Herbalists Guild
The herbalists guild is well-established, and their craft is well-honed. Though they do not have the political power and reputation of some of the other large guilds (such as the Hunters Guild), they are vital to the work of several other fields, which ensures that they can always get what they need.
Career
Qualifications
The herbalist's guild requires little of its applicants, though it strongly prefers those with family ties to existing members. However, those without keen senses of smell and taste, as well as the ability to memorize countless plants and combinations, have trouble advancing very far.
Career Progression
Novice - New inductees are trained in small classes by a dedicated teacher. Novice classes cover the very basics of how to describe and identify a plant, planting and harvesting, and simply what the guild does. Novices are taught to respect their seniors in the guild and the tradition and history of herbalism.
Apprentice - After at least a year of novice training (more if the individual does not yet have the attention span or basic comprehension for the work), the young herbalist is apprenticed to a Guildsman or, more rarely, a Specialist. During their apprenticeship, they learn the ins and outs of the work--preparing powders and poultices, medicines, mixtures, and so forth--under the guidance of their mentor. Apprentices may be passed around until a good fit is found, but usually go to the first person who can take them.
Once their first mentor is willing to vouch for their progress, the young herbalist is then apprenticed to a Master before advancing to Assistant. Otherwise, if their career does not seem to be going well, they will graduate to assistant but stay with a Guildsman or Specialist.
Assistant - Assistants are no longer apprentices, but not yet full Guildsmen. They frequently assist with the business of running a shop, make deliveries, and explain their senior's instructions to the customer regarding use or dosage. Depending on their skill, they may be a Master's right hand, preparing ingredients, taking notes, and assisting with complicated mixtures... or they may provide manual labor for a Guildsman.
Guildsman - A Guildsman has the full faith and blessing of the guild to practice herbalism without supervision. The rank and file of the guild, they may take on apprentices to pass on their knowledge, request an assistant, sell their work, and so forth. (Note: Guildsman is a broadly-used title in Valor, though the implications vary from guild to guild, and is understood to be completely gender neutral.)
Journeyman / Specialist - A herbalist of particular skill or promise may attend a university to become a Specialist, or earn the title of Journeyman by years of solid work. The titles are sometimes used interchangeably, especially where a Journeyman has a particular specialty or a Specialist has a broad focus; however, sticklers will insist that Journeyman is earned through practical work, and Specialist through further education, training, and research. The two ranks are equivalent in terms of guild hierarchy, though some may afford one or the other greater respect.
Master Herbalist - The title of Master may only be earned after many years of excellent work, winning the respect of ones peers, and of course, completing a Masterwork--generally formulating a new recipe and proving its effectiveness.Perception
Purpose
The herbalists' work has several facets:
Gathering and Trade
Whether grown by (or on commission for) the guild or gathered from the wild, the herbalists trade in all manner of herbs, spices, and medicinal plants. Though they also sell to individuals in the markets (particularly cooking mixtures and processed medicines, rather than the raw ingredients), they deal especially to the Alchemists Table, Chemists Guild, Culinary Guilds, and Tea Hosts Guild. They also provide certain pigments of high value to the small but wealthy Portraiture Guild.
Research and Cultivation
Through the universities, the Herbalists guild pursues the discovery or development of new varieties, as well as research of their properties and how best to bring them out. They have some overlap with alchemists, but the Herbalists Guild directly sponsors a focused range of study dedicated to the natural, rather than magical, effects of plants and fungi. They are generally included under the department of Naturology.
Processing and Refining
The final main aspect of the guild's work is the distillation or processing of ingredients to create natural medicines, extracts, tinctures, and so forth. An Herbalist's laboratory is much simpler and more traditional than an Alchemist or Prochemist's, but effective for the work at hand.
Social Status
Herbalism is no way to get rich, generally speaking, but should earn a comfortable living. Depending on their specialty, area, and position in the guild, Master Herbalists can make significantly more money than people think.
Additionally, while Herbalists have a wholesome reputation, some do have a side-line dealing in hallucinatory substances or poisons. Even for wares that aren't officially illegal, the guild is very strict--not it actually prohibits their sale, but that you shouldn't be caught selling such things by anyone not actively buying.
Demographics
Operations
Workplace
Herbalists' workplaces vary widely, from a greenhouse or garden to the wild countryside. A greenroom for processing may be the back room of someone's house, or a dedicated building on a city's outskirts. Their shops include fine apothecaries in upscale neighborhoods, market stalls that smell amazing in the sunlight, and the front rooms of their own home.
Provided Services
In addition to their goods, Herbalists may also offer medicinal and/or culinary consulting, and Greenreadings. Some may feel that these services are best left to those with more direct training, but Herbalists are a traditional source of them, and many people still prefer an Herbalist's advice to seeking a Temple healer or paying for a University-trained doctor.
Herbalists Guild Character Background
Characters who have completed at least one Apprenticeship to their mentor's satisfaction may claim the Herbalists Guild background.
They have a broad knowledge of common and uncommon plants and fungi, and their effects on body and mind. They are also trained to provide basic medical care suitable for treating mild ailments or disinfecting and stabilizing wounds, though they are not doctors or healers. Finally, they will have at least a basic understanding of Greenreading.
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