Druids of Atinaw

[Nyx]

Introduction

The Druids are a very special class within Atinaw that are deeply respected. The Druids represent not only the Faith of the Old Ones, but help to facilitate a lot of the basic structures within Atinaw. They are the lore keepers, the scribes, the bards, the scholars, the lawmakers, and most importantly they stand for the wills of the Old Ones in daily life. They are the religious caste and considered to be the one protection against the absolute power of the King or Queen. It is entirely within the power of the Druids to get a King or Queen removed if they are seen as unfit to rule.

The Druids are the men and women often considered to be "those above kings" and while they don't act out often when they do it's a terrifying sight to behold.

To become a Druid one is expected to be a citizen, which means belonging to a Kinship. For a Kinship, one of their members joining the Druids is an extremely honorable thing that's bound to earn large amounts of respect.

[Nyx]

About the Faith

Faith of the Old Ones

The Faith of the Old Ones was originally started by Vilathalk the Great, the first King of Atinaw. His rule allowed for the Faith to properly take root, its ideals matching many of the ones Vilathalk strove to instill in the population throughout his reign. While it was Vilathalk's reign that gave way for the seemingly strange religion, it's only grown stronger and more important to the people of Atinaw throughout the years.

Perhaps the key draw of the faith is what it places emphasis on. To those who follow the Old Ones, there is a strong focus on the mortal spirit. Mortals are only mortal in the body after all. The soul, the soul is immortal in ways the body can't be. It's strong beyond mortal understanding and while trapped in a mortal shell only part of that strength can show. It languishes long enough that by the time the mortal shell finally cracks, the soul is only as strong as the mortal was in life. It's the belief of the Faith that there's a way in which to cultivate the soul that will allow it to ascend upon death. The key to life in Atinaw is living in a way that will culture your soul as such so that upon your death the Old Ones can bring you into their realm. An eternal paradise for the faithful.

What the Old Ones actually are is a question without a difinitive answer. Some will tell you that the Old Ones were once mortals themselves who managed to achieve what they preach. Most say that they are the ancestors of Atinaw. Either way, it's said that upon the death of a ruler they will always become an Old One. Some are already Old Ones, brought into mortal shells so as to help the people of Atinaw sooner reach the goal of becoming similar creature to the Old Ones. Others are just extraordinary people who earned it. Either way, all Kings and Queens become a part of the pantheon if they served faithfully. Some are remembered more than others.

Worship in Atinaw

The Faith is the most common religion in Atinaw, with a secondary being religion-focused entirely on the Dragon Gods. In and of itself The Faith does not find this wrong, describing the Old Ones as Dragon Gods. But within the realms of The Faith, the Dragon Gods aren't as strong or as important as the main Pantheon for the simple fact they never lowered themselves to mortality. It's believed as part of the faith that by becoming mortal the Old Ones learned or earned something that made them even strong. Those who follow the Dragon Gods are seen as following a weaker set of gods, but won't really get looked down upon as much as any other religions. Most other religions will not find footholds within Atinaw.

Typical worship is led by the rank of the Druids which focuses on religion. Various rites and ceremonies are held throughout the year to honor the Old Ones. Shrines aren't popular but they do exist. Offerings, however, are a non-existent philosophy as for one the Old Ones don't need it and for two it's believed to be an insult to give charity to someone who doesn't need it. Gifts are one thing as thanks for something good that happened, but offerings are either considered condescending or pandering and pathetic if one is practically begging for a certain chain event to happen or not happen. Those that do give offerings are often seen as weak. Again though, gifts are something entirely different.

Known Pantheon

Vilathalk
The first person to ever 'become an Old One' within the faith. He's often considered the be the Shepard of Atinaw. On top of that, he's considered to be King of the Old Ones, ruling alongside his wife and Queen Rimthiala. He's associated with leadership and intelligence.

Riella/Rimthiala
Due to people often comparing her to Raella quite demeaningly, the first Old ONe Vilathalk ever spoke of has gone through multiple name changes, each trying to get as far away as possible from the Mother Dragon. Within the religion, she is still referred to as Vilathalk's wife though. She is often associated with fertility in all things that live, however, she is not associated with life as a whole.

