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.
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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 Valintars 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.
Jobs in the Caste
- Bowyer/Fletcher
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- Healer
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- Jeweler
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- Birdkeeper
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- Hydroponics
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- Tanner
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- Leather Workers
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- Chefs and Soux Chefs
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- Archers
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- Weapon and Armor smiths
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- Blacksmiths
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- Glassworkers
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- Masons
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- 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
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- Cobbler
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- Herbalist/Poisoncrafter
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