Ranks, Positions, and Subpositions
Council: MasterHarper | MasterHealer | Masterharper | Masterhealer | Headperson Other: Master | Journeyman | Sr. Apprentice | Jr. Apprentice | Inactive |
Council Positions
Ranks, Positions, and Subpositions
Council: MasterHarper | MasterHealer | Masterharper | Masterhealer | Headperson Other: Master | Journeyman | Sr. Apprentice | Jr. Apprentice | Inactive |
Council Positions
This section gives an in-depth look at the lower ranks, what they are expected to do, and the classes that are available to them. Please note that once a class becomes open to you it remains so. For example, just because Male/Female Ensemble isn't listed under senior apprentice doesn't mean the seniors can't be in it.
All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are copyright ©
MasterHarper
Character:
The MasterHarper is responsible for all the goings on in the Harper Hall. He (or she) is the ultimate authority in Hall and Craft. A MasterHarper should have an above average understanding of one or more of the musical aspects of his Craft as well as being a talented diplomat, for it is often the MasterHarper's duty to settle disputes in the Hall as well as in the rest of the world. He should be a master of the art of smoothing ruffled feathers, never opinionated, and always open to new ideas.
This position is held by Master Alric.
Player:
I'm going to take this opportunity to talk in first-person. My job as MasterHarper is to make sure the entire Guild functions smoothly on a daily basis. I try not to act like the "ultimate power,"--I always consult people before making big changes--but I reserve the right to make final decisions and settle disputes, should they arise. I make sure that the Harper aspects of the Guild and its webpages are up to date, and I write these things with help from the other council members. I won't re-do something I told someone else to write for me--if I had wanted to write it I should have done so in the first place--but again, I reserve the right to edit. It is NOT my job to start all the major plotlines. You people have minds, and I insist that you use them! It IS my job to make you think out of the Weyr-Guild box.
I fancy myself a decent roleplayer. I feel that that is very important, seeing as that's what we do. I think anyone in a position of power should at least know how to spell properly; though I'm not perfect by any stretch of imagination! Well, enough about me. I play Master Alric, and my username is masterharper_alric.MasterHealer
Character:
The MasterHealer is responsible for all the goings on in the Healer Hall. He (or she) is the ultimate authority in Hall and Craft. A MasterHealer should have an above average understanding of his Craft in general - it is the MasterHealer that people call on when a problem is too much for their local Master to handle, and he must know how to deal with it (if possible), or risk losing face, not to mention lives. A good MasterHealer is optimistic, but knows when to quit.
This position is currently held by Master Naoru.
Player:
The person who has this spot is responsible for the Healer aspects of the webpages and Guild in general and has almost as much power as the person playing the MasterHarper. The only real difference is that, because the person who created the Guild chose to be a Harper, that person can make decisions for the entire Guild while the MasterHealer is limited to the Healer half of it. Within that sphere, however, they are in charge and to be treated with the same amount of respect and credibility as the Guild owner.
This person ought to know something about medicine, even if it's just first aid, because that's more than most of the rest of us. They should know HTML to some degree and know the Pernese herbs and things fairly well. Again, they are in charge of the webpages dealing with these things. The council member with this position is dragonrider714.Masterharper
Character:
A Masterharper has gone the extra step and studied Pern's Charter. He (or she) knows it and its principles like the back of his hand, and can be called on to assist in handling disputes in Hold and Weyr. Furthermore, he is a specialist in one of the above fields and can be assigned to a teaching post anywhere on Pern. A good Harper knows a little bit of everything. The other thing Masters have to worry about is instructing and controlling those darned uppity Apprentices! They may think they know it all, but it's the Masters' job to curb this firmly but gently. The idea is not to break their spirit and destoy their love of life and learning in the process.Current Master(s)
Alric - Master Theorist; singer, diplomat/mediator.
Player:
The one who has this position on the council differs from all the other Masterharpers in that the council member has slightly more authority and has admin. powers and the passwords to the website account. The Masters should know music well, i.e., have been/are in choir, band, or orchestra. Art is good, too. These people are great roleplayers who know how to spell, are consistent in participation, and know the Pern books at least as well as the MasterHarper and -Healer!
