Heroes of the Two Lands - Barbarians of Lemuria for Mythic Egypt

[Tibbius]

Ma'at and Vocations: Ma'at, the Eternal Form of the Two Lands, establishes a proper vocation for every person and expects that each person will fill that role for their entire life. In order to discern a character's Ma'at, exams are given at the verge of adulthood (around age 10). For Mid Caste or High Caste careers the exams are written; for Low Caste careers they are oral. One's performance on the placement exams reveals one's destiny.

A hero's Ma'at is extraordinary in that the hero will have multiple Careers during his or her adventures. Typically, a hero's Careers progress upward through the Castes; however, a hero who suffers under a god's Spite might have fallen down the ladder of accomplishment.

Heros begin play in the Low, Mid, or High Caste, according to their highest-ranked Career. The Exalted Caste can be attained only through adventuring.

Note that Caste affects Ka according to

4 + Strength + Mind + Caste rank.

Exalted Caste (rank 4)

Advisor: Nobility; Being second only to a Pharaoh; Commanding the kingdom when the Pharaoh is unavailable; Creating laws; Passing judgments; Commanding armies; Having servants and owning slaves; Having great wealth and possessions, including a palace; Reading and writing.

High Priest: Being highly respected; Being the highest servant of the Gods; Speaking directly with the Gods and obeying their will; Knowing all the rituals; Using Heka in the manner of their God; Having a temple, servants, and slaves; Collecting grain and enforcing laws; Reading and writing.

Nomarch: Nobility; Being third only to the Pharaoh and Advisors; Commanding a Nome (region) of the kingdom; Passing judgments; Commanding soldiers; Having servants and owning slaves; Having great wealth and possessions, including a palace; Reading and writing.


High Caste (rank 3)

Architect: Designing pyramids, temples, palaces, and simple homes; Understanding advanced Pythagorean mathematics; Having servants, possibly slaves, and a sanctuary; Reading and writing.

Astronomer: Keeping the calendar of days and weeks and years; Predicting floods and storms; Identifying the proper times for planting and for harvest; Navigating by the stars; Calculating the proper names for souls; Reading and writing; Knowing advanced mathematics.

Oracle: Speaking in prophecy; Predicting the future; Never being wrong, only misinterpreted; Using Heka, but for divination only; Having a small temple.

Physician / Embalmer: Healing the sick and wounded through simple surgery, dentistry, setting of bones and traditional herbal remedies; Preparing the dead for burial; Having servants, possibly slaves, and a sanctuary; Reading and writing.

Priest: Being a servant of the Gods; Obeying the will of the High Priest; Knowing most of the rituals; Using Heka in the manner of their God; Having servants, possibly slaves; Living in a Temple; Enforcing laws; Reading and writing.


Mid Caste (rank 2)

Artist: Painting reliefs and murals; Decorating tombs, temples, and palaces; Reading and writing but only a little.

Captain / Charioteer: Commanding and fighting from a chariot; Using swords, bows, spears, maces, and axes; Wearing armor and using shields.

Craftsman: (Baker, brewer, smith, carpenter, etc.) Preparing baked goods, beverages, pottery, jewelry, metalwork, boats, ships, furniture, and other goods; Having useful tools; Having a workshop with apprentices.

Courtier: Managing the household or offices of a Nomarch, a High Priest, or even the Advisor; Organizing parties and events; Starting and gathering rumors; Acting as a gatekeeper and favor-arranger; Being seen around the city; Feasting and drinking; Reading and writing but only a little; Knowing who is important and who is only self-important; Supervising, rewarding, and punishing servants.

Scribe: Reading and writing; Supervising most day-to-day government activities; Transcribing stories, contracts, judgments, and decrees; Accounting for funds; Staffing a nomarch's court or even the Kingpriest's court.

Stonemason: Knowing how to take an architect’s plans and make them real; Commanding laborers to build; Being a site manager; Knowing advanced mathematics; Reading and writing.

Teacher: Reading and writing; Imparting knowledge to others; Influencing critical thought and philosophy.


Low Caste (rank 1)

Constable: Patrolling to prevent crime; Helping to find lost animals, children, and objects; Investigating crimes; Arresting people; Enforcing the judgments of priests and nomarchs; Using weapons.

Entertainer: Dancing; Juggling; Performing theater; Acrobatics; Working a crowd.

Farmer: Growing crops; Raising livestock; Being the pillar upon which all of society functions.

Fisherman: Piloting boats on rivers; Avoiding crocs and hippos; Fishing; Swimming.

Foot Soldier: Fighting on foot with swords, bows, spears, maces and axes; Wearing armor and using shields; Marching long distances.

Hunter: Tracking beasts; Taming beasts; Navigating wilderness; Hiding from prey; Identifying and avoiding predators; Using a bow, spear, or other weapons to bring down prey; Running.

Merchant: Transporting the goods of craftsman and farmers for a fair charge; Navigating by starlight; Conveying payment from customers to suppliers; Tending to draft animals; Packing and repairing carts; Maintaining a market and charging fees for its use; Haggling; Good with a knife.

Musician: Producing and playing music on drums, pipes, harps, and horns; Singing.

Servant: Doing the bidding of your employer; Domestic skills; Cooking, cleaning and so on; Menial tasks such as laboring in construction; Being unintentionally privy to secrets of your employer.

Sailor: Piloting ships and boats out to sea; Maintaining ships and boats; Navigating by stars or landmarks; Fighting from ship; Using swords and bows; Swimming.


Untouchable (rank 0)

Slave: Being condemned to toil or fight for a term or indefinitely as a punishment for crime; Having no rights; Enduring deprivation and the lash.