Addition of Dragon Gods
Due to the large portion of Rathari that live within Atinaw, a good number of Dragon Gods over time have been incorporated into the Faith. While they are considered to be lesser, their presence helps to appease some who might be more hesitant to become followers and they aren't disruptive so they often aren't minded if they're occasionally looked down upon behind closed doors. The most common two are Aedrin and Naori, however, all Dragon Gods have become present on some level. Vicis is also present, however, he's seen as more important than the other Dragon Gods for the simple reason there are so many red dragons present in Atinaw and that fact that occasionally Vicis helpful hang around for no apparent reason and deeply terrified a good number of the Druid population if they actually realize it's him (thankfully they often don't).


Players are encouraged to create their own Old Ones to follow and worship. These will be incorporated into the greater lore of Atinaw. More members may be added to this group as they become relevant to the story or current events.

[Nyx]

The Callaks

The Callaks are best described as bards, musicians, and entertainers. They travel often, very rarely staying in one play long enough to truly get acquainted with the people. The Callaks are considered to be the highest rank in the Druids in spite of what may seem like a relatively plain description. The job of the Callaks ins by extension the most important job any Druid can preform. The Callaks are the most important line of defense against abhorrent rulers.

It is believed within the culture of Atinaw that a 'marked' King or Queen cannot and should not be able to rule. While things like battle scars are seen as relatively fine due to the nature of Atinaw itself, things along the lines of birthmarks, scars from disease, and all manners of welts or boils are seen as marks of imperfection. In the eyes of the people of Atinaw these are marks left by the Old Ones to show their disdain. They're testaments of imperfection where the King or Queen is supposed to be a flawless representative of the Old Ones. Even so much as a missing tooth can be enough to cast question on a ruler. This is where the Callaks come in. It is believed that satire and comedy when told well and with the right amount of ferocity, it can leave marks upon the body of the person it's being told about.

Callaks are believed to be masters of these two arts. Their job is to personally call question upon rulers who act out of line with not only the Faith but what is currently needed by the Kingdom. Should a ruler be acting unfaithfully to their duties, the Callaks are obligated to call the ruler out in all manners possible. Comedy, song, poetry, art of all shapes and sizes. If they're correct that the Old Ones will leave marks on the ruler's body in accordance and the ruler can quickly be removed. This is why the Callaks are seen as so important. And dangerous.

Should a Callak produce a child, accidentally or not, the child will by default almost always go to their Kinship given the amount of prestige attached to a Callak. Some of the rare instances where this doesn't happen are in the case of them having a child with a Finla or Order leader, and that's a can of worms most might not want to open. That being said, a Callak that has a child is obligated not to interact with it until they are an adult due to the amount of power the Callak possesses. In the very earliest days of Atinaw's culture, it was believed that comedians were not to be trusted with children and that is a sentiment that continues to stand for the Callaks.



Duties
The Callaks are the most wildly respected group within the faith as a whole. Very few dedicated members of the faith are even able to reach the rank of Callak. For some it takes an entire lifetime, for others, they reach the rank quickly due to circumstance. However, they are openly regarded as the most well respected, dangerous, and powerful group within the Druids. This has a lot to do with the unique duties performed by the Callaks.

Callaks are often called the 'defenders of the people'. It's their job to defend against bad kings or queens, be they simply bad rulers or evil tyrants. Essentially they boil down to something of a callout squad. This power comes from the idea that a king or queen with marks upon their flesh that wasn't obtained in an honorable battle have somehow been marked by the Old Ones as being foul leaders. Within the realm of possibility, it is said that sarcasm and satire scathing enough is able to leave welts and marks upon the bodies of those such jokes are told about. It's for this reason that often storytelling and bardic tradition is left in the hands of the Druids. In particular, the Callaks. Only the Callaks are allowed to preform satirical comedy as they are seen almost like judges in this regard.

