Backgrounds

> Actor-Beekeeper

Actor-
You are a natural entertainer who performs plays, skits, and poems for the enjoyment of the people of Khares. You are able to mimic voices and animal calls, as well as being effortlessly charming, persuasive, or deceptive as needed.

Starting Item: Disguise Kit

Apothecary-
You have a vast expertise in the creation of poultices, elixirs, salves, balms and teas. You have a working knowledge of herbs, oils, mushrooms and other components for your creations. You also know a fair bit about poisons and drugs and their effects.

Starting Item: Mortar and Pestle

Armorer-
You cast, refine, improve, and repair weapons and armor for a living. Whether it's a finely made khopesh or a simple bone dagger, a humble wool vest or splendid bronze armor, you are adept at creating and repairing it. You likely have a contract with the Imperial Forces to provide arms.

Starting Item: 1 extra weapon, armor, shield or helmet

Artist-
You use your talent, perseverance and eye for detail to paint, sculpt, or illustrate. You can easily identify different art styles and their origins as well as spotting hard to find details. You may be able to forge a signature, create a disguise, or convey a message in a creative way.

Starting Item: Ink x3

Bandit-
You are a bandit, ambushing and stealing from trade wagons, caravans and travelers. You are able to sabotage wagons, start a stampede and know the best hiding spots in the countryside. You may be aware of other bad actors in your area and their affiliations with each other.

Starting Item: Uncommon gem

Barbarian-
You are a warrior from a far away land. People often find you intimidating..

Starting Item: War paint

Barber-
Using a myriad of razors, shears, soaps, and balms you wash, cut, and style the hair and beards of Kharesians the Empire over. You can braid, coif, tease, and tame any kind of ‘do. You always know the local gossip and have become a repository of seedy rumors.

Starting Item: Bronze razors

Barrister-
You have meticulously studied the laws and customs of Khares and so are able to provide legal counsel and representation to those who seek it. You may be familiar with law enforcement members and with local criminals. You are literate

Starting Item: Sealing wax

Bathhouse Worker-
You work in the bathhouses, tending to the furnace and to patrons. You often get told “you look familiar but I just can not seem to place you” around town. You are familiar with plumbing and have become adept at seamlessly eavesdropping. You are a repository of rumors and gossip.

Starting Item: Floral perfume

Bee Keeper-
You keep a colony of bees and harvest their spoils. You know how to safely subdue bees, collect comb, and separate wax from honey. You can craft simple beeswax items like candles, skin balms, and soaps and delectable honey-based treats like candies, condiments, and mead.

Starting Item: Beekeeper's outfit

> Beer Brewer-Cattle Herder

Beer Brewer-
You brew vast quantities of beer in service to Khares. You know all the local tavern and inn keepers as well as the best farmers and they are friendly to you. You can hold your drink better than most due to taste testing so many batches. You pick up on subtlety in taste or aroma.

Starting Item: Amphora of artisanal beer

Boxer-
You use your fists and gumption to earn a living as a boxer. You keep up with professional boxing and likely have tattoos that outline your affiliation and records. You may be recognized more often in public, but you also may be more likely to have a stranger buy you a drink.

Starting Item: Mar Ambrotus devotional

Brick Mason-
You are a brick mason, and are able to create both mudbricks and fired bricks if given time and resources. You are able to identify structural integrity and quirks of buildings and structures made up of brick. The masons are a close-knit bunch so you’d probably know who made a brick if you examined one, plus where to find them.

Starting Item: Chisel set

Bronze Smith-
You know the secrets to making bronze and how to cast it. Given the time and resources, you are able to create bronze tools and trinkets of all types. You’re fearless around fire and can use most tools easily.

Starting Item: Bronze working gloves

Butcher-
You are a butcher adept at humanely slaughtering livestock, as well as butchery, sausage making and fat rendering. You have close working relationships with the tanner and the chef. You may understand how an animal works on a mechanical level and how one might disable or disassemble their body. You feed bones to the local dogs who love and may even defend you.

Starting Item: Smoked leg of goat

Camel Herder-
You tend to a herd of camels and are an expert on all things involving them. You are able to attend to all basic camel husbandry and are adept at dodging their spit. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item: Whistle

Candy Maker-
You create candy and other confectionaries for Kharesians to enjoy. You always seem to have a small supply of sweets on you which comes in handy in lifting moods. You are well known to the local children who delight in whatever leftover sweets you gift them and they happily share secrets with you. You notice subtlety in flavor and aroma.

Starting Item: Candied nuts

Caretaker-
You care for the sick, elderly and disabled. You are compassionate and patient with even the most difficult of people.You are adept at understanding even the most impaired or broken attempts at language, and you have some knowledge of medicine administration and first aid.

