Some of the common archetypes found in the Kingdom are:
Bards, mages, and keepers of lore, the Filidhean of Rivermark lead the voices of those around them in song and teach the stories of the Kingdom through tale and ballad. Devout followers of Lumia and Eravae, every Filidh sees themselves as a bringer of joy and warmer of hearts. Though a fair number of Filidhean are glory hounds at heart, performing and seeking the spotlight for their own fame and fortune, many view their role more reverently, seeing themselves as tending to the heart of the nation by keeping the light of hope and joy alive in the people of the Kingdom even in the darkest of times. Many are Spellsingers, using magic to empower those around them, whether in battle or in more day-to-day labors, taking joy in seeing the hearts and spirits of others rise with their words and song.
The Galloglaich were originally a band of elite Cairnfolk mercenaries who aided the Redcrown Kings in their unification of the lowlands in the Second Millennium. Over time the word has taken on a classically Marcher twist, as the mercenary Galloglaich Clanns now exclusively recruit warriors who need to settle a debt or grudge, paying off their debts in exchange for years of service. Every Clann has its own preferred style of warfare, from the great-axes of Siatha Creachar who trained to break Iskaldur shield walls to the pikes of Taella Thir originally recruited to combat Tomarran cavalry; despite this variety, most of them fall into the role of medium infantry, armed with heavy weapons or spears and fighting in a solid block to better hammer a foe into submission. Though most Galloglaich are Cairnfolk, it’s not uncommon to find Rivelin in their number, and even the occasional errant Knight who found their debts insurmountable and chose the honor of a clean slate and a mercenary life over dishonoring their title.
The Knights of Rivermark are legendary figures of song and story like few other archetypes across the Continent. Clad in prayer-etched steel, swearing oaths of glory and bitter revenge, and singing songs as they charge into battle, they play the heroes and very occasionally villains in many of the tales in Rivermark. In reality, though, a Knight’s duties are a bit more mundane — they are warriors in service of the Crown and enforcers of justice, as either Chevaliers who wander the Kingdom as agents of the Crown, or as the more settled Dìonadar who guard the honor and lives of the people who live around them. Every Knightly House has a charter from the Crown to protect the people of the Kingdom from the depredations of men or monsters and to dispense justice when the local Lord is unable or unwilling to perform such duties. Many, perhaps most, Knights enter the profession in search of personal glory, but the Knightly Houses have strict rules against pursuing glory at the expense of the people whom a Knight is sworn to defend.
Originally a Vauldan term for Marchers who dwelled in the bridge-metropolis of the Rivermark, “Ponter” now has become a name for any of the folk who work and travel along the River and its tributary. Ponters are the economic heart of the Kingdom, merchants and crafters who keep goods flowing through the nation and who maintain the great locks, dams, canals, bridges, and fortifications that are such a common sight across Rivermark. Ponters believe in the quiet glory of hard work and skill, crafting objects wondrous and mundane, building and maintaining structures, and making money in pursuit of wealth, respect, and the satisfaction of a good day’s work. Most are followers of Tekatli, even those who aren’t merchants; they strongly believe in her philosophy of the Golden Spiral, and Ponters are often the most generous of Marchers, finding ways to improve the prosperity of others so that they and the nation as a whole can benefit from the sharing of good fortune.
The Reivers are the light skirmishers who earned Rivermarkers the nickname of “Hounds” in ages past. Originating from the guerrillas who fought back against the original Vauldan Conquests of the Northern Kingdoms in the First Millennia, they were archers, ambushers, raiders, and scrappy hunters who hounded Vauldan supply lines and soldier columns through the rough country of the Spine and Dacai a’Coinn. Their tactics became standard practice in other areas of Rivermark which faced frequent occupation or attack, and the tradition of reiving continues to this day. In modern times, Reivers are trained by their Clanns and Houses in hunting both beasts and men; when not in active conflict with other nations, they fall into the role of bounty hunters in more urban areas and patrolling rangers in the more rural parts of the Kingdom.
The reality of faith in the Mark is that all religions center on the River, streams, and bogs. Alethos, Oruunos, and Bakharos see the branching waterways as the ties that binds the society of Rivermark together, allow the Marchers to communicate and build their knowledge, and facilitate the Marchers’ creativity and ambitions. Druathos holds the waters to be focal points of nature in the region, the cornerstone of the entire ecosystem, while Vallaros sees them as an ever-present adversary to sharpen yourself against. It is not uncommon to see priests standing in the shallows or drifting by on barges, administering to the faithful or conducting rituals. The role of Riversages, regardless of the God or Saints they follow, is to guide the people of Rivermark on the waterways of life by being sources of wisdom and to ferry them down the river in death. They are shepherds of the souls of the River’s people, tending to the hurts and needs of the folk around them and striking back at the creatures of darkness that might threaten their charges.
The Scriveners are enchanters and keepers of the histories, laws, and customs of Rivermark, as well as the foremost experts on the nation’s outstanding grudges. Young scriveners are trained in cloistered towers, transcribing the unanswered crimes against Rivermark and its people, pouring over historical and legal records to find any previously unknown or lost outstanding grievances, or researching ways to settle current known grudges. In the process, they learn the ways of enchanting and rune-craft, subtly weaving the essences of the Runes into the words they write in order to make their will manifest. Scriveners’ services are often called upon to forge runes of spite and vengeance into weapons of Knightly Houses seeking to exact justice, or to inscribe sigils of righteousness and honesty into the tools of craftsman to certify their quality.
The Scalmirks, or “gentlefolk of the shadows,” are the last resort for those Marchers who are desperate to right a wrong and can’t find any other way of achieving redress. Unfailingly polite and always well dressed in sober colors and fashionable cut, they are possibly the nicest and most honorable rogues that one could hope to meet. Though their business dealings include smuggling and a number of other less-than-legal enterprises, they take pride in never accepting a contract to directly harm someone unless there is clear evidence of an unsatisfied debt or injustice. They carefully cultivate their reputation for honorable and polite behavior, viewing the public perception of their role in Rivermark society as equally important to the reputation for brutal effectiveness that they maintain in the criminal underbelly of the nation.