"None of us thought much of her. Scrawny thing the captain dragged out of a library in Altdorf, name of Sosber. Kept to herself. Nose in a book. But when we finally faced the Corpse Render, when so-called warriors ran, she stood fast. Her quiet voice rang with steel as she called out where to strike. Not the heads as you'd think, no, but the body. Steel slew the beast that day, but knowledge made it possible."
A scholar is an academician who has dedicated their life to the pursuit of knowledge. Scholars include sages who delve into philosophy and scientific theory, monks who specialise in religious lore, and tutors who strive to educate the children of wealthy merchants and nobles.[1a]
Some scholars are driven to pursue esoteric or forbidden knowledge. Such a path requires great mental fortitude and a willingness to risk discovery by witch hunters and other zealots. Those that actively study and pursue the law, such as clerks and lawyers, are considered to be a specialized form of scholar in the Old World.[1a]
Scholars usually have studied at one of the universities of the Old World, often focusing on one or two subjects and learning only enough to provide for a successful career. The most astute scholars return to the university, this time as professors, to teach a new generation of scholars in their chosen field. Poorer scholars find work as scribes, reading and writing letters for the mostly illiterate population of the Empire and the other nations of the Old World.[3a]
Subjects[]
The academic subjects that the scholars of the Old World dedicate their lives to understanding include the following courses of study:[4a]
History[]
The study of the events of the past. In the Empire of Man history is mainly the study of the wars the Empire has won and the innovations its rulers have patronised. Wars that the Empire lost, or foreign innovations, are not subject to particular scrutiny.[4a]
In Tilea, sometimes, when a tyrannical ruling prince was overthrown and a republic declared in his place, or when a mercenary warlord seized power and made himself prince of a city, the chronicles would be "amended" in favour of the new regime. For these reasons, Tilean history is a complicated and confusing subject to say the least.[6a]
Bestiaria[]
The study of the animals and plants of the Known World. A scholar of bestiaria will be able to divulge the vital statistics, diet and reproductive methods of organisms ranging from humble mould to the Black Leviathan.[4a]
Philosophy[]
Philosophy is the art of seeking to justify the manner in which Men behave in a civilised society. Some scholars of philosophy argue that there are better ways to live, though they are usually ignored.[4a]
For all their magnificent insights and claims into the ways of Men and gods, the philosophers and artists of Tilea and Estalia have barely scraped the surface of Creation's greatest secrets. Despite the extraordinary discoveries of Araby's great mathematicians about the forces that rule the mortal world and their accuracy in calculating and predicting the effects of such forces, these men are like children counting coloured beads when their discoveries are compared to the infinite complexity of reality.[5a]
Even with their divinely inspired revelations and strong relationships with the divine, the Empire's priests and theologians are but superstitious innocents when the certainties of their beliefs and items of faith are compared to the endlessly changing, randomly contradictory, and terrible uncertainty of the "divine" realm of the Aethyr.[5a]
Literature and Languages[]
The study of literature and language is primarily dedicated to exploring the great works written by poets, playwrights and authors of the Empire. Tilean literature is also studied by dint of its great age. Bretonnian literature is roundly ignored in the Empire.[4a]
Whilst most Imperial scholars are comfortable in the halls of the universities of their realm some feel the need to explore the world outside, either seeking some form of escape or looking for new information about their chosen subject. They might even ally with adventurers if there is some promise of exploring foreign lands and ancient languages, or encountering strange beasts.[4a]
A Day in the Life[]
"Whoever thinks education is a painless endeavor has yet to suffer through von Richstein's treatise on the Border Princes."
- —Anonymous Scholar[2a]
Scholars spend the bulk of their time each day researching; if they are being paid to do so, their research will delve only into those matters concerning their employer's request for information. If left to their own devices, most scholars would meticulously follow every lead, every thread of information within their areas of interest to its logical conclusion, cataloging any newly discovered leads for later exploration and study.[2a]
Devoting the bulk of their lives to the accumulation of knowledge, scholars are the learned people that the authorities of the Old World must turn to on occasion. As such they are sometimes employed by a secular lord or religious leader and well-paid, but more often than not work freelance and live a hand-to-mouth existence.[2a]
Some specialise in religious or philosophical topics, while others are experts on the subjects of law, mathematics, linguistics, the sciences, and even dark, forbidden lore -- though short is the tenure of the scholar in the Empire discovered to be dabbling in lore such as daemonology, necromancy or other knowledge best left unlearnt.[2a]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
- 1a: pg. 82
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Career Compendium (RPG)
- 2a: pg. 181
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
- 3a: pg. 59
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition: The Player's Guide (RPG)
- 4a: pg. 171
- 5: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Realms Of Sorcery (RPG)
- 5a: pg. 15
- 6: Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War (5th Edition)
- 6a: pg. 85