Starting Item: Nocturne Chamomile Extract

Carpenter-
You know best how to work a stiff piece of wood in your hands. You are an expert in all things related to woo such as carving, joinery, whittling and building. Upon examination, you know the structural integrity of wooden structures. You are able to use almost any simple tool with ease.

Starting Item: Copper saw

Cattle Herder-
You keep cattle and are familiar with all that involves. Your skills with cattle include cleaning, herding, gelding, milking and training oxen amongst others. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item: Cattle brand

> Chef-Fortune Teller

Chef-
You are a skilled chef and epicurean. You can bring up everyone’s spirits with a delicious meal and are skilled in using even unusual ingredients one may find while adventuring. You notice subtlety in flavor and aroma. You may know where to find rare flavorings and ingredients.

Starting Item: Chili oil

Child Rearer-
You warmly care for the children of Khares, providing a watchful eye and fervid support for their development. You are able to temporarily dress light wounds and prepare simple meals given time and resources. Due to your dealings with young ones, you are especially competent at negotiating with irrational actors. You multitask with ease.

Starting Item: Doll

Civil Bureaucrat-
You are a secular cleric of Atara dedicating your life to civil service within the bureaucracy. You are organized and have knowledge of the inner workings of the Kharesian state. You are literate.

Starting Item: Scroll

Civillian Sentry Force-
Though you didn’t quite have the brawn or the bravery to be a soldier, you do want to be seen as tough, so you became a member of Her Majesty's elite law enforcement squad known as the Civilian Sentry Force. Although you talk a big game about your dedication to law and order, you are more likely to be found eating sweet date cakes, harassing teenagers, and taking naps when you are supposed to be working. Other CSF members are very partial to you.

Starting Item: Sweet cake sampler

Cobbler-
From reed sandals to leather boots, embellished ceremonial dancing flats to cozy house slippers, you are able to create and repair the shoes that protect the feet of all Kharesians. You have nimble fingers and an eye for detail. You always notice even the slightest limp.

Starting Item: Bronze razors

Elephant Trainer-
You train elephants to use as draft and work animals. Since you need so much space, you probably do not live too close to a city. After spending time with an elephant you can usually get them to perform basic tasks. You can identify and work with ivory. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item: Elephant goad

Engineer-
You are a tinkerer, able to imagine and build complex contraptions. You can usually figure out how something works and are familiar with the mysterious machinery of the Musen. You are quick witted, have nimble fingers, and can use most tools. You may be adept at disabling traps

Starting Item: Block & Tackle

Farmer-
You are a field worker who sows the rich soil of Her Majesty’s river valleys and reaps a bounty of Kharesian staples like grain, sunflowers, sugar beets and sweet eating onions. You recognize weather and seasonal patterns. You can usually identify Kharesian native plants and animals.

Starting Item: (choose one) straw sunhat, hoe, shovel, pickax, ditch leaves, elation flower, Mar Pashet devotional, sack, clay flask, bronze flask, flint hand axe, simple jewelry

Fish Monger-
You fish the rivers, shallow seas, or deep ocean for fish and other seafood. You are very patient and have all the nautical skills you need to navigate a boat. You may know simple knots and traps, and have modest bargaining skills from vending your wares. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item: Fishing net

Fortune Teller-
You are able to read fortunes using a set of bone and jade dice and a deck of Kharesian playing cards. You are also knowledgeable of astrology which you use to help divine the future. The captivating way you explain your visions makes you skilled at charming and deceiving people.

Starting Item: Divining dice

> Hoodlum-Midwife

>Hoodlum-
You are a local troublemaker and professional loiterer. You are aware of the best escape routes in town, but people tend not to trust you. Let no one say you are not well rounded- you know where to find good information, where to find good fritters, and where to find good elation flower.

Starting Item: Weighted shekel

Hunter-
You skillfully track and stalk the wild beasts of Khares and fell them with aplomb to feed and protect all the Empress’s people. You are also skilled in basic butchery, skinning, and tanning. You can identify animal tracks and droppings, navigate wilderness, and camouflage well.

Starting Item: Hunting trap

Inn Keeper-
You are the proprietor of a local inn. You are adept at dealing with strangers and can usually tell when someone is completely telling the truth. You always notice the outsider in a crowd.

Starting Item: Playing cards

Jeweler-
You delicately piece together fine jewelry and other adornments with nimble fingers and an eye for detail. You have an encyclopedic knowledge of gemstones and precious metals, and can offer accurate appraisals of items made of such. You may know another jeweler's work to see it.

Starting Item: Rare gem

Labor Organizer-
You organize the working people of Khares to ensure their protection and proper treatment by the nobility. You are a capable negotiator and have an advantage in persuading even an ardent foe to see your perspective. Though you are not a welcome sight for the ruling class, the common people trust and adore you.