Many foreign comics and storytellers might find themselves looked at with a good deal of worry or skepticism because of this. They're treated in a similar fashion to an armed warrior. Those who are found to be performing within Atinaw while not being Callaks are often brought before the Callaks as a group. In very rare occasions throughout history this has led to the comic becoming a Callak, however, these stories are rare and for good reason. Often times any found to be reciting satire or sarcasm are seen as attacking another person. Unjust satire against the king or queen is seen as an assault on royalty and as such an executable offense. The only exception is on the grounds that a mark is found on the ruler, in which case the Old Ones have to judge them unworthy and allowed the mark to form. These are the rare occurrence in which a comic can become a Callak. Comics who lash out against anyone below the rank of king or queen shall be tried on a court of law under regular assault charges.

Callaks are expected to travel often because of their duties, keeping an eye on what's happening in Atinaw at any one given time. They are expected to understand the state of Atinaw and her people in order to best just the fitness of any current ruler. They should be able to differentiate between suffering caused by the current king or queen and suffering as a result of a Finla or simple bad circumstances. Living in such a harsh climate, there are certain levels of suffering which are no one's fault and simply can't be avoided. Not when so many wild beasts prowl the wilds and the Empire looms over the shoulder of Atinaw just waiting for it to falter.

In exchange for their services, the Callaks are treated with reverence. A Callak must be cared for, within reason. While traveling should they come across any home they can pick it and request the family who owns it puts them up for the night. Any citizen of Atinaw must comply with the request of the Callak or else be treated as a heretic. Again, the requests must be within reason. A family who can hardly feed themselves daily should not be expected to feed a Callak guest, simply offer shelter. A family with more food than needed to go around must feed their Callak guest. Because a Callak must constantly be traveling unless circumstances forbid it they shouldn't be in any location for more than 3 days and unless circumstances again forbid it they shouldn't be staying with the same family for more than 2 nights in a row.

Callaks found to be abusing these rights can be tried by the damaged family in a court of law.



Training
Because the nature of the Callaks as a whole, there's no formal training required or implemented. Instead, one is selected every couple of years to every couple of months at the discretion of the faith. Because Callaks are picked as necessary from a very large pool, only those who are most fit for the position are picked which means no training is required. In addition, the job of the Callak is similar enough to the job of a Veros that minimal training is necessary.

For safety and simplicity, a newly promoted Callak might follow around one of the older Callaks for a season, but only a season at most. After a Callak has gotten into the swing of things then the rest is fairly simple and they can easily rely on themselves and the kindness of Atinaw's citizens to fully get used to their new position.

When it comes to picking a new Callak the "leaders" of each group get together and agree on the new Callak. No other Callaks are involved in the selection process as they don't have an official leader themselves. This means who gets to become a Callak is left on the shoulders of the other ranks within the Druids. Usually, each leader will come forward with a nomination and the group will discuss until an agreement has been reached. Should it prove impossible to reach an agreement then they shall continue the discussion until that agreement had been reached. They may not return to their normal duties until a new Callak has been named for the simple reason Callaks are only named out of necessity. if the leaders are meeting to pick a new one, then a new one needs to be picked no questions asked. As there is no real tie-breaker this all comes down to debate and only debate, which in the eyes of the people of Atinaw makes it seem the fairest.



Leadership
All Callaks are considered to be by definition equals. They're also considered to be equal with the official leaders of the other Druid classes. Because of this, the Callak possess no official acting leader. While they have been known to act together as a group, this is by own volition. They agree as a group or they differ as a group, individuals above all else. Responsible for themselves and themselves alone.

This is perhaps what makes the Callaks so important. They answer to no one in Atinaw except for the legal system should they be found to be doing something immoral. This means they also don't respond to the orders of the current ruler. This gives the Callaks and the Callaks alone the power to bring into question a lot of aspects of Atinaw that might be dangerous for the average person to question. Their biggest responsibility, of course, being the leader of Atinaw at any given time. This is why it's so important for the other leaders of the other Druid classes to come to an agreement. They don't pick a lesser, they pick an equal who will be able to call into question them as much as they can the current king or queen at the time.

