Some of the common archetypes found in the Federation are:
The Altorii (singular Altori; they’re pronounced the same) are devoted followers of Vallaros’ teachings, making an entire lifestyle out of practicing their combat skill and drilling battle formations. They arm themselves with polearms and greatswords and wear medium or heavy armor, training to hammer through even the staunchest enemy lines and create openings for the Sommerlin militias to take advantage of. They are flamboyant and full of braggadocio, wearing bright colors and extravagant clothing, showing their pride in their abilities with every word and gesture. The Altori Companies are mercenaries, employed by one of the Great Cities or the Tombsguard and taking part in the Ebb And Flow between the Cities, their loyalties shifting fluidly to whichever faction is paying them at the moment.
The Reeves and the Tombswatch can’t be everywhere; where they cannot reach to maintain order in Aurendale, they employ Deputies to do so in their stead. Deputies tend to be the most patient and stoic of Daleans, with keen eyes and mind and an ability to get down to the bottom of any trouble or disturbance. They are generally warriors who have been trained in the ways of magic, the better to sniff out arcane chicanery. Most have spent time in the temples of Alethos and become mystics of the Alethian faith, to better understand the written and unwritten laws and agreements that keep their communities together. Some choose to go unarmored and use magical Implements to enforce justice, but many prefer to wear armor and wield a sword or mace, saving their magical expertise for rituals or detective-work once they’ve had a chance to take their armor off.
The Friars of Aurendale are dedicated priests, Mystics of the gods who tend to the bodies, minds, and souls of the Dalean people. Some do their work within temples at the heart of Dalean communities, while others wander the roads visiting Steadings too small to have a dedicated priest of each of the Five Gods. They are the caretakers, the ones who tend to the sick and dying, who ensure that the Outriders and Sommerlin are fed and supplied to be able to come home once their job is done. They are also guardians of their flock, standing watch against the supernatural creatures and spirits who haunt the Dale, bringing holy magics to bear and smiting anything that tries to cross over the Steading walls.
The folk of Aurendale all feel a deep connection to the land, but the Groental take this a step further into a semi-mystical relationship with the plants that grow within the Dale. Trained in the secrets of farming, herbalism, brewing, and alchemy, they work with all the green things that grow from the soil, tending to them and knowing all the many ways of turning them into something useful or tasty. All Groentals are followers of Druathos, particularly of Druanna and Anselt; quite a few actually train as mystics of that god, the better to help the land and plants they tend to grow and prosper.
Outriders are the wandering warriors of Aurendale, the hunters who ride the borders of Steadings and City territories keeping watch for signs of undead, Warrenspawn, or mortal invaders. Tasked with a lonely and dangerous duty, they are a hard-bitten and capable lot who are proud of their self-sufficiency and ability to handle any of the dangers that can arise in the Dale. Most are warriors, trained in blade and bow, though some mages join their numbers, using their magics to detect and defeat those supernatural threats that can only be harmed by spell or stave. Regardless of their chosen form of combat, Outriders are all trained in stealth and survival, and regularly drill in their combat skills and endurance to ensure that they can either defeat a threat or make it back to the nearest Steading to raise the alarm.
The Miirfolk may have their mandatory term of military service, but the Daleans take pride in their Militias being just as powerful a force as their neighbor’s armies, despite being entirely voluntary. The Sommerlins are the folk who fight in the Militias, spending a season every year training and garrisoning one of the fortifications within their Commonwealth. They come from every background and profession in the Dale, turning their myriad talents towards the common goal of keeping their home and the Federation as a whole safe. Individually, few Sommerlin can stand up to an Outrider or Altori, but when they fight together their polearm blocks are able to stand against and chew up most any other armed force on the Continent. Whether they’re working their day job, manning the wall of their Steading against monsters or bandits, or marching in a pike block towards an enemy of the Federation, they are the dependable and courageous heart of Aurendale.
Springwalkers are Druids and Arcanists who use magic to tend to the land and ward off monsters. Theirs is the task of ensuring that the Oak and Ash are cared for and blessed to ward away Warrenspawn, and anointing the Shrikethorn with fresh Perdruna’s Blood to create a deathtrap for any Warrenspawn who appear aboveground. They learn rituals to care for the fields and woods of Aurendale, and spells to drive off the monsters who would pollute and corrupt the lands they tend. Their skills are useful for many purposes, but the ones they are most well-known for are the great rituals that can reshape the land and animate a forest into an arboreal army; this gives Springwalkers as a whole a reputation for terrifying magical power, despite their relatively mundane daily duties of walking the Dale and tending to the life and protections within it.
The Tessitori d’Ombre (singular Tessitore), also known as shadow-weavers to most Daleans, are state-sponsored (and closely monitored) necromancers. Their profession earned its name during the Imperial Period, as the Vauldan Empire made great use of Aurendale’s “blessing” enhancing necromancy to train an entire cadre of Arcanists skilled in the art. In modern times, the Federation strictly prohibits the practice of necromancy by anyone who hasn’t graduated from one of the two Shadow Academies in Pikesbreak and Bellharbor. These Tessitori are enlisted in the Reeves upon graduation, serving as investigators and troubleshooters specializing in solving murders, putting the unquiet dead to rest, and hunting down unsanctioned necromancers (referred to as Recusanti by the Reeves).
Though the Tessitori began as primarily Arcanists, over time the profession has become dominated by Mystics of Bakharos, with only a few dozen Arcanists attending the Shadow Academies for training in the last decade. Regardless, all prospective Tessitori are taught how to make pacts with lingering ghosts and to bind Ashwights into Implements and other items, and how to use the energies provided by their bound spirits to power their magics. Above all, they are taught the laws and rules of how they are permitted to perform necromancy — never raising the dead, never binding an unwilling soul, and never to allow their art to harm the people of the Dale. They are required to wear at least one prominent skull motif on their clothing or jewelry to clearly indicate their profession to other Daleans, and all must announce their presence to the local Deputy or Reeve when entering a City or Steading.
Most Daleans view the existence of the Tessitori as a necessary evil at best, or only barely better than the Gravedust King at worst. Nonetheless, the Tessitori are proud citizens of the Federation, gladly working their arts to keep the Dale safe from the undead horrors that would otherwise devour it, no matter the cost to themselves. They view their profession as both noble and necessary, despite its grim and often dangerous nature, and they are frequently the first into the fray when there are undead to be put down.
Troubadours are wandering entertainers, circulating between the Cities and Steadings of Aurendale to deliver messages and share their songs, stories, and performances with as many Daleans as they can reach. Many form Companies, traveling together for safety and to collaborate in performances; those who become unable to travel often settle down and create a theatrical Company within a Steading or City, training new performers in the ways of the theater and the stories of the Dale. Troubadours are the repositories of tradition for the Federation, passing down the tales of the Dalean people through their performances, keeping the spirit of the people alive in a continuous line through invasion and disaster. Many Troubadours are Spellsingers, reciting poems and dramatic performances to invoke their magic, which they use to keep themselves safe while wandering the sometimes-dangerous roads of the Dale. It’s an open secret that some — not all, but some — also act as spies, trading information gathered on their travels for coin and political favors from the leaders of the Great Cities or Tombswatch.