Starting Item: Mar Eshmun devotional

Livery Attendant-
You tend to the camels, oxen and zebra in your locality. You can understand how an animal is feeling and know how to care for them. Because you often work with travelers, you usually know if any strangers are in town and what business and rumors they bring. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item:Animal feed x3

Mercenary-
You are a fighter, be it trained or self-taught. You can wield any weapon and armor with ease and can handle yourself in dangerous situations. You owe allegiance to no one, but you ae on your own in a fight unless arrangements have been made.

Starting Item: One extra weapon

Merchant-
You buy and trade supplies, curios and other desirable items. You are a shrewd negotiator and can appraise the value of most items you come across. You tend to pick up details that tell you if someone is wealthy or poor. You have an eye for detail and a propensity for showmanship.

Starting Item: 1d4 additional trinkets&curios.

Midwife-
A venerated professional, you have extensive experience in caring for women, pregnancies, and newborns. You are able to provide sound perinatal care, deliver a baby, and have a working knowledge of herbal remedies and basic medicine as it relates to fertility and birth control. You can milk any lactating animal.

Starting Item: Poppy syrup

> Miner-Sailor

>Miner-
You have spent your days tunneling, digging, extracting, and hauling precious resources such as copper, tin or gold in the mines dotted around Her Majesty’s Empire. Due to your profession, you are comfortable with dark and claustrophobic spaces. You would be able to tell if a tunnel could be dug in a material, and can identify the easiest place to break through a wall, if any

Starting Item: Miner's helmet

Money Changer-
You trade coins and charge a fee to do so, making a tidy profit for very little effort. Although many view you as untrustworthy and not having an actual job, you tend to have allies in high places. You can calculate sums, quotients, dividends, and percentages easily in your head. You are literate.

Starting Item: 1d8 gold darics

Musician-
You are an accomplished musician who has mastered an instrument such as the lute, harp, lyre, flute, horn, or drums. You have a charming singing voice, and people tend to be in a better mood after hearing you perform. You might be able to inspire a crowd or discourage an enemy.

Starting Item: Musical instrument

Mycophagist-
You spend time gathering mushrooms and growing molds as well as studying their properties. You are an expert on fungus and are easily able to identify medicinal, culinary, recreational, and/or toxic varieties and likely know where to find them. You may know a local drug dealer.

Starting Item: Slumbering shroom

Parrot Keeper-
You breed, raise and train Kharesian Courier Parrots for use in the Kharesian Postal Service. When it comes to the Kharesian Post Office, birds, and tolerating loud squawks, you have no equal. You may be able to intercept a messenger bird if you see one.

Starting Item: Kharesian courrier parrot

Physician-
You have extensive knowledge of the human body and afflictions that may ail it. Combined with your expertise on medicinal drugs, you are able to perform miraculous surgeries with a set of sharp obsidian blades. You may be able to identify items and potions that heal. You are literate.

Starting Item: Medicine kit

Pirate-
Your life consists of plundering merchant ships and smuggling goods to the black market. You are able to sail a ship and you know the local coastlines and especially secret coves. You may recognize local merchants who will not admit to recognizing you. You can likely spot valuables.

Starting Item: Modest jewelry

Politician-
You are an affable elected official, serving in the House of the People for your District. While some may call you useless, you are well connected if state assistance is ever needed. You are easily recognized in public and polarizing, though generally thought of more as inept than cruel.

Starting Item: Expensive clothing

Potter-
You shape clay into pots, amphoras, cups and other vessels. You can identify types of pottery and techniques. You may know local vintners, beer brewers, merchants, tavern and inn keepers.

Starting Item: Clay amphora

Sailor-
Your background is in sailing, whether that be on the open seas or winding rivers. Spending long stretches alone with the crew has given you a dirty mind and a dirtier mouth.You can navigate using the stars, identify weather patterns, tie many complex knots, and pilot a boat.

Starting Item: Rope

> Scholar-Tanner

>Scholar-
You are an intellectual, and your erudite nature has led you to become an expert in various fields of study. When you are not reading a scroll, you can be called upon for your knowledge in history, natural sciences, and the occult. You may have a favorite field of study. You are literate.

Starting Item: Scroll

Scribe-
You have mastered reading and writing the Kharesian script. Your notes are sedulous and you often take and archive records in service of the Empress and her citizens. You may be privy to secrets you can never betray. You could likely forge a signature or document. You are literate.

Starting Item: Bundle of papyrus

Shepherd-
You are a simple shepherd who tends to a flock of sheep or goats. These livestock are of great importance to you and to Khares as they are used in a number of culinary and utilitarian ways. While sometimes stereotyped as absent minded, your role is essential and celebrated.