While on paper every Callak is equal, most will defer to the leadership of the oldest Callaks in the group. Not the oldest by age, but the oldest as in who's been a Callak for the longest. This isn't out of an official treaty but simple respect for those who've served for a while. Callaks will oftentimes disagree with one another in how to proceed and that's an important part of the Callaks as a group. Each can act individually and whoever has the best idea for the country as a whole will ultimately come out on top. At least in the eyes of those living in Atinaw.

[Nyx]

The Zuthari

The Zuthari are best described as the leaders of the faith. They are equal but different to the rank of the Melatha and have an important role within Atinaw. The Zuthari are often found working closely with the king and other important leadership figures within Atinaw. As leaders of the faith they have the utmost religious authority, even before other classes of Druid.

The Zuthari, as opposed to some of the other ranks, don't travel much. In fact, they almost don't travel at all. Instead the Zuthari take up what can loosely be described as 'posts'. These posts usually include a single city, however, for areas that are more rural with a lot of smaller towns spread out, there might only be one Zuthari split between them all. In this case, the Zuthari might find themselves traveling often due to trying to handle the various needs of each of these smaller towns. These kinds of jobs are usually left up to the very new Zuthari. It is possible for the post of a Zuthari to change over time as they gain more prestige and some of the older Zuthari begin to retire and leave positions of prominence open in their wake.

The most important part of the existence of the Zuthari is that they're the leaders of general ceremonies and rites which hold importance to the people of Atinaw. They also act as guides, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. Cities who have more than one Zuthari will often have one of the Zuthari acting as spiritual council while the other acts in a manner that's almost similar to a therapist. This is less common in places with fewer Zuthari since the primary goal and focus of the Zuthari is the faith.

The Zuthari are often seen as the link between the people and the Old Ones, being their most trusted servants and mouthpieces.



Duties
As the Zuthari are often seen as the religious leaders of the faith, the duties of important ceremonies often fall upon their shoulders. Any special religious ceremony throughout the year should be completed by the Zuthari or shouldn't be completely at all since it can be seen as an insult to the Old Ones. Things like marriages, celebrations, and the deaths are just a couple of the cememonies the Zuthari are expeted to oversee. On top of that, there are also specialized ceremonies throughout the year. The Zuthari almost never at a loss for work.

When it comes to arguments regarding religious ideaology or morality, the Zuthari are once again the go to. That's why it's so important to have one just about everywhere, and it's one of the reasons for the groups itself being as seemingly larger as it presently is.

While they have a lot more work, the Zuthari get a lot more resepct than the ranks below them even if those ranks are arguably just as important. The death of a Zuthari, regardless of where they were stationed, is always a big deal. Those who hurt or kill a Zuthari are seen an afront to the Old Ones. However, people are encouraged to question the Zuthari. Question them constantly and ferociously. It's believed taht asking the Zuthari questions not only proves their bond to the Old Ones but also strengthes it as they pull upon knoweldge given to them by the Old Ones to answer those question. It subsequently prevents Zuthari from serious abuses of their power, since it leads to outrageous decisions being severely questioend by the people.

Originally the Zuthari was a rank that had by accident belonged only to the the Tori of the region who'd come to Atinaw for one reason or another. Back then they named the rank after themselves, call in the Zuthtori and it was less about religion and more about a foothold of power. Over time this eventually disolved as more Tori switched from whatever their own cultural beliefs were to that of Atinaw's cultural beliefs. As a way of showing this, the name of the rank was changed to Zuthari, using the suffix ari to represent that it was once elves. Or at least, that's how the stories go. It's entirely possible that the early Zuthari simply didn't know what the suffix meant in the tori tounge. There's an equal split between people who actually believe this story and people who think it's just a funny story to tell children.

Zuthari are given a specific number of vacation days each year depending on how long they've been apart of the faith, this specific rank, and how much they're currently needed in their given area.



