Ranks of the Bards

Apprentices
Wanderers
Masters
The Guildmaster

The Road to Mastery is a long and often difficult road, taking a decade or more to achieve the final goal--recognition as a master of your field. The ranks are Apprentice, Wanderer, and Master. Masters may also vie for the ultimate position in the Bardic Guild, that of the Guildmaster.

Apprentices: The first step toward mastery. Apprentices enter the trade knowing only rudimentary reading and writing skills, if any at all. They are usually apprenticed during their middle childhood to late teen years. An apprentice may be taken in by a master, or they may attend a school with other children, though a rare few are self-taught. Apprenticeships usually last for a few years. Apprentice studies are kept very general and usually are focused on writing. A proficiency test is usually taken to mark the passage to a wanderer, but is not required; in fact, it is usually only used within the schools. Some masters may test their apprentices in a similar manner, but most often the change in status from apprentice to wanderer is gradual.

Wanderers: Having mastered the basic literary skills, a Wanderer is the stage where a training bard branches out. They often pick up a smattering of mathematics and sciences, and begin looking into one or more areas of specialization. Some stay in schools; however, it is far more common, especially in small towns when what few schools they are only teach the basics, to be taught by a master, or to travel on a journey of self-teaching and discovery, hence the rank name. Wanderers are often assigned to help teach apprentices. The passage into mastery is marked by a test, given by the Bard Guildhall in Cascadia and judged by a panel of judges. The test varies depending on the area of specialization. All bards must have at least one area of specialization in order to take the test. This is often the longest stage of a path to mastery, ranging from five or more years to a few or several decades, and wanderers usually start in their mid-teens or older.

Masters: Masters are the few and proud who have passed their test in their area of specialization. They are good enough at them that they can teach their specializations to apprentices and wanderers. Many masters end up teaching at schools around Shadow Star. They are usually at least in their twenties and remain masters for the rest of their lifespan, barring unusual circumstances, such as disgracing the Guild.

The Guildmaster: The one and only, the head of the Bard Guildhall stationed in Cascadia. He is a master who is voted into the position by his peers. The Guildmaster usually has a mastery in more than one area, and a minimum of wanderer-level knowledge of the other arts is required. He is the leader of the Guild, and tends to the bards as the royals do to all of Shadow Star.