Creators and Students of Rune/Alchemy - the Loremaster

INTRODUCTION and OVERVIEW OF THE LOREMASTER PROFESSION

Those who choose to become a Loremaster tend to be the creators, the makers and the practical folk. The profession learns the skills of forging armour and weapons, of creating magical items, of fashioning runes of power, and of mixing up elixirs of enchantment. Alchemists are not combat orientated, though many are brave. They have no particular alignment, no group morality or ideals. An Alchemist is an individual craftsman trained in specific arts of creation. They provide services for the other guilds, earn gold and fortify their friends from harm. The wise know that the friendship of an Alchemist can prove the difference between life and death, for the creations of an Alchemist can enormously enhance strength and harm ones enemies.

The Loremaster profession is uniquely structured insofar as it is not only split into the traditional multiple guilds (situated in the major cities often with chapterhouses in other cities or towns outside their homeland) but it is united - often contentiously - by the illustrious Council of Lore: a body whose membership is drawn from all guilds of the Loremaster profession, to pass laws influencing the lives of all those practising the alchemical arts and often dictating policy towards non-professionals (e..g. the supply of elixirs and runes those outside of the profession). See HELP LORECOUNCIL for detailed info.

The profesion is also unusually in that despite it having four (and sometimes more) guilds of often VERY contradictory moral outlook and personality, it invariably selects - through the Council of Lore - a single individual Head of the Lorecouncil. This great and respected paradigm is termed "the Supreme Loremaster" and occupies the pinnacle of one of the land's most popular professions; responsibilities, potential influence and a powerbase with few equals across the diverse ranks, privileges and attainments available to an ambitious Avalon player.

DETAILS OF THE VARIOUS INDIVIDUAL GUILDS WITHIN THIS PROFESSION

The profession was founded in the early 9th century and, aside from the Mages and Knights, there are none of older origin in modern Avalon.

The Guild of Alchemists is the oldest guild associated with this illustrious profession. They are based in the city of Mercinae and were originally brought into being by the god of time. Their guildhouses are found on the Royal Walk and along the Alchemists Walk in the centre of the city. The modern era of the Alchemists Guild was founded by Aredhel, first-lady of Mercinae and Elof of Old. Together they led the guild through a period of thriving prosperity. Though firmly allied to the city of Mercinae, the Alchemists pride themselves on individualism and freedom of choice within the guild. No member is bound to follow the path of their guildmaster. Should you consider the Alchemists Guild as an option for your character, you should know that their emphasis is upon creation rather than destruction - that they are not creatures of battle, but rather at home among the forge and the workshop.

The Guild of Loremasters was founded under the patronage of the goddess of wisdom late in the seventh century. Their home has always been in the city of Thakria. Their founding guildmaster was Raghallach the Golden, ably aided by Davros Bloodaxe. Davros, it was who, in the time of his long-gone leadership, led the Loremasters into prosperity and under his guidance, the guild has become strong and surpassed its sister Guild in Mercinae as the foremost source of magical items, potions and runes. Loremasters tend to be members of the Thakrian society and their guildmaster has traditionally found themselves a place on the council of leadership which governs the city.

For the first few centuries the years the Loremasters and the Alchemists Guild encouraged a loose but steady friendship, despite the often volatile (and sometimes violent) relations between their home Mercinae and Thakria. Such an alliance proved fruitful and it was members of the profession whose voices of reasons tended to be the first to encourage treaty and peace terms after war had run its course. The close friendship of the Alchemists and the Loremasters did not survival the eventual expansion of the profession, the muddying of the waters with more guilds and more complex politics; and from the 11th or 12th century aDW there was little remaining of the former closeness.

The Artisans is based in Parrius, and was begun by Procyon, Bringer of Light. They develop the same skills as the Loremasters and the Alchemists with an outlook closer to the kindly benevolence of the Alchemists than the increasingly power-political aggression of the Loremasters. The stalls of Chapman's Square in north central Parrius are usually filled with the wares produced by the Artisans though the most well-stocked shops are clustered closer to the guildhouse by Consort Way (just north of Hellespont Square). The Artisans have built a reputation for an extremely broad spectrum of membership - as is consistent with Parrius' libertarian individualism. It is a source of much of the guild's strength and, as one might expect, many of its most affecting conflicts.

Fourth of the Loremaster professional guilds is the Craftmasters. It was one of the unfortunate guilds whose property and members have endured siege, plunder and razing. Based these days in Silverfalls, notionally, the guild was founded in Springdale (when it was Andromeda's city of dreams). The original guildhouse was destroyed, however, in the sack of Springdale and its subsequent annihilation by Thakrian forces in the 13th century aDW and the survival members were scattered - forced to endure some decades of homeless wanderings before the town of Knightswood offered a roof and support. Silverfalls' resurgence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries drew the Craftmasters Guild back into Silverfalls. The reconstruction of the Guildhouse to the levels of its past highpoints remains a goal shared by most of its current members.

See: HELP ALCHEMISTS, HELP LOREMASTERS, HELP ARTISANS and HELP CRAFTMASTERS for the info helpfiles of each specific guild, written by the members themselves. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the content: many are personal and some are penned by senior members from eras gone by. The responsibility for keeping a guild's personal help and info up-to-date lies with the guild itself; let your own judgment guide you (with this in mind) as you peruse the HELP content mentioned above.