Starting Item: (choose one) shepherd’s crook, ditch leaves, elation flower, animal call, bronze flask, clay flask, air bladder, tent, Mar Darya Devotional, sheep shears, straw sunhat

Soldier-
You are serving the Empress through the Imperial Forces. You are athletic, adept at combat, and know how to follow orders. You are loyal to your fellow soldiers and they to you- another nearby servicemember will join alongside you in battle if they are able.

Starting Item: Helmet

Stone Mason-
You know all things stone, whether that be cutting stone blocks, etching engravings into steles or sculpting beautiful statues. You are able to identify different types of stones and can point out abnormalities in objects or buildings made of stone. Masons know each other’s work if studied.

Starting Item: Pickax

Story Teller-
You have weaved together epic tales, poems, odes and fables and are able to perform them in a captivating dramatic fashion. Your memory is excellent as your mind is a repository for folklore, history, and politics which help add depth to your stories. You are an expert on all things culture.

Starting Item: Mar Dakuna devotional

Street Food Vendor-
You cook quick, simple and delicious meals for the working people of Khares. Due to your talent for making tasty fritters, noodles and fried fish, you find people tend to be more friendly to you. You blend into any street corner and no one thinks twice about who is seen talking to you.

Starting Item: Prawn powder

Sugar Miller-
You create the myriad of sweet and sticky sugars and syrups for Khares. You know how to extract sugar from sugar beets, dates, palms and birch. You may be able to distill drinkable water from sea water given time and resources. You are less sensitive to heat than most.

Starting Item: Sugar cake

Tailor/Seamstress-
You are an expert in creating, altering, and repairing clothes. You are able to work with linen, wool, and silk and know how to dye, sew, and embellish these textiles into appealing patterns. You have an eye for fashion and can usually identify where clothing originated from.

Starting Item: Bolt of linen/wool

Tanner-
You are an expert leatherworker and tanner of hides. You are able to preserve and tan animal skins, furs, and hides as well as make a wide variety of hide-based goods like clothing, armor, trinkets, saddles, tents, and bedding.

Starting Item: Obsidian blades

> Tavern Keeper-Zebra Trainer

>Tavern Keeper-
You run a popular haunt for relaxing Kharesians. You can perfectly pour beer, mix cocktails, and make the finest soups and stews around. You always offer a sympathetic ear for those with troubles (and shekels.) You likely know a fair few local secrets and indiscretions. You may be owed favors by patrons who are prone to overconsume.

Starting Item: Weighted dice

Thief-
You spend your time engaging in burglary, pickpocketing and other petty crimes. You can stealthily swipe other people’s belongings. You may be able to pick locks and jimmy open safes

Starting Item: Thief's tools

Thug-
You are hired muscle for a local crime syndicate. You have a threatening aura and a connection to the underworld.

Starting Item: Crowbar

Vagabond-
You are a wanderer who travels throughout the Empire. You can easily recall local histories, rumors and customs of many different regions. You may know other vagabonds or factions, but are not likely to be trusted easily by most locals. You have a mysterious air about you.

Starting Item: Exploding cigar

Veteran-
You have served in the Imperial Forces but have been discharged. You have seen a lot of the world and are familiar with strange things due to the many wilderness patrols you have engaged in. You are likely to be known and respected by soldiers and Civilian Sentry Force members.

Starting Item: Shield

Vinter-
You are able to ferment anything with sugar into a drinkable wine or spirit. Sampling your wares often leaves you with a purplish lip stain. You can identify most alcoholic elixirs with ease. You may also be able to distill drinkable water from sea water. You notice subtle tastes and aromas.

Starting Item: Pomegranate cordial

Weaver-
You are adept at the process of turning raw material into fabric, rope, yarn, or thread. You can easily tell what fabric something is made of and are knowledgeable of common and rare dyes. You can braid, knit and crochet, use a loom or spindle, and are adept at common knots.

Starting Item: Common dye

Zebra Trainer-
You train herds of zebra to pull chariots. You may be able to identify individual zebra and who they belong to if familiar. You also know how to drive a chariot with ease. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item: Training whip

> Special Backgrounds

>Acolyte-
You are a pious devotee of a mostly forgotten Mar. Due to your deep devotion and the use of your patron’s relic, you are able to conjure minor miracles of healing. You are literate.

Starting Item: Obscure Mar Relic - You may cast the spell *heal* at will. Grants one fatigue.

Drone-
You belong to the mysterious Order of Drones, a secret society of warriors devoted to protecting the Empress and her domain. You abhor all creatures of Gulhod. Using your sacred weapon you can channel your mystic energy to fell supernatural foes.

