Storyteller Association
Structure
There is a Guild Master who administrates the members of the guild and then there are different ranks of storytellers.
To rise through the ranks, a storyteller needs to write their own stories, tell a certain amount of stories, reimagine an old story, take oral/performative exams in front of a committee of the guild and research so called "unfinished/cold stories" that don't have a definitive ending or whose details are very murky. Different tasks are required for different ranks and there are also awards given to certain outstanding performances.
There are 6 different ranks of storytellers:
Initiate Storyteller, the lowest rank for new members, they have undergone a ritual of initiation.
Tried Storyteller, the second rank, achieved after the first exam, which requires an oral exam about popular stories.
Intermediate Storyteller, a rank between the lower and higher ranks that requires criticising and analysing stories from other StA members in front of a commitee of examiners
High Storyteller, the first of the higher ranks that requires taking a new angle to a popular and beloved story.
Grand Storyteller, the second highest rank that requires writing a small canon of own stories.
Master Storyteller, the highest rank that can only be achieved by finding the ending to a cold story. Only a chosen few are even allowed to take the exam.
In order to take the exams for the different ranks, one must have a certain amount of stories in one's storybook and one needs to have told a certain amount of that story.
The so-called "fact checkers" and "structure guides" look at stories and check for historical accuracy (for historical stories) and at the overall structure of a story.
Treasurers oversee the finances of the guild and try to find investors for their cause.
The guild also has a few administrators that help the Guild Master keep track of all the members and that debate the guild rules.
A special type of administrator is the curator. Every guild house has one. They manage the Quest board and regulate what kinds of request are put on the board and also who takes which Quests.
Lastly, there are Scavengers who specifically are on the lookout for new historical documents and local stories and rumours about current affairs that they trade with storytellers for money or some other form of payment.
To rise through the ranks, a storyteller needs to write their own stories, tell a certain amount of stories, reimagine an old story, take oral/performative exams in front of a committee of the guild and research so called "unfinished/cold stories" that don't have a definitive ending or whose details are very murky. Different tasks are required for different ranks and there are also awards given to certain outstanding performances.
There are 6 different ranks of storytellers:
Initiate Storyteller, the lowest rank for new members, they have undergone a ritual of initiation.
Tried Storyteller, the second rank, achieved after the first exam, which requires an oral exam about popular stories.
Intermediate Storyteller, a rank between the lower and higher ranks that requires criticising and analysing stories from other StA members in front of a commitee of examiners
High Storyteller, the first of the higher ranks that requires taking a new angle to a popular and beloved story.
Grand Storyteller, the second highest rank that requires writing a small canon of own stories.
Master Storyteller, the highest rank that can only be achieved by finding the ending to a cold story. Only a chosen few are even allowed to take the exam.
In order to take the exams for the different ranks, one must have a certain amount of stories in one's storybook and one needs to have told a certain amount of that story.
The so-called "fact checkers" and "structure guides" look at stories and check for historical accuracy (for historical stories) and at the overall structure of a story.
Treasurers oversee the finances of the guild and try to find investors for their cause.
The guild also has a few administrators that help the Guild Master keep track of all the members and that debate the guild rules.
A special type of administrator is the curator. Every guild house has one. They manage the Quest board and regulate what kinds of request are put on the board and also who takes which Quests.
Lastly, there are Scavengers who specifically are on the lookout for new historical documents and local stories and rumours about current affairs that they trade with storytellers for money or some other form of payment.
Culture
The Storyteller Association has two main categories for their stories: Fictional and historical. Even though both categories are supported and encouraged, there is a consensus that retellings of historical events are of higher status than fictional stories, even though all storytellers, if they wish to rise through the ranks at least, need to have stories of both categories in their repertoire. Usually, a storyteller then foucuses on one of the categories and there are only few that don't specialize themselves.
The notion that historical stories are more esteemed probably stems from the sheer amount of research and approval one needs to get through to be allowed to tell the story.
There are, however, voices that claim that fictional stories should be held in higher graces becuse they require a lot more creativity and imagination. These claims come mainly from the fictional storytellers, storytellers that specialize in writing their own stories to tell.
