Spend your free time perfecting a glass-blown drinking goblet to replace one you broke on the first day. Create comfortable leather leggings to sell to adventurers who haven’t mastered leathercrafting. Play your stringed harp to serenade the barmaid!
At Camp Carathir, there is no limit to the number of professions that you can try. Throughout every day there are several workshops, smithies, and pavilions hosting supervised profession training simultaneously. Some professions are also ‘open’ (generally the safer ones) where you can spend as much time as you’d like practicing and working your trade, night and day unsupervised. Supplies and crafting materials are included with the Registration fee, though materials cost in-camp currency (or can themselves be crafted).
This is an incomplete list of professions. The Economy column lists moneymaking potential within the camp economy. $: Low income profession $$:generally profitable profession $$$: Very profitable profession
| Profession | Economy | Details |
| Artists (painters, sculptor, etc) | $$ | Our staff teaches classes throughout the week on specific themes, but the pavilions and equipment are always available for free use. |
| Atilliator (Bowyer/Fletcher) | $$ | Arrow Making: Selecting the right wood, smithing a arrowpoint of metal or chipped stone, lashing the tip and fletchings. Arrows are a great commodity in the camp economy.Bow Making: Select the right wood (yew, oak, hickory or locust) and identify the natural curve; soak and tension it. Carve and notch, decorate and paint. Finish off by stringing it. Bows take a lot of time and work, but each one is incredibly valuable. |
| Basketweaving | $$$ | Basketweaving is one of the pillars of the camp economy. Along with a few other professions (brickmaking, candlemaking, etc.), baskets can be sold directly to the camp quartermaster for a very healthy profit, one of the easiest ways to line your pockets quickly.Conversely, basketweaving can also be a highly skilled artistic trade. You can create gorgeous colorful woven baskets to take home or trade to other campers. |
| Beekeeping | $$ | Many of the self-proclaimed ‘bravest warriors’ fear to practice this trade… a unique profession, with some profitable (and tasty) rewards. Venture to our pastures and assist our beekeeper in harvesting the honey. Of course, you are provided mesh garments to hopefully keep from getting stung. This profession has excellent rewards, and honey is a valuable commodity in the camp economy. |
| Blacksmith | $ | Blacksmithing is a very popular profession, but it requires a lot of precision, skill, and materials. There is no way that someone can become proficient in a week, but you will spend your time assisting our resident blacksmith in the forging of things beautiful and deadly, repairing tools and making simple items. Smithing is hot and physically demanding. While our forge runs long hours, materials are costly and your time at the forge may be limited. There’s a fairly strong economy for smithed goods, but smiths are often rather poor, needing to acquire many resources: fuel, tools, ore, ingots and other materials first. |
| Bookbinding | $$ | A profession that requires much skill, as well as being somewhat secretive and certainly artistic. Learn steps and different methods of binding books, including proper stitch work, leather stretching, stamping, and more. |
| Brewer | $$ | (21+) Arguably harder than cooking, the art of brewing is a very precise profession, requiring skill, diligence, and cleanliness – as well as a good bit of creativity. Start by malting the grain, boiling the wort, and finally fermenting it. Though beer takes over 2 weeks to be ‘ready’, you’ll be a part of much of the process, assisted by our brewmaster, and taste the end result from the previous camp session’s (or staff’s) brew. The staff will be judging the brews from session to session and the results will be posted here on this site. |
| Brickmaker/ Stonewright | $$$ | Brickmakers are skilled at forming and baking bricks from clay and other materials. They can also be skilled with chipping stone and sculpting. This profession is one of those with a strong economy tied to the camp itself. All bricks, pave stones and similar products can be sold directly to the quartermaster for a decent profit, while the artistic market for these goods is also quite strong. |
| Chandler (Candlemaking) | $$$ | An extremely useful trade. Very few things are illuminated with electricity at our camp, except for perhaps the nurses office and similar behind-the-scene locations. Candlemaking is fairly easy to learn, and you will find that your skills in it will prove to be valuable. Candles are in high demand from other adventurers and camp staff, and play an important role in the camp economy. |
| Cooking | $$ | Our chef and his helpers prepare delicious meals every day, just go and see the food page! Our cooks are more than happy to have assistance for the great banquets and outdoor open-hearth feasts that are served. Our chef richly rewards those who lend a hand and he loves to hear your recipes and try your ideas. He will teach you all you wish to learn! |
| Cooper (barrel-making) and Wheelwright | $ | This specialized trade gives you the opportunity to practice the unique art of barrel-making. A lot of work goes into bending the staves, fitting them together, and banding them with iron. The work is hot and sweaty, but the end result is a true piece of craftsmanship. Small barrels can be made for your own use, or you can help our cooper with larger projects. Our resident cooper is also an expert Wheelwright, and you can help create spokes and wooden wheels from essentially scratch. |
| Farming | $$$ | Tend to the small pasture just outside of the camp perimeter. Help feed, care for, and protect the chickens and goats. Collect eggs and help harvest food for the camp. Care for lettuce, beans, berries, and other crops from the raised beds. Farmer Gil Turrow pays his farmhands handsomely. Eggs and produce also do very well in the camp economy. |