Training
Zuthari have a very loose training regimine. Once they're ready to move up they're given the choice between becoming a Zuthari or a Melatha. If they chose to become a Zuthari than an older Zuthari will taken them under their wing for exactly 10 days, instructing them vaugely on how to conduct themselves during ceremonies. Traditionally there should be at least one ceremony within these 10 days taht the new Zuthari is to conduct under the guidance of the older Zuthari. Once those 10 days are up, a place is picked and the Zuthari is immediately sent to their new post and stays there until they've been given the orders to move.

Once they arrive at their new 'home', they're given a book of the various important ceremonies and how to complete them. From there, the Zuthari is given complete free reign. Each ceremony can be personalized to the ideaologies and preferences fo the Zuthari as long as the ceremonies are still completed properly and they don't speak any blasphemy. They can choose to focus on a single Old One or what have you.



Leadership
The leader of the Zuthari is called the Zusulise. The Zusulise is always stationed in the capital city, and personally conducts the ceremonies there. They work direct with the King or Queen and speak for the Old Ones when that person is unable to or help interpret what the Old Ones are trying say. In addition, the Zusulise is in charge of constantly watching the physical condition of the King or Queen, epsecially scars. While the Challaks are in charge of leaving scars on an unjust ruler with thier words, the Zusulise is in charge of finding those scars.

There are a number of special ceremonies involving those in power that require the Zusulise in particular, some of those being the ceremonies involving the leaders of the kighthoods.

[Nyx]

The Melatha

The Melatha are equals of the Zuthari, they are the second route one can pick after being deemed able to move up from Simithe. The Melatha are the leaders of the law as opposed to their counterparts who specialize in religion. They're fairly common and are always kept in high numbers due to the roles they play. They keep everything running and in order so to speak. The Melatha play the roles of judges and decide how the laws are supposed to be interpreted as well as adjusting the laws based on the ways that the current rulers and the Zuthari interpret the words of the Old Ones. Much like the Zuthari, there should be one in every greater city and if possible in every smaller city or town as well.

The Melatha work very closely with the King or Queen and the Finla to make sure the laws of the country are being properly implemented and the citizenry isn't being abused at any given time. Much like the Zuthari they don't travel often since they're needed at any given time to ensure that documentations are legal and proper. Legal records such as partnership agreements and the like must go through a Melatha and be given the seal of approval before being handed off to the Simithe for documentation and record keeping, at which point the records are official and cannot be 'canceled' without going through an even longer process. There's a grace period of three days where any documents can be canceled after approval but before it gets sent in for records keeping. However, this will incur a small fee as to discourage the wasting of the Melatha's time.

In a court of law, as mentioned, they always preside as the judge. Jury trials are exceptionally rare in Atinaw and must be explicitly requested. The defaults are judge based trials presided over by the local Melatha. There is an appeal process on any decision but it can get costly and it only works if the trial didn't already take place in the capital city under the current leader of the rank.



Duties
Every town should have at least one Melatha. Their job is to act as the judges for any legal proceedings as well as approve documents. Approving or rejecting legal documents tends to be their main job as a lot of problems don't get to the Melatha. It's usually deal with between the families or the Finla and Alt Finla take notice long before the Melatha does. The Melatha exists for issues that can't be resolved or when someone would rather take things to a proper legal proceeding instead of their local Finla or Alt Finla since there can be extreme biases or law breaking as opposed to the Melatha who are bound to uphold the law and honor of their court room.

There are still cases of bias in the Melatha, however, if such a case there is an appeal process that can take things to a higher ranked Melatha. A Melatha found acting in a crooked manner is punished proportionally the lives the would have (or already have) ruined. This can often mean the loss of limbs, servitude, and all manner of gruesome fates which are usually decide with the input of all those who've been wronged. This often leads to a sense of irony or poetic justice as people adore giving others a 'taste of their own medicine'.

Melatha also handle legal appeals for a change of legislation or laws. A very common thing the Melatha have to deal with are complaints regarding Finla and Alt Finla. Unless there's rioting in the streets these complaints don't often result in a change of leadership but they can result in a smaller change of local laws to protect the citizenry or a conversation between the Melatha and the Finla. This is something that they end up doing a lot during lean times, making sure that the taxes aren't too high and the Finla aren't hoarding any fortunes. Neither of those happen all too often though, since doing either would be seen as dishonorable and could result in the family losing power and being replaced by a more appropriate kinship.



