Academy:
- Trainee
- Apprentice
- Master
- Headmaster
Guild:
- Mapologist - Guild members recently graduated from the Academy or granted position
through other means. Mapologists tend to work out of Guild Halls for the
first few years of their career. They also tend to work in small groups
on bigger projects closer to cities and towns. Surveying recent land
acquisition, or changes in river currents feeding into a sewer system.
And keeping on top of the ever-changing city borders of the major cities
in Easthalen. Mapologists slowly work on a set of skills that will take
them on a path of leadership and exploration, or organization and
artwork.
- _Scribe - Scribes, or Inkers as they are commonly referred to as within the guild, stay inside or nearby the guild headquarters and spend their time with the quill to parchment. Sometimes copying out old maps, maintaining a public library for their guildhall, helping Journeyers with their tasks, maintaining the guildhall, reaching out to the public, and running the day to day operations of the guild. This is the most likely rank of those who are ageing out of their adventuring years or are not so inclined to venture forth into the wild. While Inkers may sometimes be looked down on within the guild’s bureaucracy, the reality is the guild wouldn’t function without these people. The nickname “inkers” comes from these people always have ink stains on their fingers and clothes.
- _Master Scribe - The Master Scribe is the person who runs the individual guild halls. They often spend their time working on longer-term projects for their guildhall. Maybe it’s a grand map for the steward of the city, or helping set up a new guild hall somewhere, or maybe they are in charge of surveying a whole new area, or an area recently changed by war, or disaster. The Master Scribe is responsible for keeping accurate surveys of the area their guildhall services. And for keeping track of the trailblazers who come and go with such irregularities. They also are the point of contact for connections with other guilds, local municipalities, and any other organization that may have the need for sudden, accurate information. Usually they are the ones who attend local political meetings.
- Trailbrazer - The proud face and hardest working members of the Cartographers Guild, trailbrazers travel all across the land, usually alone, working on various
projects for guild halls or contracting out their services to other
guilds and small towns/villages. They typically are solid fighters and
may have unlocked certain magical abilities with their maps and use them
to better the guild in this manner. When people think of the
Cartographers Guild, these are the people who are thought of. Trailbrazers often move from guildhall to guildhall, never staying in one place for
very long, and are difficult for the Guild to keep track of.
- Surveyor - The Surveyors are Cartographers who have climbed the hierarchy of the guild. Each continent/region will have a small number of Surveyors who oversee the runnings of the guild operations on a larger scale. Once a year, they travel (the best they can) to guild headquarters to sit in council with one another and the Grandmaster Cartographer to determine the operations and future of the guild, vote on solutions to problems within the guild or how to tackle problems from without. The Surveyors help conduct business with other guilds, militaries, and governments who need large scale assistance from the guild. Finally, by a majority vote, the Surveyors also elect the Grandmaster Cartographer when one is needed.The Surveyors vary considerably in terms of personality and responsibility. Some arrive at the post through merit and artistry, some by default as the highest-ranking member still alive in a particular area, and some buy the posting or otherwise use politics to worm their way in. However they get there, the Surveyors enjoy the status of their position in the world, often owning a house in a major city, or a small manor out in the wilds.
- Grandmaster Cartographer - Sometimes, the need for a single point of authority rises within the guild and a Grandmaster Cartographer is voted into office. The powers and responsibilities of the position changes with each election. Some who have been promoted to the post-exercise absolute power over the organization and make sweeping changes to the guild and its operations, sitting in power far longer than was probably hoped by the council of Surveyors. Some hold the position long enough to cast a tie-breaking vote in the council. Most of the time, a Grandmaster Cartographer is elected simply to represent the guild in times of strife, so that they may talk with heads of state or religious leaders on matters that would influence the guild from without.There are often times when there is no Grandmaster Cartographer, and on the extremely rare occasion, two are elected to tackle reforms within the guild and without. People in this position often face daunting tasks, but enjoy a large amount of power and authority both from within the guild and without. Inevitably, a personal project of the Grandmaster Cartographer will sell for thousands of gold, and they may live a very relaxed retirement. Particularly, the Grandmaster Cartographer does not exercise power or influence over the academy, which is deemed too important to the future of the guild to be put in the hands of the one person in charge of the guild. Therefore, the Academy always stands as a separate entity during the term of a Grandmaster Cartographer as a system of checks and balances. The Headmaster of the Academy cannot be elected Grandmaster Cartographer without first giving up their seat as Headmaster.