Starting Item: Jinnfeller Iron Dagger - Smites jinn by dealing 1d4 damage directly to STR. Grants one fatigue

Exorcist-
You are an exorcist devoted to Mar Zesiro and The Empress, (specifically Her Majesty, the Bane of Sorcery.) By burning holy incense in your thurible you are able to banish jinn, rabisu, and the undead from this plane. You are literate.

Starting Item: Thurible & Holy Incense - Supernatural foes with 5HP or less must make a WIL save or flee. Any who roll a 20 are destroyed by a ray of miraculous sunshine. Grants one fatigue.

Magus-
You are a sorcerer with a connection to the Astral Realm and the whispers of Jinn haunting your mind. You have amassed a modest collection of orbuclum and the long term exposure to them may have a correlation with your quirky demeanor. Though you may come off as odd to the common folk, you’re more likely to understand and communicate well with supernatural foes.

Starting Item: Two random orbuculum - Once per game session, you may call upon the Jinn and cast a spell without granting a fatigue.

> All Backgrounds

Actor-
You are a natural entertainer who performs plays, skits, and poems for the enjoyment of the people of Khares. You are able to mimic voices and animal calls, as well as being effortlessly charming, persuasive, or deceptive as needed.

Starting Item: Disguise Kit

Apothecary-
You have a vast expertise in the creation of poultices, elixirs, salves, balms and teas. You have a working knowledge of herbs, oils, mushrooms and other components for your creations. You also know a fair bit about poisons and drugs and their effects.

Starting Item: Mortar and Pestle

Armorer-
You cast, refine, improve, and repair weapons and armor for a living. Whether it's a finely made khopesh or a simple bone dagger, a humble wool vest or splendid bronze armor, you are adept at creating and repairing it. You likely have a contract with the Imperial Forces to provide arms.

Starting Item: 1 extra weapon, armor, shield or helmet

Artist-
You use your talent, perseverance and eye for detail to paint, sculpt, or illustrate. You can easily identify different art styles and their origins as well as spotting hard to find details. You may be able to forge a signature, create a disguise, or convey a message in a creative way.

Starting Item: Ink x3

Bandit-
You are a bandit, ambushing and stealing from trade wagons, caravans and travelers. You are able to sabotage wagons, start a stampede and know the best hiding spots in the countryside. You may be aware of other bad actors in your area and their affiliations with each other.

Starting Item: Uncommon gem

Barbarian-
You are a warrior from a far away land. People often find you intimidating..

Starting Item: War paint

Barber-
Using a myriad of razors, shears, soaps, and balms you wash, cut, and style the hair and beards of Kharesians the Empire over. You can braid, coif, tease, and tame any kind of ‘do. You always know the local gossip and have become a repository of seedy rumors.

Starting Item: Bronze razors

Barrister-
You have meticulously studied the laws and customs of Khares and so are able to provide legal counsel and representation to those who seek it. You may be familiar with law enforcement members and with local criminals. You are literate

Starting Item: Sealing wax

Bathhouse Worker-
You work in the bathhouses, tending to the furnace and to patrons. You often get told “you look familiar but I just can not seem to place you” around town. You are familiar with plumbing and have become adept at seamlessly eavesdropping. You are a repository of rumors and gossip.

Starting Item: Floral perfume

Bee Keeper-
You keep a colony of bees and harvest their spoils. You know how to safely subdue bees, collect comb, and separate wax from honey. You can craft simple beeswax items like candles, skin balms, and soaps and delectable honey-based treats like candies, condiments, and mead.

Starting Item: Beekeeper's outfit

Beer Brewer-
You brew vast quantities of beer in service to Khares. You know all the local tavern and inn keepers as well as the best farmers and they are friendly to you. You can hold your drink better than most due to taste testing so many batches. You pick up on subtlety in taste or aroma.

Starting Item: Amphora of artisanal beer

Boxer-
You use your fists and gumption to earn a living as a boxer. You keep up with professional boxing and likely have tattoos that outline your affiliation and records. You may be recognized more often in public, but you also may be more likely to have a stranger buy you a drink.

Starting Item: Mar Ambrotus devotional

Brick Mason-
You are a brick mason, and are able to create both mudbricks and fired bricks if given time and resources. You are able to identify structural integrity and quirks of buildings and structures made up of brick. The masons are a close-knit bunch so you’d probably know who made a brick if you examined one, plus where to find them.

Starting Item: Chisel set

Bronze Smith-
You know the secrets to making bronze and how to cast it. Given the time and resources, you are able to create bronze tools and trinkets of all types. You’re fearless around fire and can use most tools easily.

Starting Item: Bronze working gloves

Butcher-
You are a butcher adept at humanely slaughtering livestock, as well as butchery, sausage making and fat rendering. You have close working relationships with the tanner and the chef. You may understand how an animal works on a mechanical level and how one might disable or disassemble their body. You feed bones to the local dogs who love and may even defend you.

