The Crafts are one of the three primary divisions of Pernese society. They are the institutions which govern the teaching of important skills, ranging from farming to healing to harpering.
The organization of a Craft varies from one Craft to another, but all have certain things in common. At the top is a Craftmaster, elected for life by all the Masters of the Craft, below him are the Masters, those who have been found sufficiently competent in their Craft to work independently. Below the Masters are Journeymen and Journeywomen. They are those who have learned enough to be contracted, but, generally speaking, not to work independently. Journeymen generally work underneath a Master. Below them are the Apprentices, who are often closely bound by law and custom to their Masters.
Most Crafts have a single Main Hall, where the Craftmaster and other high-ranking Masters, reside, conducting the business of the Craft and, depending on teh Craft, doing research.
Some Crafts, such as the Harpers or Healers, are strongly centralized, with the Craftmaster possessing a fair amount of authority over his Masters. Other Crafts, such as Farmercraft or Fishercraft, are far less centralized, and the Craftmaster, along with the rest of the Main Hall, are more of an information service to the Masters, providing new knowledge and encouraging the adoption of new techniques.
Some of the major crafts are
- Beastcraft
- Farmercraft
- Fishercraft
- Harpercraft
- Healercraft
- Smithcraft (with various subcrafts)
- Weavercraft