Herbalists

Leaders: There is no current PC faction head
Admin: Julie

An herbalist studies not only how to grow herbs, but how to maintain healthy plants, when to harvest the herbs, and how to preserve or draw the needed components out of them. Though it is extremely rare that an herbalist will ever achieve the same level of fame (or infamy) that a healer or alchemist might, they do play a pivotal role in Draught. A skilled herbalist is sought after, especially those with the most advanced preservation techniques so that their herbs have the longest shelf lives and still maintain their potency.

Most Herbalists would train in either Amphorae at the College of Healing, or at the College of Science in Pyria, much like with healers, most people will not be accepted into this program until they are at least at the age of fourteen and have completed their basic studies. If they are accepted into the program, they would then be schooled for a further eight years in the techniques of herbology. Students who graduate from this program often times either hired as growers or become merchants in this trade, though it is not unheard of for an herbalist to be contracted privately by alchemists to grow those especially tricky components needed in alchemy, or by healers for those herbs that hold medicinal qualities.

There is no formal guild of Herbalists, but rather a very open community that works well together (for the most part) to further the study of the growth of plants and herbs of the Empire. There is a formal training to becoming an Herbalist, much like becoming a Healer, or an Alchemist, for there is much information to know for this important field. However, unlike the Alchemists of the realm, Herbalists are much more open to working together on individual projects, asking for input and assistance without hesitation. It is less about the personal gain and more about the advancement of botany.

Master
A Master Herbalist is a person that has spent many many years studying the vegetation of the Empire, and not only that which grows upon Draught. They are indispensable within the Empire, and very sought after to work with many other professions, including healers, alchemists, farmers and florists, just to name a few. There is not a profession that knows more about what the ground produces, how it grows, what it grows with and how they can be manipulated than a Master Herbalist.

Journeyman
After graduation from the formal years of school, a young Herbalist enters their years as a Journeyman, usually around the age of twenty. These are the more hands-on years, getting out into fields, learning by experience rather than book learning. This phase of training takes approximately ten years or even more - there are a lot of plants to know in the Empire. At this time, the student goes out to learn as much as possible about as many as possible. Trees, bushes, herbs, spices, flowers, roots.. anything that grows in the ground.

Apprentice
These are the formal years of study for a student of herbalism. Those that are fortunate enough would be sent to either the School of Science in Pyria or the College of Healing within Healer's Hall. This is one of the only sciences that is taught in both locations, as it spans so many fields. It is in this time that students will learn in depth about plant growth and all of the aspects of it. As it is not an exact a science as alchemy, there is not as much training under a single master, but learning from many that teach within the Empire.

Novice
Like so many other fields, a novice is only taught the very basics of what it means to be an Herbalist. These young years are spent learning the more basic teachings of reading, writing and mathematics to serve as a good base for whatever science the student studies in the future.