The council member with this position is (No one). Others are: masterharper_alricMasterhealer
Character:
A Masterhealer must been well trained in all the above situations and must be able to respond in all emergencies. Midwifery should be a well-known task, along with birth problems such as babies facing the wrong way, etc. This person needs to be a walking encycolpedia of healing terms, sypmtoms, cures, and diseases. Another biggie is that you will most likely be teaching classes so those skills will definitly come in handy.Current Master(s)
Player:
The one who has this position on the council differs from all the other Masterhealers in that the council member has slightly more authority and has admin. powers and the passwords to the website account. The Masters should know their stuff about as well as the MasterHealer. Those webpages are there so you can learn! Utilize them! I, keraavalon, hope to be putting up a page with instructions on how to do stuff. Example: Deliver a baby, set a broken bone (human or dragon), etc.
The council member with this position is (No one). Others are: Headperson
Character:
The headperson has what many consider one of the most important jobs there is: He or she is in charge of the food! The headpeson is usually someone brought up in either Hall who doesn't show an aptitude at either, but has good organizational and 'people' skills. They constantly have to be on guard against Apprentice pranks and pilfering. Some develop a wonderful sense of humor about it, others become bitter, but either way, they are given authority to discipline when the rascals are caught.
People under the headperson are the cooks who do the actual food preparation, the stewards who oversee the drudges, and the drudges themselves who do most of the fetch-and-carry busywork. Furthermore, the headperson may draft any idle apprentices who are hanging around to do chores for him or her. Ideally, the headperson is capable of doing all of the above at any given moment.
This position is currently held by (No one)
Player:
He or she who plays the headperson is a failsafe in the case that all the other council members can't be around. This is not likely to happen, thankfully, but in case it does, this person is entrusted with passwords and limited admin. abilities. They should be responsible, intellegent, able to spell, and good at following directions. The person who currently holds this position is (No one).Journeyman
Character:
Ah, journeyman! Possibly the most entertaining rank for a Harper to posess! The journeymen are the go-fers of the Craft. They get to run around the entire world, getting sent to different posts all the time, meeting new people, Weyr exposure, dragons, gathers, Threadfall, wine, girls, guys! Journeymen are in the prime of their lives, and unless they really cross the line while in the Hall, no more glow duty! Plus, when you graduate, you get your first chance at Impressing a fire lizard! But, it's not all fun and games. The journeymen of either sex are nearly adults, and are expected to act like it. It's time to leave the pranks behind and think of grander things. Journeymen are sent to Weyrs as trained Harpers, and the newest ones are still young enough to Impress if they happen to be in the right place at the right time. They are expected NOT to sit in the first row of seats in the Hatching Caverns, however, because the Hall can't afford to lose them. But, if a dragon chooses one, they should by all means pack their bags and move into the Weyr! While posted, they are expected to report to Master Alric regularly via the fire lizard they recieved on graduation.
Player:
Those who play a journeyman character really ought to have a spare account lying around, because they really will be sent around to the different Weyr-Guilds of Neopia. They represent the Harper/Healer Guild, and should set an example for everyone wherever they go. These players know their Craft well, and are proficient roleplayers. They know the way things are in the books, and are expected to point out the worst discrepancies to their current Weyrleader--in-character, if possible (and they should know how to do this by now), but if not, a discreet Neomail is best. There will be a page with details on this as soon as I, masterharper_alric, get around to building it. In the meantime, they can think about becoming Masters and create plotlines as they see fit! Part of their job in the Weyr-Guild is to spice things up when they get dull, after all. A little romantic intrigue doesn't go awry as long as they don't get attached.
Character:
Journeymen are Healers. They are competent enough to be trusted to deal with the sick and injured on their own, and they will be expected to do so. They have walked the tables, taken their oaths, and they are ready! Even if they do get in a situation they don't know how to handle, they may of course ask their Hall for advice via the fire lizard they recieved on graduation. They must be willing to be placed in various Weyr stations where they will need to know enough to act as a Healer if any injuries occur that require their skills. The journeyman life is one of travel.
