How would you replace the word Journeyman?
I realise Journeyperson exists, and I encourage its use, but it does feel like a term specifically designed to replace Journeyman, rather than a title that formed organically in a place that puts no stock in gender roles. And since that's exactly what I wanted the City of Fenblith to be, the word just wouldn't do.
The other titles were simple enough. Those who were training for a trade were Novices; those who had mastered it, Masters. Since I had decided to call the levels of expertise Ranks, those who had finished their training would be Ranked, with those not allowed to have a vocation being Unranked.
But there had to be something between Ranked and Master. Something to indicate you were more than just someone capable of performing your job, but not quite someone who understood its every facet.
Eventually, it was Warhammer 40K that offered me the solution in the form of the Priesthood of Mars, whose members are known as Tech Adepts.
Someone who's an adept is "a highly skilled or well-trained individual." That was the perfect description for what I was trying to name, and the term was gender neutral to boot.
So now, the people of Fenblith start their careers as Novices, become Ranked when they finish their training, and Adepts if they prove particularly skilled at their vocation, with only a few of them ever becoming Masters.
I'm happy with that outcome. Still, I'm curious: what would you have done?