Others, again, say that both categories should be valued equally as was originally intended.
This debate is one of the main conflict points between guild members. Then there's the issue with voices calling for a third category "historical fiction", a category where stories would be based on actual historical events but where fictuous details would be added or "what if" twists would be given to the story. This demand however, has faced a lot of backlash with the higher ups, because this premise goes against their mission.
Another typical StA culture thing is rivalry between guild members. There are great friendships forming in the guild and sometimes even people who start working in teams, sure, but even more common is rivalry with other storytellers, especially those in the same field as oneself. Many are worried that other members would copy one's particualr way of telling a story, or take an interest in the same aspect of history as oneself, or even steal one's own fiction. Therefore, storytellers like to encode their stories in their books and write them with a made up script so no one except them can read it. There are also tensions when storytellers critique each other and many a fight has broken out because of it.
The notion that historical stories are more esteemed probably stems from the sheer amount of research and approval one needs to get through to be allowed to tell the story.
There are, however, voices that claim that fictional stories should be held in higher graces becuse they require a lot more creativity and imagination. These claims come mainly from the fictional storytellers, storytellers that specialize in writing their own stories to tell.
Others, again, say that both categories should be valued equally as was originally intended.
This debate is one of the main conflict points between guild members. Then there's the issue with voices calling for a third category "historical fiction", a category where stories would be based on actual historical events but where fictuous details would be added or "what if" twists would be given to the story. This demand however, has faced a lot of backlash with the higher ups, because this premise goes against their mission.
Another typical StA culture thing is rivalry between guild members. There are great friendships forming in the guild and sometimes even people who start working in teams, sure, but even more common is rivalry with other storytellers, especially those in the same field as oneself. Many are worried that other members would copy one's particualr way of telling a story, or take an interest in the same aspect of history as oneself, or even steal one's own fiction. Therefore, storytellers like to encode their stories in their books and write them with a made up script so no one except them can read it. There are also tensions when storytellers critique each other and many a fight has broken out because of it.
Public Agenda
The goal of the Storyteller Association is to educate the larger public about the history of Arregeas in as accurate a manner as possible, which is the reason for the large number of elvish storytellers. A secondary goal for them is to spread good, engaging stories for entertainment and artistic expression as well as philosophical debate. Emphasis is also placed on the accumulation and preservation of historical documents and regional folktales. It is important to them that storytellers get paid and can live off of their stories, which isn't a given even for the most renowned storytellers because they basically live off of tipping money.
The strict regulation of stories, however, has faced quite a few criticisms, especially by unlicensed storytellers who don't want to join the guild. These critics claim that by managing stories like that, the Guild can easily propagate their version of history and curate their own reality and that they eradicate all diversity and different points of view. Although this criticism isn't entirely unjustified, the Storyteller Association does advocate for different points of view with their storytellers, as long as they can show the required sources of their claims.
The strict regulation of stories, however, has faced quite a few criticisms, especially by unlicensed storytellers who don't want to join the guild. These critics claim that by managing stories like that, the Guild can easily propagate their version of history and curate their own reality and that they eradicate all diversity and different points of view. Although this criticism isn't entirely unjustified, the Storyteller Association does advocate for different points of view with their storytellers, as long as they can show the required sources of their claims.
Assets
The StA has a huge archive of stories and historical documents, which is kept in the Main Guild House in Vysfall, but there are smaller guild houses all over Arregeas, where guild members can sleep and eat for a discounted price and view documents or order them there from the HQ. These houses also serve as storytelling locations, where guild members get paid a fixed amount of money for telling a story there, as customers are required to pay an entry fee. This ensures that the storytellers get paid for their work.
Guild members can even rent horses for travelling and all guild houses carry writing materials that can be bought.
People who look for a storyteller, be it permanently or for a certain event, can also post requests on the Quest Boards of the guild houses and storytellers can then decide to take a job or not.
Guild members can even rent horses for travelling and all guild houses carry writing materials that can be bought.