Player:
Same goes for the player. They might be stationed at a Weyr at anytime. That means they either create a new account or actually take the one they have and scoot off to their position. They should also keep in mind that they represent their Hall and their Guild and act accordingly. They actually know something about their Craft and can be expected to use that knowledge wherever prudent. No magic cures, people. This Guild is above that. They can always study more, if they wish, and become Masters. We need them all.Senior Apprentice
Character:
The seniors have escaped the tedium of babyhood--that is, the junior classes! They're still slated for glow duty from time to time, but theoretically they're working too hard at becoming journeymen (and women) to be bothered with it. These chores are mostly reserved as punishment at this stage of the game. They should have a fair idea of what they want to specialize in, if they specialize at all, and be taking the apropriate classes. Some don't specialize, and that's fine. They rank the juniors and a little show of superiority is expected, but more than that is frowned upon. They're expected to be somewhat more mature than the juniors, as well, so wide-scale pranking isn't encouraged anymore, either (unless it happens to be particularly brilliant! You didn't hear that), and they will be disciplined. This doesn't mean they can't have any fun, though. The fourth years are reaching a point where their instruments and portraits could be sold at gathers, and the third years are doing their first drum tower stint! Furthermore, at this time people become more aware of the opposite sex and have to work out what to do about it. Remember, the Masters are your mentors and councilors, too.
Player:
The players have more freedom to create plotlines outside the class-oriented ones. Their characters are approaching an age of sexual activity, and that makes things all the more interesting. It's not a time for steamy relationships just yet, but puppy love is perfectly permissable. Buck up, people. Almost journeymen! senior players are still learning, but they've come a long way, too. They ought to be at a point where other people don't have to remind you to end your sentences with periods and use quotation marks when your character is speaking, and they have their increased respect because of it.
Character:
At this point an apprentice can choose to remain in the general classes, which cover a broad range of topics in moderate depth, or begin to specialize in Nursing, Diagnostics, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Obstetrics (Midwifing)/Gynecology, Urology, Pharmacology (Herbology), Dentistry, Surgery, Respirology, and/or Dragon Healing. The apprentice can pick and choose from the above list. Some specialties (e.g. Dragon Healing and Urology) go hand-in-hand, so it would be wise to take more than one class, depending. Other fields, like Surgery and Dentistry, are more exhaustive and will require the apprentice's complete devotion even beyond making Journeyman. The General classes touch on each of the listed topics with the focus mainly on Nursing, Diagnostics, Ob/Gyn, and Pharmacology. These healers are competant in most situations and will know how to diagnose and care for a wide variety of patients at least long enough to call in a specialist, if one is needed.
Player:
Yup, these players are still learning, too. If you've got the vocabulary and use it well, the average person will believe you know what you're talking about even if you're just guessing! *under construction*Junior Apprentice
Character:
In addition to taking their classes, the juniors also do whatever fetch-and-carry work the Masters and journeymen have for them. The glow baskets are a duty that is rostered - in other words, everyone has to do it sometime. They are the lowest of the low in Craft hierarchy, and everyone knows it - including the seniors. Expect to get picked on, feel free to retaliate; but always remember to be on time for class, and don't get caught! Most apprentices have a penchant for mischief, and as creativity is a quality valued in Harpers, the more original the better. You didn't hear this, but troublemaking is subtly encouraged around here - even as you get extra glow work and other menial chores to do in punishment if you get caught! As to classes, right now they're getting general instruction in everything to discover what their best aptitude is. By the time they enter their third Turn, they should be able to choose a specialty. Of course, they may also continue general classes as a well-rounded journeyman is always valuable.
Player:
The job of a junior apprentice player in the Guild is to learn their Craft, for real. It won't be in too much depth at this stage and there won't be "homework" per se; but there will be simple advancement tests that they'll need to pass to move on to become a second year junior, third year senior, etc. If they don't know it, their character can't know it. The other requirement for promotion is role-playing ability. Watch the people of higher rank to see how they do it, and learn from them. Also, they really should feel free to have their character be a troublemaker. It makes for good plotlines and keeps the Masters on their toes! ^_~ They just shouldn't make trouble ALL the time, or they may find themselves shunned.
Character:
*This space under construction*
Player:
*This space under construction*
Anne McCaffrey 1967, 2001, all rights reserved, and used by permission of the author.