Training
Melatha training is a lot stricter and more regimented than a good number of the groups within the Druids. It starts with a new Melatha being assigned a master of sorts. The new Melatha will live in the same town as this older Melatha and observe them as they work, often being assigned extra work to help out. Before that, though, the new Melatha is tasked with memorizing all of the local laws and moving up to the laws which preside over their entire country. They aren't so much as allowed to put quill to paper until they can accurately recite these laws. Some Melatha will even enforce written tests on their apprentices.

Once those laws are completely memorized, their season long apprenticeship starts proper, with the new Melatha all but doing the bidding of the older Melatha. Once a season has passed a small group of Melatha will review the performance of the new Melatha based on consistent reports written up by the older Melatha. Then and only then, the new Melatha will either be assigned to work for another season due to being unsatisfactory or they'll finally be assigned their own area.



Leadership
The leader of the Melatha is called the Masquer. They take up residence in the capital and act as the final say. Most appeals will eventually find their way to the Masquer if they're persistent enough. That isn't the main job of the Masquer, though. Their job is to constantly review the laws of each and ever area and find things that might be problematic or contradict the words of the current ruler or the Zusulise. The majority of their time is spent reviewing laws, proposed laws, and also looking over the status reports of the other Melatha to make sure nothing fishing is going on . The majority of their time is spent managing paper work.

Occasionally they get the chance to hold a meeting with the current ruler and the Zusulise to speak on the state of things and talk about any necessary changes to law. The Masquer is also the most likely to be consulted when the current ruler is contemplating starting a war, since the Masquer doubles as one of the ruler's advisers. This, however, is the least important of their many duties and they don't get to preform it often.

[Nyx]

The Simithe

The second to last, the Simithe are those who are finally establishing themselves as proper members of the Druids but haven't gotten the chance to move up to a Zuthari or a Melatha. They're also the group that interacts with the others the most. The Simithe have a reason to interact with just about every other group regularly except for the Challaks, which are a bit stranger by the standards of most. While they never quite leave where they live, as opposed to the Veros, they seem to constantly be on the move running errands and keeping track of their own various duties.

Almost all Simithe can be found in the Grand Library, located in Atinaw's capital city. There are a couple small groups which reside on the major cities belonging to each of the Finla, but there's an emphasis on these groups being small. The majority of the Simithe both live and work in the Grand Library. In addition, the Simithe are the smallest group. Most don't spend much time as a Simithe since it's something of an intermediate step. One that ends quickly.



Duties
The Simithe are in charge of the organization and upkeep of the Grand Library which hosts all the most important information in Atinaw. Not only does it hold the largest assortment of information, but it's also where the majority of important legal documents are stored for safety and later review. This is why the Simithe spend so much time interacting with the other groups.

The Veros send their records to the Simithe who clean up and condense it into something that can actually be used. The Melatha and the Zuthari also send important records for the same purpose. In addition, the Melatha and Zuthari are often requesting various old documents to cross compare internationally so they can better do their own jobs. The biggest duty of the Simithe, next to actually organizing the documents found in the Grand Library, is running errands. In addition, they also act as the traditional librarians so they spend a lot of time interacting with the public, checking out books and finding information.

There is a benefit to remaining a Simithe for those who can handle the task load. They have access all of the knowledge in Atinaw, and by merit of their position it's accessible to them entirely for free. The longer one remains a Simithe, the more leisure time they start to get. There are new Simithe to be tested and pressured, and so, the longer one remains a Simithe the smaller their chances are of moving on to a higher rank but they less they get bothered. Because of this, a lot of older Simithe have excess time on their hands which they use to study. Those who stay a Simithe as long time and become well respected might even be offered the position of a lecturer or a teacher, in which case they'll keep any money they make and gain even more respect for their knowledge and prowess.



