Seafarer

Seafarers make their living by sailing or gathering from the sea. Seafarers often start as poor and disrespected members of society. However, at higher ranks, they gain considerable holdings. The sea has much to give, but it can quickly take everything away as well.
Skill Proficiencies: Choose one from Athletics, Perception, Persuasion, Sleight of hand, Survival.
Tool Proficiencies: Navigator's tools, vehicles (water)
Languages: Choose one standard and one exotic.
Equipment: Common clothes, a belaying pin, thread and a blunt needle, a bucket of tar, and 10 gp.

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Sailor

Free from the gruelling class structures of the mainland, Sailors learn not to fear the laws of society, only the harsh temper of a storm and the stern discipline of a Boatswain. Sailors find talking to other seafarers second-nature, and are often able to secure passage for themselves and their companions in exchange for their skills. For all sailors know, a man of the sea is a friend indeed.
Skill Proficiency: Perception.
Additional Equipment: Sturdy clothes, a large sack, dice, a liquor flask.

Sea Passage

Upon spending an hour in a port, and succeeding on a DC15 Wisdom (Perception) check, you can find a ship that you believe will provide free passage to a location of your choice, provided any ships are travelling to that location.

Rank 1 - Deck Hand

You work on a sailing ship, performing menial labour such as tending the lines and tarring the deck. While your responsibilities are small, you may display a knack for a particular specialisation onboard the ship. You are at home on the waves, among your fellow sailors, regardless of the nature and business of the ship.
Holdings:

• Free lodging on your boat.
• Knowledge of a potential mutiny.

Progression: Be promoted to Boatswain by a Captain.

Rank 2 - Boatswain

A captain has chosen you as the Boatswain, responsible for the organisation and wellbeing of the crew, as well as ensuring their loyalty to the captain. You have also become a capable seafarer, knowing the ins and outs of running a ship with clockwork precision.
Holdings:

• Command over the deckhands on the ship when not under the orders of a higher rank.
• An officer's quarters which doubles as your cabin and living space.

Progression: Be Promoted to Ship Captain or become captain of your own ship by other means.

Rank 3 - Ship Captain

You are the undisputed master aboard your own ship. Your crew follow your every command (or suffer the consequences), and look to you for a vision of the future. You now face such challenges as potential mutinies, provisions and payments for the sailors, and the delicate art of navigating dangerous seas.
Holdings:

• Your own ship, or else have been entrusted with command of one, as in the case of a military ship provided by a nation.
• Command of a loyal crew that see to the operation and maintenance of your ship.
• If there is nobody above you in the chain of command, then you have complete control of your ship, but you also have to pay for the upkeep. Even if the ship belongs to an admiralty or business interest, on board the ship you are the one in charge.

Progression: Be promoted to Admiral by a higher authority, or by obtaining a fleet of your own.

Rank 4 - Fleet Admiral

You command a fleet of ships, whose captains are your subordinates and carry out your orders. The sailors sing shanties of your glory and you are known from port to harbour across the world. Your fleet contains an array of ships built for many different purposes, which you can assign as you see fit. You personally command the flagship of your fleet. What the future holds for you and the men sailing with you, is shaped by you and your command.
Holdings:

• A fleet of ships that follow your every command.
• Command of multiple loyal crews that see to the operation and maintenance of your fleet.
• You are known in other lands for the tales of your victories and expertise.
• Free lodging on any ship you are in command of, and any port or shipyard you are docked at.

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Dock Worker

Docks represent the hubs that drive commerce, travel, and exchange of culture. In every one are teams of hardy workers who load goods and supplies onto and off the ships. From lowly Clerks, who check off goods to and from warehouses, to the mighty Sealord bureaucrats, they keep the machinery of the docks moving.
Skill Proficiency: Investigation.
Additional Equipment: A leather strap, 30 feet of rope, a pulley, a box of snuff, a clipboard and quill.

Liberate Ledgers

Upon spending an hour asking around, and succeeding on a DC15 Intelligence (Investigation) check, you know the comings and goings of ships, wagons and merchandise at the trade hub you are exploring. You can similarly discern where different types of goods are stored in any warehouse, including the contraband.

Rank 1 - Stock Clerk

Long days of tedious work await you as you check off goods as they are loaded and unloaded from ships to and from warehouses. Many Stock Clerks don't last long as they're often blamed for broken or missing inventory. In your time you have learned a lot about the comings and goings throughout a dock, what types of ships and barrels typically come from where, and what their purpose is. You have learned who to ask the right questions, who holds the real power, and where to find a good time.
Holdings:

• Lodging near the port or trade station you work at.
• You know where the contraband is hidden and how to get in.

Progression: Be promoted to Customs Inspector by a dock worker of higher station.