Starting Item: Smoked leg of goat

Camel Herder-
You tend to a herd of camels and are an expert on all things involving them. You are able to attend to all basic camel husbandry and are adept at dodging their spit. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item: Whistle

Candy Maker-
You create candy and other confectionaries for Kharesians to enjoy. You always seem to have a small supply of sweets on you which comes in handy in lifting moods. You are well known to the local children who delight in whatever leftover sweets you gift them and they happily share secrets with you. You notice subtlety in flavor and aroma.

Starting Item: Candied nuts

Caretaker-
You care for the sick, elderly and disabled. You are compassionate and patient with even the most difficult of people.You are adept at understanding even the most impaired or broken attempts at language, and you have some knowledge of medicine administration and first aid.

Starting Item: Nocturne Chamomile Extract

Carpenter-
You know best how to work a stiff piece of wood in your hands. You are an expert in all things related to woo such as carving, joinery, whittling and building. Upon examination, you know the structural integrity of wooden structures. You are able to use almost any simple tool with ease.

Starting Item: Copper saw

Cattle Herder-
You keep cattle and are familiar with all that involves. Your skills with cattle include cleaning, herding, gelding, milking and training oxen amongst others. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item: Cattle brand

Chef-
You are a skilled chef and epicurean. You can bring up everyone’s spirits with a delicious meal and are skilled in using even unusual ingredients one may find while adventuring. You notice subtlety in flavor and aroma. You may know where to find rare flavorings and ingredients.

Starting Item: Chili oil

Child Rearer-
You warmly care for the children of Khares, providing a watchful eye and fervid support for their development. You are able to temporarily dress light wounds and prepare simple meals given time and resources. Due to your dealings with young ones, you are especially competent at negotiating with irrational actors. You multitask with ease.

Starting Item: Doll

Civil Bureaucrat-
You are a secular cleric of Atara dedicating your life to civil service within the bureaucracy. You are organized and have knowledge of the inner workings of the Kharesian state. You are literate.

Starting Item: Scroll

Civillian Sentry Force-
Though you didn’t quite have the brawn or the bravery to be a soldier, you do want to be seen as tough, so you became a member of Her Majesty's elite law enforcement squad known as the Civilian Sentry Force. Although you talk a big game about your dedication to law and order, you are more likely to be found eating sweet date cakes, harassing teenagers, and taking naps when you are supposed to be working. Other CSF members are very partial to you.

Starting Item: Sweet cake sampler

Cobbler-
From reed sandals to leather boots, embellished ceremonial dancing flats to cozy house slippers, you are able to create and repair the shoes that protect the feet of all Kharesians. You have nimble fingers and an eye for detail. You always notice even the slightest limp.

Starting Item: Bronze razors

Elephant Trainer-
You train elephants to use as draft and work animals. Since you need so much space, you probably do not live too close to a city. After spending time with an elephant you can usually get them to perform basic tasks. You can identify and work with ivory. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item: Elephant goad

Engineer-
You are a tinkerer, able to imagine and build complex contraptions. You can usually figure out how something works and are familiar with the mysterious machinery of the Musen. You are quick witted, have nimble fingers, and can use most tools. You may be adept at disabling traps

Starting Item: Block & Tackle

Farmer-
You are a field worker who sows the rich soil of Her Majesty’s river valleys and reaps a bounty of Kharesian staples like grain, sunflowers, sugar beets and sweet eating onions. You recognize weather and seasonal patterns. You can usually identify Kharesian native plants and animals.

Starting Item: (choose one) straw sunhat, hoe, shovel, pickax, ditch leaves, elation flower, Mar Pashet devotional, sack, clay flask, bronze flask, flint hand axe, simple jewelry

Fish Monger-
You fish the rivers, shallow seas, or deep ocean for fish and other seafood. You are very patient and have all the nautical skills you need to navigate a boat. You may know simple knots and traps, and have modest bargaining skills from vending your wares. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item: Fishing net

Fortune Teller-
You are able to read fortunes using a set of bone and jade dice and a deck of Kharesian playing cards. You are also knowledgeable of astrology which you use to help divine the future. The captivating way you explain your visions makes you skilled at charming and deceiving people.

Starting Item: Divining dice

Hoodlum-
You are a local troublemaker and professional loiterer. You are aware of the best escape routes in town, but people tend not to trust you. Let no one say you are not well rounded- you know where to find good information, where to find good fritters, and where to find good elation flower.

Starting Item: Weighted shekel

Hunter-
You skillfully track and stalk the wild beasts of Khares and fell them with aplomb to feed and protect all the Empress’s people. You are also skilled in basic butchery, skinning, and tanning. You can identify animal tracks and droppings, navigate wilderness, and camouflage well.

