The positions of troubadour, yeomen and the Synod confuse me. The two pages above both state that the Synod is open to nobles and yeomen alike. But Troubadour is not mentioned among the list of roles for yeomen on the Yeoman page.
So then, what kind of priest role is available to them? Or is the Troubadour role one taken up by yeomen and nobles?
There is the possibility that it’s because the setting is written by multiple authors over many months, so can get these odd inconsistencies of tone.
I had thought a person could start play as a yeoman synod priest (ie with the *congregation *resource) and seek a test of mettle only as they gain prominence - such as becoming a serious contender a Cardinal or Gatekeeper position. Is that “snowflakey”?
Troubadour-in-training is likely to be quite a fun role. Dawn has quite a high ratio of synod membership to people in Imperial Synod positions so one thing a lot of us are crying out for is some other troubadours to work with the nation and to apprentice to the priests who are serving as Cardinals and Gatekeepers just now.
I can see a role for a yeoman troublador. Clasic example from that most accurate of hiostorical sources: hollywood.
Chaucer as portrayed in a knights tale is an obvious yeoman bigging up his “lord” (in this case a yeoman masquerading as noble) and making a fat pile of cash from tournaments.
As a priest i’m not so sure certianly there exists a role for encouraging others to be vitueous and how each of the virtues coincedently also give glory (without being a heretic and saying that glory is a virtue even though all of the virtues are glorious and thus glory itself promotes virtue) however if you start going into church politics there’s a culture clash. The church doesn’t give two hoots if you have passed any test of mettle so long as you are virtueous (with the possible exception of the dawnish national assembely) but your nation is less likely to take you seriously if you are ranked in the curch but not a dawnish noble.
Conversely a yeoman seen to be climbing the ranks in the synod would probably have noble houses offering them a test.
It would probably be seen as odd if the priest in question turns down tests of mettle but I could totally see that if they were also involved with say trading or making fat piles of cash.
Short answer is church probably doesn’t care but the nation might think it odd.
[quote]The church doesn’t give two hoots if you have passed any test of mettle so long as you are virtueous (with the possible exception of the dawnish national assembely) but your nation is less likely to take you seriously if you are ranked in the curch but not a dawnish noble.
Conversely a yeoman seen to be climbing the ranks in the synod would probably have noble houses offering them a test.[/quote]
Which is cool. I’m fine with the idea of mismatch between church status and nation status leading to some awkward IC conversations, what I don’t want is to be taken aside OOC and told I’m doing it wrong. I don’t think it goes against the setting to try and achieve a portion of glory in play over a season or two, and then petition an Earl for a Test of Mettle. In my opinion it’s a line to be walked that could create interesting situations. Especially in a new-to-the-synod priest who is not refusing a test of mettle but just not yet working towards one.
I’m pretty sure that if you start becoming a rising star in the church, noble houses with the exception of seren who will not have priests in their ranks will be falling over themselves to offer you tests of mettle. If anything I would feel that this is better than asking for a test in that: Asking for a test shows you are looking to be recognised as Glorious. People offering you tests are already recognising that you are glorious and that they want you to consider joining them.
Other things to consider - a Yeoman priest might work as someone who recognises that there is Virtue in supporting other people’s Glory. A Noble troubadour is likely to be very concerned with the nobility; yeomen as priest to the yeomen sounds like an option to me. I’d look at Loyalty, maybe Prosperity, or even a very subtle take on Pride for that one, but there’s definitely space for it in the brief.
Basically think of the religious/Synod-political version of an Advocate and you’ll see where I’m going with this.
(curses I did not need yet another character concept )
I was originally going to play a yeoman, but had the answer waaaay back before E1 that Dawnish troubadours are /always/ nobles - non-noble priests weren’t really a thing. I have no idea if it’s still supposed to be the case, but it was the answer I got back then
My figuring is that as with any other Imperial position, if you attain rank and influence in the Synod while being a yeoman, then everyone around you should be starting to push you to take a Test, and the ‘national tradition upholdy’ influence of the egregore will probably make you deeply uncomfortable with your status until you do - not to mention, humility is practically blasphemy
I found myself spending a lot more time with my virtue assembly than with my nation assembly. (Except for the other guy who was in both!) I spent even less time with faithful Dawnish citizens in a pastoral care way, which was a shame as that’s the side of roleplaying a priest that I like the most. I think I was trying to do something similar to what MorkaIsChosen said about a spiritual advocate.
Between the size of the nation and the individualism of glory, as well as my own traits and qualities as a roleplayer, I couldn’t quite make it work in Dawn. I do have to say that neither the church politics of the Synod nor the roleplay around the Ceremonial skills appeals now I’ve tried them.
If I was to create a similar character, I would do it as a conspicuously virtuous noble, not any kind of priest. Trying to accrue Glory with constant outward displays of virtue so everyone can see how gloriously virtuous I am until I became a Champion of Virtue. (see the section on Embodiment profounddecisions.co.uk/empi … us_beliefs) I’m not totally certain of the form of these displays, but that’s a thought for another character.
I am still unsure of the place for a yeoman troubadour. WIth the crucial exception of a knight-errant who wants to be a troubadour, I don’t think there is one. I had thought for a moment about the troubadours who travel with guiser bands, but I think these would be closer to the troubadour version of a questing knight: wandering the land seeking tales of glory rather than concentrating on that of their house.
Part of them problem might be yeoman density - priests ministering to the yeomanry does make sense as a thing that exists in the setting, but there may not be enough yeoman PCs to give you enough to do with them for it to be fun.
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