Author

"...What will your story be?"

Possessing the God's nature to create, all sentient life in T'sara has some sense of imagination and to see the world for what it is not. Those with the stronger imaginations and a gift for words or presentation may apply that into a profession as an Author. Many children throughout the nation's and culture's of T'sara hear Fey Tales or legends and dream of being able to create these stories themselves one day.

Career

Qualifications

In the broadest sense, all that is needed to be an author is to communicate effectively. This can often prove harder than it sounds, given precision of words, providing the proper tone, and like so that the thought comes across as intended. For the more traditional sense of the word, being an author also requires the individual to both be literate and to have skilled penmanship, both of which commonly require formal schooling.

Being skilled author often requires experience in more conceptual skills, such as perspective taking and empathizing.

As such, while the various Bard's Colleges or other schools may help teach someone to become an author, playwright, or the like, and while they are often very helpful to those students, such a formal education is not strictly necessary.

Career Progression

Progression as an author in most realms of T'sara simply means the degree to which ones name is associated with their work and the reputation that draws from it. For most, the high point is when one is able to make their creation of stories into their primary or sole means of providing for themselves.
As with most professions, a few skilled individuals can turn their experience and reputation into the profession of mentorship and instructing others.

Payment & Reimbursement

Payment can vary widely. It is most commonly understood that an author will be paid for the completion of a written word. This sense reflects the narrow view specific to the written word.

Playwrights or others who create work for others to perform may be compensated a portion of proceeds from the performance. Adventuring and traveling bards, often amateur authors in their own right, may be compensated room and board for the creation of a new story for the audience for the night.

It is also just as common that authors will receive no payment for their work. A village elder may tell a legend to help fascinate the children or impart a moral lesson. The approval of the community, or even just the family they are a member of, can be all the payment an author may need.

Perception

Demographics

All of the Children of the Six Sisters have the ability to imagine and communicate with each other, and so all cultures and races have some amount of authors and storytellers among them.

Among them, Elves are most commonly thought of in regards to being an author. Their longer lives provides them more time to develop skills, even for those who spend most of their time doing hard labor.

Goblins also have a surprising reputation for authorship, given the stereotypes of their low intellect and destructive tendencies. What has been found is that Goblins often have vivid imaginations that can be to astounding output when given the chance.

Culturally, areas with a higher value for education and expression tend to have a commensurate value for authors and storytellers. This is not always the case, as areas like D'arcan value education specifically as a means to serve the people and the state, creative output isn't as highly valued as it may be in places like Khartoum.

Author Character Background Bonus:

Choose Two Attribute Boosts: One must be to Intelligence or to Charisma, and one is a free attribute boost. You're Trained in the Craft or Performance Skill and the Legends Lore Skill for culture of your choosing, or an appropriate Lore Skill for the type of stories your character is versed in and creates. You also gain the Experienced Professional Skill Feat for that chosen Lore Skilll.

Type

Entertainment

Many cultures in T'sara have a low rate for literacy or whom have no wirtten alphabet for their language at all, most commonly the nomadic societies like the Kra'gash tribes. In these cultures, elders and creative adults create and recite countless stories through the oral tradition. Though the word is commonly understood to only pertain to the written word, the Background is meant to be applied in this broader sense of oral storytelling as well to reflect cultural variety and maximize player options.