The Stargazer
Qualification
Stargazers are revered seers whose job it is to search the heavens for forecasts and prophecies. There are very few accredited Stargazers in the whole of Alven.Only seers who have proved to be reliable in their auguries will be given the title of Stargazer. This is why Stargazers are seers who are usually mature in years. Most Stargazers can be found within the Archive and the Sanctuary guilds and in the employment of the Thane.
Some very wealthy families or chieftains sometimes have a well-known Stargazer as a retainer. All Stargazers are members of the Guild of The Wind.
The Wind referred to in the name of the guild is the Celestial Wind an important deity in the Alven Pantheon: one of the Celestials at the heart of Alven creation myths.
The Stargazer seer at the head of the guild wields great powers in in the government of Alven. He or she is called The White Seer, and is traditionally the personal seer to the Thane.
Career Progression
To become a Stargazer seer, one has to be born gifted and well-connected. Stargazers are generally picked from the Archive or Sanctuary's guilds. There is always competition between the Sanctuary and the Archive for the appointment of Stargazers.
Actually, there are only 23 Stargazers in the whole of Alven: 11 are affiliated to the Sanctuary, and 9 to the Archive. The last three belong to other clan guilds throughout the country. There is a five-year-long process for becoming a Stargazer.
Only the truly erudite and gifted seers can become part of this very select and influential group of people. A Stargazer will be a scholar of the ancient texts and a very good astronomer to boot.
Furthermore, a Stargazer is one who is favoured by the gods: his or her devotion to his patron deity will be faultless.
Purpose
Stargazers provide an insight into the will of the gods, and through forecasts and prophecies are able to predict future events. Only a well versed and gifted seer can interpret the often obscure signs left by the gods among the stars.
The sky is not the only domain a gifted seer could read into the signs left by the gods. A Stargazer, for example, will also be able to interpret the behavior and flight patterns of birds (especially those of ravens, crows, crane. owls, hawks, eagles and wrens).
The White Seer has a particularly important responsibility. Every year, during the Samain celebrations, the White Seer conducts divinatory rituals. From century-old rites, new prophecies and portents for the new year will emerge and be written down by the Seer into the Book of Events Yet to Come.
It is one of the Stargazers' duties to make sure that the New Years' Sayings are accurately reported in the copies of the Book found throughout Alven.
Stargazers' Secondaries will travel the length and breadth of Alven to bring the gods' tidings to everyone.
Benefits
Stargazers are directly remunerated by the Thane as they fulfill many important functions in Alven. They are offered spacious and luxurious lodgings of their choosing and will be able to afford people working for them: secretary, steward, cook, etc. As well as the generous remuneration for their services, their title awards them renown, status, and power. A Stargazers can become a household name among the Alvenites.
Type
Research / Scientific
Other Associated professions
Comments