Rank 2 - Customs Inspector

Your days of hard labour are behind you, as you are now charged with inspecting cargo for contraband, collecting tariffs, and filling ledgers of incoming and outgoing vessels. Corruption is rife at any port, and you are exposed to the shady deals, illegal goods, and criminal activities that take place there. It's up to you whether you use your authority to enforce the law or just make sure you get a cut of the action.
Holdings:

• A list of your fellow Customs Inspectors known for accepting bribes and forging ledger entries, and who bribed them.
• A letter or clue revealing the smuggling operations of a criminal organisation.
• Authority over low ranking dockworkers and port guards.

Progression: Expose a large quantity of contraband or a criminal organisation.

Rank 3 - Harbour Master

Your keen eye and efficient work in customs has earned you the rank of Harbour Master. You now preside over the dock of a harbour town or city. You set the local laws and regulations, governing the flow of trade and passage within your jurisdiction. All who wish to conduct business without hassle make sure they are on good terms with you, as nothing moves without your approval.
Holdings:

• Comfortable accommodation within the port town or city of your station.
• Authority of all resources, funding, and personnel of the harbour you manage.
• The authority to grant commodity licenses, allowing the import or harvesting of the commodity in the local area.

Progression: Be promoted by a Monarch or state leader.

Rank 4 - Sealord

Residing in the capital city of your region, you dictate the laws, taxes, and flow of sea commerce across the region. As a Sealord, you are the undisputed authority in your region when it comes to all subjects related to the harbour.
Holdings:

• Luxurious lodging near the mercantile district of the capital city where you oversee the operations of the region.
• Control over docking fees and other charges associated with trading posts and ports across the region.
• A seat at any council meetings pertaining to trade or the sea in the kingdom.

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Sea Gatherer

The seas of Etharis are dangerous and forbidding. From mighty sea monsters to treacherous weather, most avoid the oceans at all costs. However, those that are skilled enough, or desperate enough, find a living harvesting what they can from the sea. Most Sea Gatherers represent the poorest of the poor. However, they make up for this lack of wealth with a savvy for survival, and Sea Gatherers who survive often become renowned heroes, known for fighting monsters of the deep and exploring sunken ruins of old. All know that an elderly Sea Gatherer must be a mighty figure indeed.
Skill Proficiency: Survival.
Additional Equipment: A bag filled with water weeds, a shellfish trap, a shucking knife, a pouch of bait, a straw sunhat.

Knowledge of the Seas

Upon spending an hour walking the shore, and succeeding on a DC15 Wisdom (Survival) check, you can find the best locations to hunt and catch sea treasures in the nearby region. This can range from simple fishing to dangerous monster hunting or diving for wrecks and ruins.

Rank 1 - Dredge

You spend your days scavenging the ocean with nets and shellfish traps, hoping to make a living. You may be struggling with poverty, and scrounging by the coast is the only way you can survive. Perhaps you were born into a tradition of fishing, and have begun with humble origins. Regardless of your background, you hope to hone your skills and make something of yourself.
Holdings:

• A small coracle fishing boat.
• Knowledge of the best fishing spots in the area.

Progression: Acquire a trawling boat and a commodity licence from a Harbour Master.

Rank 2 - Trawler

Your life begins as a master of waves, as you battle the ocean to attain its most prized treasures. A sturdier ship allows you to venture further and recover more (and more valuable) treasure from the sea. From whale oil to black pearls, you descend upon the seas with a fierce determination and a steely resolve.
Holdings:

• A single-masted trawling boat with a few assistants to crew it.
• A rumour of a great sunken treasure and the identity of who currently holds the map to it.

Progression: Complete a contract to kill particularly rare and dangerous nautical monster or find a sunken treasure. The contract must be completed for a wizard, merchant prince, or similarly influential individual.

Rank 3 - Trawl Master

With a crew at your back, you have become renowned as one of the fiercest Trawlers alive. No catch is too dangerous, or prize too well-guarded beneath the waves. You are hired by powerful mages, wealthy merchants, and kings to retrieve exotic treasures from the ocean, a task you perform with great prowess.
Holdings:

• A deep-sea trawling boat, equipped to spend months at sea.
• A team of expert trawlers and divers to assist you in adventures and maintain your boat.
• The audience of wizards and merchant princes who wish to hire you.

Progression: Slay a major sea monster or find a sunken treasure that becomes legend. The event must draw the awe of influential individuals across the land.

Rank 4 - Nautical Legend

Bards sing of the sea monsters you face and the storms you tame. It is said that even the Primordials of the tempest cannot deter you from your prize. All know that if there is a sunken ruin that needs plundering or an ancient sea creature that needs slaying, there is no one better suited for the task than you.
Holdings:

• Control of a coastal island awarded to you by a Monarch in recognition of your feats. The island houses a fortress, guild house, or similar structure where nautical legends gather.
• Repute across the land as a figure of legend.
• A mighty weapon or artefact provided by a client or retrieved from sunken treasure.
• An audience with any Monarch or head of state, at their convenience, to discuss matters of salvage and treasure hunting within the realm.

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