The old dwarf that trained Farlington Arvenhale into the Master he is today had his work cut out for him.
Farlington showed such respect, creativity and capability that his whole longhouse clamored for the Dwarf to bring him in for the vote after only a year of his apprenticeship.
"Surely, he is ready" they would call, but when the Dwarf asked Farlington if he was.
"Do you have anything left to teach me?" is all the little man would say.
Farlington Arvenhale trained as an Apprentice Master for five years, learning every aspect of the docks he worked on and the ships he worked with. When he was finally brought for the vote, his longhouse voted unanimously in favor of his becoming a Master.
— The life of a Longshoreman
The Master Longshoreman is the ultimate pinnacle of the
The Longshore Guild, the crowning jewel of the profession, the true sage of the docks. This position is as based in skill and knowledge as it is filled with political intrigue. A Master must know their ships like the back of their hand, but they must also be able to keep their
longhouse in line with the goals and ideals of the guild itself.
The Master Longshoreman acts more of an overseer and advisor compared to the lower ranks of the guild. The Master rarely has time to actually work on ships, but their
logbook is often packed with the work of their apprentices. The training of new
apprentice longshoreman, and the careful guidance provided to
Longshoremen in the lower ranks make these an essential part of the guild.
To Become a Master
The base requirements of becoming an Apprentice Master Longshoreman are simple.
An Apprentice Master Longshoreman has trained at least 10 Apprentices into fully-fledged Longshoreman. At least two of those Longshoremen have reached the rank of
Trained Longshoreman and at least one has reached the rank of
Lead Longshoreman.
These requirements are to verify that the Longshoreman has positively impacted the profession by schooling a multitude of new Longshoreman that have also gone on to train and increase the guild's quality as a whole. This means that a Longshoreman that does not dedicate himself to the craft of training motivated dock workers into quality Longshoremen.
Once the Longshoreman has reached these requirements, they must seek out a current Master who will train them to become a Master themselves.
To Be an Apprentice Master
The Apprentice Master Longshoreman have many ships in their dock.
While one is an Apprentice Master, they are relieved of any expectation of training their own apprentices. Some choose to maintain new apprentices, but it is generally looked down upon as new Masters should be attempting to learn all they can from their instructors.
Any time they are not actively training, they are also expected to walk their local docks and see that the culture of Dockworkers and their relationships with Sailors remain sustainable. These are considered some of the most important parts of the training, as a Master is expected to be held in high regard by local labor and communities.
Finally, they are also expected to work on any municipal paperwork that is enforced by the local government so that they learn the right palms to grease when needed.
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