People who look for a storyteller, be it permanently or for a certain event, can also post requests on the Quest Boards of the guild houses and storytellers can then decide to take a job or not.
History
The Storyteller Association, formerly known as the Association of Script Preservation is an old organisation, founded in the middle of the Age of Fury by Vlotsar Kwirstees in Brym's capital city, Vysfall. Kwirstees was concerned about the raging wars happening all over Arregeas, and about how long it might take for war to reach the south, which had so far been spared from it thanks to the Fiery Mountains. He was a passionate historian, with an interest in culture and zeitgeist and especially in its preservation in the form of scripture. Kwirstees had amassed a personal library of all kinds of historical documents, legends, myths and poetry, he wanted to survive an eventual war. He himself wrote a lot about the southern culture, be it Brym, Mirkhar, Talan or Zathelt, he had gone and documented ways of life and common cultural customs. He had even writen about the elusive isle of Isonia, whose inhabitants lived rathter in isolation from others.
Kwirstees bought an old building in Vysfall and had a cellar built for it, deep under ground. He spent a fortune on protective measures for what would become his archive, time capsule and treasure trove of writings of all kinds. Others became interested in the project and soon a mission had started to amass as many documents as possible. Kwirstees and his supporters founded the Association of Script Preservation and tried to get financial backing or donations in the form of documents, but their requests found only deaf ears in such insecure times.
It was only after the erruption of Mount Dragon Heart that the Association began to be recognised. Kwirstees and his followers had survived by staying in their archive and thanks to them a mountain of knowledge was preserved for generations to come. Vysfall was almost completely destroyed and the following conflicts with the Bretnostian Empire meant even more destruction, but Kwirstees' cellar held. After the South tried to rebuild itself when the war was finally over, the large amount of documents became almost invaluable in the efforts of restoring the southern regions of Arregeas to their former glory.
The Association also played an important role during the conflict with the Bretnostian empire, when Kwirstees and his followers would gather intelligence from Bretnost by disguising themselves as travelling storytellers and listening in on the tavern talk of their enemy. After the war, they renamed the ASP to the Storyteller Association in honour of their mission during the war. For a long time they remained a regional organisation that mainly operated in Brym and the rest of the south, but the founder's vision was to expand it all over Arregeas, which was gradually realised as the guild grew in reputation, number of members and influence.
Now they are an internationally acclaimed association that get backed not only by private investors but also by some states.
Kwirstees bought an old building in Vysfall and had a cellar built for it, deep under ground. He spent a fortune on protective measures for what would become his archive, time capsule and treasure trove of writings of all kinds. Others became interested in the project and soon a mission had started to amass as many documents as possible. Kwirstees and his supporters founded the Association of Script Preservation and tried to get financial backing or donations in the form of documents, but their requests found only deaf ears in such insecure times.
It was only after the erruption of Mount Dragon Heart that the Association began to be recognised. Kwirstees and his followers had survived by staying in their archive and thanks to them a mountain of knowledge was preserved for generations to come. Vysfall was almost completely destroyed and the following conflicts with the Bretnostian Empire meant even more destruction, but Kwirstees' cellar held. After the South tried to rebuild itself when the war was finally over, the large amount of documents became almost invaluable in the efforts of restoring the southern regions of Arregeas to their former glory.
The Association also played an important role during the conflict with the Bretnostian empire, when Kwirstees and his followers would gather intelligence from Bretnost by disguising themselves as travelling storytellers and listening in on the tavern talk of their enemy. After the war, they renamed the ASP to the Storyteller Association in honour of their mission during the war. For a long time they remained a regional organisation that mainly operated in Brym and the rest of the south, but the founder's vision was to expand it all over Arregeas, which was gradually realised as the guild grew in reputation, number of members and influence.
Now they are an internationally acclaimed association that get backed not only by private investors but also by some states.
Truth in Imagination, Imagination in Truth
Founding Date
9th of Treechange 6629 AR ( 518 AF)
Type
Guild, Professional
Alternative Names
Association of Script Preservation (ASP) (formerly), StA, the Association, International Association of Storytellers
Leader Title
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
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