Training
Simithe training is fairly simply. An older Simithe, usually one who decided they didn't want to move on, will take the new Simithe under their wing. They'll try to overwhelm the Simithe without completely crushing them under an impossible task. The goal here is a bit like hazing. They want to make the new Simithe rush around almost constantly, but not completely ruin their motivation or excitement. Part of this is to ensure that those who move on are ready for the task load associated with the upper ranks of the Druids. The other part of this decision is that older Simithe don't want younger Simithe deciding they want to stick around.

After completing their training they can either choose to remain a Simithe or they can pick between becoming a Zuthari or a Melatha. There are merits to all three decisions, but most end up deciding to move on meaning those that do choose to stay get treated fairly well partially thanks to their rarity.



Leadership
The leader of the Simithe is called the Sazarite. The Sazarite is someone that's known for their outstanding intellect. Usually before reaching this rank, they've read a good number of the books in the library and have become something of an expert at teaching in lectures as a part time job of sorts. Their intelligence should be without equal, and they know the library with a simply kind of efficiency.

Being that their largest responsibility is that of a curator for the library, their job is exceptionally important. In truth, the Sazarite becomes the owner of the Grand Library after they obtain the role. While there are certain duties and expectations for them to uphold, they become the owner and can do what the believe to be best for the library. In addition, they make a certain amount of revenue for their troubles in making sure the library stays in peak condition. Often times, the Sazarite knows the library itself with a ruthless familiarity.

[Nyx]

The Veros

The Veros are the lowest rank of Druid. This is the rank that most everyone will end up starting at. While not a 100 percent chance, it would take extraordinary circumstance not to start at this rank. Because they are the lowest of the low, they aren't too terribly respected but they are still treated well.

Veros aren't allowed to stay in a single place for long due to the nature of their position. They are expected to constantly be traveling, and literally aren't allowed to stay in a single place for too long or else they'll get in trouble.



Duties
The duties of the Veros are the most simple. They travel the whole of Atinaw and make records about anything that happens. Important events, births, marriages, immigration, etc. While the Simithe are the record keepers, the Veros are the record makers. As such they travel constantly and always have large amounts of paper on them. Occasionally they'll make a journey to the capital city so they can actually deliver their reports.

A secondary unofficial duty of the Veros is keeping everyone around them informed. This was never an intended duty for the group, but was something that emerged naturally. Due to their position, the Veros are almost always in the know and most are more than happy to share. A few of them will charge for information, but most will share openly. Their traveling and constant informational flow helps to keep the citizens of Atinaw informed about what's going on in other parts of the country, something that's especially valuable to the Finla.



Training
The Veros receive no training. They're simply given an orientation, a marker of their new status, and they're sent off into Atinaw to fend for themselves. A lot of Veros end up quiting because of that. The smart ones take advantage of the fact they can actually ask for help and people will rarely deny them. Either way, the Veros is the lowest rank and as such doesn't get much support from the rest of the faith. If a Veros is lucky an older Veros or the Vaserlaise might travel with them a ways to teach them how things go.



Leadership
The Vaserlaise is the rank that is the closest to being a Challak without actually being a Challak. A traveling record keeper who visits for little more than a day, records everything that's happened in the town, and then disappears. While they don't have the duties of a Challak, they act in a manner that's very similar to one and are treated with a similar amount of respect to one.

The Vaserlaise doesn't really have duties so to speak. While the help organize the travel routes of the Veros, the route a Veros takes is mostly up to their own discretion, and since they bring their own documents to the Grand Library that isn't the duty of the Vaserlaise either. More than being a leader for the group, the title of Vaserlaise is closer to an acknowledgement than anything. It's a title that holds power not because it holds command, but because it tells a story of a Veros who decided they wanted to keep wandering the world and never became a Simithe. Vaserlaise tend to become very worldly people and will on occasion leave Atinaw to learn more about it. Because of this, there can occasionally be more than one Vaserlaise, though the oldest seems to represent as a semi-leader whenever the other leaders get together for an important meeting.

It's not unheard of for Vaserlaise who went missing to just suddenly show up one day, and that seems to be the root cause of why there can be more than one Vaserlasie.