Starting Item: Hunting trap

Inn Keeper-
You are the proprietor of a local inn. You are adept at dealing with strangers and can usually tell when someone is completely telling the truth. You always notice the outsider in a crowd.

Starting Item: Playing cards

Jeweler-
You delicately piece together fine jewelry and other adornments with nimble fingers and an eye for detail. You have an encyclopedic knowledge of gemstones and precious metals, and can offer accurate appraisals of items made of such. You may know another jeweler's work to see it.

Starting Item: Rare gem

Labor Organizer-
You organize the working people of Khares to ensure their protection and proper treatment by the nobility. You are a capable negotiator and have an advantage in persuading even an ardent foe to see your perspective. Though you are not a welcome sight for the ruling class, the common people trust and adore you.

Starting Item: Mar Eshmun devotional

Livery Attendant-
You tend to the camels, oxen and zebra in your locality. You can understand how an animal is feeling and know how to care for them. Because you often work with travelers, you usually know if any strangers are in town and what business and rumors they bring. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item:Animal feed x3

Mercenary-
You are a fighter, be it trained or self-taught. You can wield any weapon and armor with ease and can handle yourself in dangerous situations. You owe allegiance to no one, but you ae on your own in a fight unless arrangements have been made.

Starting Item: One extra weapon

Merchant-
You buy and trade supplies, curios and other desirable items. You are a shrewd negotiator and can appraise the value of most items you come across. You tend to pick up details that tell you if someone is wealthy or poor. You have an eye for detail and a propensity for showmanship.

Starting Item: 1d4 additional trinkets&curios.

Midwife-
A venerated professional, you have extensive experience in caring for women, pregnancies, and newborns. You are able to provide sound perinatal care, deliver a baby, and have a working knowledge of herbal remedies and basic medicine as it relates to fertility and birth control. You can milk any lactating animal.

Starting Item: Poppy syrup

Miner-
You have spent your days tunneling, digging, extracting, and hauling precious resources such as copper, tin or gold in the mines dotted around Her Majesty’s Empire. Due to your profession, you are comfortable with dark and claustrophobic spaces. You would be able to tell if a tunnel could be dug in a material, and can identify the easiest place to break through a wall, if any

Starting Item: Miner's helmet

Money Changer-
You trade coins and charge a fee to do so, making a tidy profit for very little effort. Although many view you as untrustworthy and not having an actual job, you tend to have allies in high places. You can calculate sums, quotients, dividends, and percentages easily in your head. You are literate.

Starting Item: 1d8 gold darics

Musician-
You are an accomplished musician who has mastered an instrument such as the lute, harp, lyre, flute, horn, or drums. You have a charming singing voice, and people tend to be in a better mood after hearing you perform. You might be able to inspire a crowd or discourage an enemy.

Starting Item: Musical instrument

Mycophagist-
You spend time gathering mushrooms and growing molds as well as studying their properties. You are an expert on fungus and are easily able to identify medicinal, culinary, recreational, and/or toxic varieties and likely know where to find them. You may know a local drug dealer.

Starting Item: Slumbering shroom

Parrot Keeper-
You breed, raise and train Kharesian Courier Parrots for use in the Kharesian Postal Service. When it comes to the Kharesian Post Office, birds, and tolerating loud squawks, you have no equal. You may be able to intercept a messenger bird if you see one.

Starting Item: Kharesian courrier parrot

Physician-
You have extensive knowledge of the human body and afflictions that may ail it. Combined with your expertise on medicinal drugs, you are able to perform miraculous surgeries with a set of sharp obsidian blades. You may be able to identify items and potions that heal. You are literate.

Starting Item: Medicine kit

Pirate-
Your life consists of plundering merchant ships and smuggling goods to the black market. You are able to sail a ship and you know the local coastlines and especially secret coves. You may recognize local merchants who will not admit to recognizing you. You can likely spot valuables.

Starting Item: Modest jewelry

Politician-
You are an affable elected official, serving in the House of the People for your District. While some may call you useless, you are well connected if state assistance is ever needed. You are easily recognized in public and polarizing, though generally thought of more as inept than cruel.

Starting Item: Expensive clothing

Potter-
You shape clay into pots, amphoras, cups and other vessels. You can identify types of pottery and techniques. You may know local vintners, beer brewers, merchants, tavern and inn keepers.

Starting Item: Clay amphora

Sailor-
Your background is in sailing, whether that be on the open seas or winding rivers. Spending long stretches alone with the crew has given you a dirty mind and a dirtier mouth.You can navigate using the stars, identify weather patterns, tie many complex knots, and pilot a boat.

