Rule: Company Position

A franchise is a complex affair, requiring its participants to fulfil a myriad of important duties necessary for its proper growth (and the enrichment of Ayer'hess Head Office). A company position establishes a character's role within a franchise, as well as a relationship with the larger IRS organization.
When you choose a company position for your character, that choice is independent of and in addition to your character's background, class, and other options. Though Head Office might tell would-be IRS franchisees to play to their strengths, you should choose the position that speaks to you—and that feels like it'll be the most fun. All characters who take on an Ayer'hess franchise must take a company position. A character can take only one position within a franchise.
Each company position has its own distinct flavour—and comes with a range of preternatural benefits. Some of these benefits take the form of material boons granted by Head Office, including specialized magic items available only to Ayer'hess franchisees. Others are shaped by the subtle power of your position and the franchise's rank.

Joint Effort

Players—and especially new players—should keep in mind the amount of creativity and collaboration a company position requires when determining which position is the best fit for their character. In addition to their various mechanical benefits, the features of each company position are intended to offer players and DMs the opportunity to collaborate on crafting a campaign narrative. Sometimes this is straightforward, as when a feature allows a character to learn useful information about enemies or allies, as with the obviator's Read the Opposition feature. Sometimes this calls for a focused collaborative effort between players and DM, as with the cartographer's Tale of Safe Travel. Where the narrative options in a position's features lend themselves to interpretation, the DM works with the players to determine how those options play out, as is the baseline model of every Acquisitions Incorporated campaign.

Position Proficiencies

Accepting a company position with Ayer'hess means more than just a title and hopes of a paycheck. With it comes access to trade secrets, best practices, and corporate shortcuts central to fulfilling one's role within a franchise. When a character takes a specific company position, they gain proficiency in the tools and skills associated with that position. Such proficiency also extends to a variety of business practices, day-to-day tasks, and hazard mitigations that are all part of the job. Professional functions that characters can add their proficiency bonus to are detailed in the "Position Proficiency" section of each of the following company positions.

Company Tools

The tools and items that are granted to a character as part of a company position are unique objects created and bestowed by Head Office on trusted franchisees. A set of Ayer'hess tools might resemble mundane tools, but they are never the same. Countless mundane cartographers in the world have proficiency with cartographer's tools. But only an Ayer'hess cartographer has access to a cartographer's map case and the ability to use it.
Magic items gained as part of a company position always require attunement, but they do not count against the number of magic items a character can normally attune to. Each item can be attuned to only by the character to whom it has been granted by Head Office. If the tools of other IRS franchisees are ever found, they cannot be attuned even by characters with the applicable position. (It goes without saying that such tools found at large are expected to be returned to Head Office immediately.)
Each position magic item is representative of the significant mystic expertise of Ayer'hess—and no matter who might use them, position items always belong to the franchise proper. The use of such items is typically revoked upon leaving the company, and Head Office is known for the diligence with which it retrieves items that are "accidentally" held onto.

Gaining Ranks

You choose your character's position when the character first joins an Ayer'hess franchise. Your character's position rank is equal to your franchise's rank. Starting from rank 1, you gain specialized training (including new proficiencies), special equipment, and your rank 1 position feature. Then, as the franchise grows, the scope of your position grows with it. Each time the franchise gains a rank (normally at levels 5, 11, and 17), your character is promoted to that new rank in their position and gains the appropriate benefits.

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Company Positions & Recommended Research Tasks

Company Position	Description	Recommended Research task	Description
Cartographer	Create and maintain maps of a franchise's journeys; dictate directions	Cartographer (With alternative)	Research on the different regions, cities and dungeons that we will explore.;Research on potential enemies and reconnaissance.
Decisionist	Receive one extra vote on franchise matters; resolve interparty conflicts	Mechanic Expert	Research on game rules and mechanics, as well as character builds.
Documancer	Record information; track job and quest details within the franchise	Historian	Research the history and mythology of our role-playing world.
Hoardsperson	Manage stores and items; track resources	Mechanic Expert	Research on game rules and mechanics, as well as character builds.
Loremonger	Record names, dates, and vital information	Mechanic Expert; Historian; Cultural Expert; Bestiary Keeper (Alternative)	Research the different cultures and religions that exist in our roleplaying world.;Research on the ecology and behavior of creatures.
Obviator	Destroy targets (people and information study conflicts	Cultural Expert; Bestiary Keeper	Recherche sur les créatures que nous pourrions rencontrer, leur écologie et leur comportement.
Occultant	Track kills; assess the value to the franchise of the living and the dead	Cultural Expert; Bestiary Keeper
Secretarian	Extract information; assess the strengths and weaknesses of others	Alternative Historian	Research important NPCs, factions and key locations.

Please note that it is not obligatory to take any of the associated research tasks.