Merrymakers

In the capital city Chilva there is the College for the Arts and Histories, an ancient and extravigent decorated with floors, sculpture, mosaic, mural, and paint. The Chilva College for the Arts and Histories has stood for almost a thousand years built at the behest of High King Goloda, a lover of the arts. Ever since the College has produced hundreds of skilled artists who have brought joy and beauty throughout Exdora. These artists that graduate from the College for the Arts and Histories are called Merrymakers, and are known throughout Exdora. In some cities they are celebrated performers welcomed into any tavern or inn. In other places they are revealed as layabouts, charlatans, and sycophants. Depending on your location the opinion can change greatly. In Corazan the Merrymakers are celebrated, in Vas’Ternia and Vacia many look down on the seemingly frivolous profession. In Atardec and Perlane you might find one in a bigger city’s tavern, but chased out of smaller towns. In the Summer Isles they are regarded with curiosity as an artifact of the mainland. While many look down on Merrymakers as worthless charlatans sucking at the tit of society, few appreciate what Merrymakers actually do.

In order to become a Merrymaker one must graduate from a college sponsored by the Maer of Corazan. Getting into one of these colleges is quite difficult, requiring the passing a written exam, knowing at least two languages, and a basic grasp of mathematics. Even if one passes the entrance exams they must still pay the tuition price. While a silver crown a semester is factors smaller than the admission for the Academy or Bastion it is still a steep price for simple folk to pay. Those that can pay and keep up with the education must still go through the grueling process of creating their own “masterpiece”. In order to graduate one must produce a piece of artwork, be it song, notes, paint, clay, marble, or whatever strikes an artist's fancy. The work is then judged by ten Merrymakers who determine if it is the work of a Merrymaker or not. If they find it acceptable then the student will graduate and be given their rite, officially making them a Merrymaker. Should they fail, it's back to the drawing board. Many colleges are filled with frustrated artists struggling for the approval of their judges. Once a Merrymaker is given their rite they are given two directives.

A Merrymaker’s primary directive is to create beautiful things. What those things are is up to the artist but it is the primary focus of their work. Some travel from town to town singing, acting, or telling stories. Others stay in one place spending years working on a single master piece at a time. Many Merrymakers take on patrons, nobles or rich merchants who are willing to spend coins on the Merrymaker’s flights of fancy. A lord frightful of a rebellion might patronize a Merrymaker and get them to perform at their villages to placate the commoners. A merchant might pay a Merrymaker to paint their ships' sails, an ostentatious sign of both wealth and art. For most Merrymaker’s this is a dream, coins being provided by some wealthy benefactor while they are free to perform their art.

For other Merrymaker’s they take their second directive much more seriously. As academics the Merrymakers are dedicated to the chronically and preservation of history. For many this means travelling the land and collecting stories from any and everyone. The story of a farming village coming together after a particularly harsh storm, life's story and an ancient and retired knight, the chronicle of a minor feud between counts. All stories are important to a travelling Merrymaker. Aside from collecting first hand accounts of history they are also dedicated to preserving and teaching the history of the past. Merrymakers have hundreds of stories drilled into them during their time at college. Everything from the creation myths of Unica, to the stories of High King Andras, to folk tales about faery women in the woods a Merrymaker learns all sorts of stories. During their travels it is not uncommon for a Merrymaker to stop and tell stories around a campfire they might pass by. Sometimes they are paid for this service, sometimes in gold, sometimes in food, sometimes in a warm bed. It is a common superstition that turning down a Merrymakers story on the road will bring you only bad luck in the future.