| Fishing | $ | Grab that rod, braid that fishing line, and hit the lake! Fishing is more of a hobby than a profession, and Camp Carathir runs several fishing competitions during a session. Information on the simple state fishing licenses (not included in registration fee) will be included in registration packets for interested folks. |
| Gathering | $$ | Accompany one of our Rangers out into the woods in search for plants, animals, mushrooms, ore, lumber, or perhaps ancient artifacts. Also, bring your sword…as bandits’ favorite targets tend to be our gatherers in the middle of picking berries! |
| Glazier (Glassblowing) | $$ | Our furnace isn’t roaring every day, but there will be plenty of opportunities for you to craft a marvelous drinking cup, bowl, or beautiful artwork in our glassblowing shop. These commodities are quite valuable, as no two objects are alike. The camp economy is in much demand for these works. Artisans who master this trade gain much respect among the staff and peers. |
| Healing/First Aid | $$ | An invaluable skill, both in camp and real life. Learn to care for the injured, providing lifesaving support to those in camp who may (pretend to) need it. Doctors care not of allegiances, helping both brigand or dear friend. While we do offer some fun classes on ‘magical’ and homeopathic healing, we are also offering a profession course focusing on real-world applications of wilderness and first-response medicine by a certified trainer. Applying splints, addressing heat stroke and dehydration, suturing wounds, and other useful techniques. (This is the real deal. Successful completion of these arts will grant you an American Red Cross First Aid/CPR responded certification!) |
| Historian/ Loremaster |
$$ | Historians assist our staff expert at documenting the camp experience, as well as deciphering ancient scripts and researching quests for other campers. These loremasters have the tools to translate, decode, and assist the staff and other campers with their quandaries on a daily basis…and often for a nice fee! In addition, historians manage the camp library and can help write new tales, songs, devise their own quests for other campers, and expand our great histories. Loremasters really help make Camp Carathir so authentic and immersive! |
Magical Arts
“Uneducated bandits and outsiders consider us dangerous wizards…but the Archmage Council strives to spread only knowledge and peace. Despite this, the ability to create unquenchable fire, confuse an enemies wits, and predict natural phenomena – can all be…very powerful tools when directed upon aggressors or fools.” -Magistrate Carathir, in a single breath
The use and teaching of sorcery in camp involves the pursuit of wisdom, visual and audible trickery, alchemical reactions, and subtle control over the natural world. Very often, these instructional lessons are at the same time as popular weapon or profession classes, or only happen once in a week…thus those who focus on Magical Arts remain a smal,l mysterious and somewhat unique subset of camp population.
Here are some of the specific proficiencies that are taught at Camp Carathir, branches of magic available to campers. Each takes between 30minutes and 2 hours, many require followup or practice afterwards. That said, you will certainly impress your fellow campers with what you learn, we assure it.
1. Alchemy
–Geomancy (earth)
–Hydromancy (water)
–Aeromancy (air)
–Pyromancy (fire)
2. Combat applications and tactics
–Basic – trickery and intimidation
–Advanced I – distractions
–Advanced II – infliction
3. Language, translations and runes
4. Divination and predictions
–Stellar/cosmology
–Lunar
–Weather
5. Dark Arts (specialty of Mela Vierriu)
Additionally, we offer an attempt at historically accurate spiritual workshops:
6. Buddism and eastern religions
7. Biblical and historical divinity
| Minstrel (Musician) | $$$ | For the musically inclined, there are a number of instruments including harps, fifes, viols, lutes, and drums available to play. There is a resident minstrel in-camp, eager to teach aspiring musicians. If you already have skill with such instruments, you can play for your peers or the staff and expect to have coin thrown your way. |
| Pottery | $$$ | Much like basketweaving, pottery is not just a fun creative artisan profession – it’s a very easy way to make a lot of money! You can turn pottery into a very lucrative profession by selling your wares to the camp quartermaster, the cook, and other campers. |
| Quartermaster / Provisions | $$$ | This profession is more like a part-time internship. You will spend time with our logistics staff, our quartermaster, tavern wench or other staff assisting in many tasks. One minute you’ll be hanging garland for a tournament, the next you’ll be helping behind the counter at the armory. Our staff pays (and tips) for a job well done. |
| Tailoring / Leatherworking | $$ | Though considered separate trades, our resident tailor just happens to also be an expert leatherworker. These are useful trades to learn, as the clothing and leather armor is comfortable and stays relatively cool even during the summer. As a tailor or leatherworker, you will learn to cut patterns, dye fabric, and stitch clothing. These products have considerable demand in the camp economy, and as the days progress and your skill increases, more amazing and valuable outfits become available to the camp as a whole. |
| Woodcraft /Craftsman | $$$ | Our resident craftsman teaches you to create amazing carved objects as well as boxes, goblets, tools, toys, and furniture. There are no modern (or electric) tools here, only hand saws, chisels, and brushes. There are many quests and items that woodcrafting can help you with, and our shop is open all day. Woodcraft is a very useful trade. |
Any others?
There are additional professions available not listed here, and countless specializations within broad professions. From calligraphers and cartographers to engravers and lacemakers, jewelers, shoemakers, hat makers, bakers and signmakers, merchants and millers, spiritual and scholarly storytellers, wood carvers and sculptors.
You can absolutely define your own skills and profession, even open your own shop in camp or sell directly from out of your pack on a trail. You can become a perfumer, a confectioner, a tanner or woolman – take the reins and do what interests you!