Just by the way the man walked, you could tell he owned the docks. He could tell the history of a boat with just a glance, his words were few and far in-between, but the captain walking alongside him hung on every word. This man was Farlington Arvenhale, said to be the master of masters in the northern portions of the Longshore Guild. This small man embodies everything you think of when you are told a Master Longshoreman was assigned to your vessel; decades of experience, more skill in his thumb than you knew existed and hundreds of apprentices trained over his career.
If your Longshoreman says he was trained by their Master Longshoreman, just think of Arvenhale and know that you are in good hands.— 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 a Master Longshoreman are simple.
A 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. This involves the transference of traditions, eclectic knowledge and a respect for the way the guild is structured. This Apprenticeship will usually last for 3-7 years as the Master learns all they need to know. At the end of their time together, the Apprentice is presented to their Longhouse by their Master and the Longhouse votes on the approval of the new Master.
To Be a Master
Once a Master has been voted into prominence, they begin the true work of the masters.
Depending on the region, a longhouse might have as few as a single Master working in the Longhouse or, in cities like the port of
Aegis, there may be dozens of Masters working side by side.
No matter how many Masters are present, several things are critical to their titles. The maintenance and running of their longhouse is under their jurisdiction. As is dealing with political disputes that involve the guild, members of the guild, or merely interests of the guild. They are also required to engage in constant communication with other longhouses to keep records of ships, members and planned activities synced between nearby groups.
Finally, the Masters are expected to maintain their stockpile of Logbooks. This means procuring more as needed, verifying the information stored inside, updating the information by checking ship based logs as well as Longshoremen owned logs. These reservoirs of logbooks are said to be some of the most accurate logs of ship travel, repair and monetary flow in existence, that means the Master has a heavy responsibility in keeping it all safe and accessible.
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