forms of recreation.

Troupers and Players train and work in groups while Dancers and Courtesans sometimes work alone or in pairs. They might be part to a troupe, a company, a hall, or a house. Troubadours generally work alone but belong to a hall, house, or subjacent guild (suguild).

Class III: Association
Associations are loose professional networks that provide training and mutual goodwill without much obligation or commitment. There is a wide range of Circles in this class, with varying levels of prestige and selectivity. In general, however, Associations tend to score low on both fronts.

Wilderists
The “natural arts” include some of the oldest traditions in human civilization. Those who practice them are respected for their hardiness and their valuable connection to the still vast wilds.

Rangers are experts at navigating, surviving, and caring for flora and fauna, usually in specific environments. Herbalists can identify and apply plants for medicinal and other uses. Handlers keep and train specialized animals like falcons or lureys, while Warranted Hunters (sometimes called Prize Hunters) track, trap, and kill the most dangerous and/or elusive prey. Wilderist are generally trained and warranted through Warrant Bureaus, Warrant Lodges, or Subjacent Guilds (Suguilds).

Occultists
See the main article Arcanists & Occultists for definitions, restrictions, and a better understanding.

Occultists practice magic, spiritualism, and mysticism outside the established Dalgun and Cosmacan religious institutions. Outside of some smaller, very old cultures, they are generally looked on with suspicion if not outright hostility.

Witches and Warlocks of the Great Covens and Petty Covens associate to varying degrees. Most Covens are casual communities with token rituals and titles, focusing mostly on live-in, one-on-one apprenticeships. The most powerful Great Covens, however, train and operate much like Arcanist Circles, with a mob-like demand for loyalty until death. Daihus are witch-doctor-adjacent practitioners of traditional medicine and household magic, originating in Sunya and Inner Mozra. They are educated through schools and temples and maintain relatively strong networks thereafter. Shamans of the Old Bauyun and Old Makalan traditions derive wisdom and power from traveling to the spiritual planes. They are not organized in any formal institution but are generally connected to other Shamans in their region through organic networks. The strongest bonds are between the Shaman and their chosen Successor in the clan, who acts as both their apprentice and eventually their assistant. Diviners, including fortune-tellers and clairvoyants, use various methods to seek wisdom and knowledge of the future. They are found across cultures in varying forms, but usually group in Schools and Temples when they do.

Capitalists
Human society has always followed the money—in fact, humanity invented money in the first place. The power of money has only increased through the years, and more recently it has exploded. Being in the right Circle is often essential to success as a Capitalist.

Bankers, Industrialists, Merchants, and Hoteliers (including managers and owners of any high-end establishment) often learn and network within well established Associations, some of which are quite prestigious.

Modernists
In the past fifty years, leaps in technology and economic growth have led to the creation of new professions and the elevation of old ones.

Artificers work with machines and include mechanics and inventors. Apothecaries sell and advise around both traditional and modern medicines. Both have their own robust professional Associations, some of which are vying for guild status. Analysts collect and interpret data using modern methods. Actuaries manage and communicate complex financial accounts. Both are organized much like the Capitalists in Associations. Chefs are gaining recognition as maestros of the highest level. Outside of the bounds of traditional conservatories and guilds, Designers work with new concepts in the applied arts—decorative, fashion, etc., while Modern Artists create surprising fine art. Most find legitimacy, training, and community by registering with Schools and Academies. Informants, almost always euphemistically referred to as Advisors, are agents of various organisations (including the circles listed on this page) hired to collect information openly or discretely and relay it through dossiers and Private Journals. Public Journalists write and report for the burgeoning free press and airwaves. They are accredited through Advising Agencies and Associations. Essayists, Novelists, Photographers, Printers, and Broadcasters, who are often also Revolutionaries or Counter-Revolutionaries, congregate and correspond within relatively informal schools and clubs. These are generally organized by ideology rather than profession. Labourers working in mines, factories, and plantations may join Unions to take collective political action.