Navigator
Career
Career Progression
Navigators are tested much like other roles within the pack in order to properly be recognized as their ranking. While all members of the group can assist with their duties, proper navigators must prove their qualifications through their trials. Often this includes challenges such as finding their way back to the pack with no outside assistance, relocating to an area based on vague descriptions, and utilizing the stars to determine their locations.
Navigators often change which sect they belong to, based on the movement of the cult through the region they personally inhabit, and over a lifetime can earn vast amounts of respect through their contributions. Although still nomadic, most navigators will typically stick to one region and will not move from it seasonally, instead joining whatever sect of the pack comes to inhabit their region as the seasons change.
Payment & Reimbursement
Like all members of the pack, a navigator's pay is often highly dependent on where they currently are. Ones far outside of typical civilization and towns may be paid in goods and services, while those more frequently interacting with cities and towns may be paid in local currency if it is available. Navigators are paid throughout the year, but also receive pay for individual jobs, such as relocating a group to a different area, finding hunting and foraging locations, or assisting in setting up shelters.
Perception
Purpose
The purpose of a navigator is to ensure that their sect does not get lost in their travels. Part of this duty is scouting ahead and ensuring they are entering safe territory free of hazards, be they from other cults, the wildlife, or environment. Navigators often suggest hunting and gathering locations to hunters and woodsmen and make suggestions to leaders on where to set up camp. Unlike other roles, navigators are much less nomadic than most would expect, typically staying within a much smaller region that they come to learn like the back of their hand and assist different sects of the pack who move into the region.
Social Status
Navigators are typically of a much lower social standing than other members of the pack, generally due to the fact they typically change which sect they belong to at least semi-frequently. Highly nomadic sects can change navigators very frequently if they cover a lot of ground, and as such, their navigators often do not have the time to build up as much of a close bond with their members. Despite this, navigators are not treated poorly, but simply do not often have as close a bond with other members.
It's uncommon for a navigator to travel the entire yearly route with a sect of the pack, particularly if they cover a vast area in their territory. Often navigators who do this have a strong personal relationship with someone in the pack or are a member who retired into the role of a navigator. Navigators who do travel far with their sects are often the parents, children, or spouses of other members.
Operations
Tools
What tools and equipment are used highly varies depending on the individual skills of a pack's navigators as well as their individual sect's funds and location. Most navigators are taught to use some limited form of sightline navigation through the stars and local geography, but will make use of items such as GPS, maps, books, and wisdom learned from others. More well funded navigators will occasionally have access to satellite phones and satellite imagery of their region.
Dangers & Hazards
Being a navigator is considered one of the most consistently high risk jobs within the pack. While warriors and hunters may be injured or killed in battle and hunting accidents, their jobs have much more down time than that of the navigator. Navigators must scout out proper travel paths, safe routes to travel, and often do so in pairs or alone ahead of their sect. Many within the role have spoken of frequent hazards and dangers being the weather, natural disasters, and attacks from wildlife such as bears, needlecoat wolves, and mountain lions. There is also a high risk to navigators being attacked, kidnapped, and ransomed by roaming bandits and enemies to the pack, as without their navigators, a sect and become easily crippled in their movements.
Alternative Names
Navs
Demand
Essential to function
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