Starting Item: Rope

Scholar-
You are an intellectual, and your erudite nature has led you to become an expert in various fields of study. When you are not reading a scroll, you can be called upon for your knowledge in history, natural sciences, and the occult. You may have a favorite field of study. You are literate.

Starting Item: Scroll

Scribe-
You have mastered reading and writing the Kharesian script. Your notes are sedulous and you often take and archive records in service of the Empress and her citizens. You may be privy to secrets you can never betray. You could likely forge a signature or document. You are literate.

Starting Item: Bundle of papyrus

Shepherd-
You are a simple shepherd who tends to a flock of sheep or goats. These livestock are of great importance to you and to Khares as they are used in a number of culinary and utilitarian ways. While sometimes stereotyped as absent minded, your role is essential and celebrated.

Starting Item: (choose one) shepherd’s crook, ditch leaves, elation flower, animal call, bronze flask, clay flask, air bladder, tent, Mar Darya Devotional, sheep shears, straw sunhat

Soldier-
You are serving the Empress through the Imperial Forces. You are athletic, adept at combat, and know how to follow orders. You are loyal to your fellow soldiers and they to you- another nearby servicemember will join alongside you in battle if they are able.

Starting Item: Helmet

Stone Mason-
You know all things stone, whether that be cutting stone blocks, etching engravings into steles or sculpting beautiful statues. You are able to identify different types of stones and can point out abnormalities in objects or buildings made of stone. Masons know each other’s work if studied.

Starting Item: Pickax

Story Teller-
You have weaved together epic tales, poems, odes and fables and are able to perform them in a captivating dramatic fashion. Your memory is excellent as your mind is a repository for folklore, history, and politics which help add depth to your stories. You are an expert on all things culture.

Starting Item: Mar Dakuna devotional

Street Food Vendor-
You cook quick, simple and delicious meals for the working people of Khares. Due to your talent for making tasty fritters, noodles and fried fish, you find people tend to be more friendly to you. You blend into any street corner and no one thinks twice about who is seen talking to you.

Starting Item: Prawn powder

Sugar Miller-
You create the myriad of sweet and sticky sugars and syrups for Khares. You know how to extract sugar from sugar beets, dates, palms and birch. You may be able to distill drinkable water from sea water given time and resources. You are less sensitive to heat than most.

Starting Item: Sugar cake

Tailor/Seamstress-
You are an expert in creating, altering, and repairing clothes. You are able to work with linen, wool, and silk and know how to dye, sew, and embellish these textiles into appealing patterns. You have an eye for fashion and can usually identify where clothing originated from.

Starting Item: Bolt of linen/wool

Tanner-
You are an expert leatherworker and tanner of hides. You are able to preserve and tan animal skins, furs, and hides as well as make a wide variety of hide-based goods like clothing, armor, trinkets, saddles, tents, and bedding.

Starting Item: Obsidian blades

Tavern Keeper-
You run a popular haunt for relaxing Kharesians. You can perfectly pour beer, mix cocktails, and make the finest soups and stews around. You always offer a sympathetic ear for those with troubles (and shekels.) You likely know a fair few local secrets and indiscretions. You may be owed favors by patrons who are prone to overconsume.

Starting Item: Weighted dice

Thief-
You spend your time engaging in burglary, pickpocketing and other petty crimes. You can stealthily swipe other people’s belongings. You may be able to pick locks and jimmy open safes

Starting Item: Thief's tools

Thug-
You are hired muscle for a local crime syndicate. You have a threatening aura and a connection to the underworld.

Starting Item: Crowbar

Vagabond-
You are a wanderer who travels throughout the Empire. You can easily recall local histories, rumors and customs of many different regions. You may know other vagabonds or factions, but are not likely to be trusted easily by most locals. You have a mysterious air about you.

Starting Item: Exploding cigar

Veteran-
You have served in the Imperial Forces but have been discharged. You have seen a lot of the world and are familiar with strange things due to the many wilderness patrols you have engaged in. You are likely to be known and respected by soldiers and Civilian Sentry Force members.

Starting Item: Shield

Vinter-
You are able to ferment anything with sugar into a drinkable wine or spirit. Sampling your wares often leaves you with a purplish lip stain. You can identify most alcoholic elixirs with ease. You may also be able to distill drinkable water from sea water. You notice subtle tastes and aromas.

Starting Item: Pomegranate cordial

Weaver-
You are adept at the process of turning raw material into fabric, rope, yarn, or thread. You can easily tell what fabric something is made of and are knowledgeable of common and rare dyes. You can braid, knit and crochet, use a loom or spindle, and are adept at common knots.

Starting Item: Common dye

Zebra Trainer-
You train herds of zebra to pull chariots. You may be able to identify individual zebra and who they belong to if familiar. You also know how to drive a chariot with ease. You smell a little bit.

Starting Item: Training whip