SMITHCRAFT MASTER

The knot of the Smith Master is a red-and-white triple-twist loop with flourishes.  The Master's knot is always worn on the left shoulder, nearest the heart.  The badge of the SmithCraft is a white roundel badge with a red anvil pictured on it.  Masters always wear this badge proudly over the heart.

The watchwords of the Smith Master are 'Wisdom' and 'Sacrifice'.  It is the task of the Master to apply the Judgment gained as a Journeyman to the Knowledge acquired as an Apprentice in seeking the Wisdom necessary to lead the Craft forward as a Master.  And in giving up the wandering ways of the Journeyman, the Master must be prepared to Sacrifice some measure of independence in bending to the awesome duty of instructing the young apprentices who are just starting, and advising the journeymen who come to him or her seeking counsel.

The tools of the Master are the Balance Scale and the Quill.  With the Balance Scale, the Master learns to weigh the advantages and disadvantages, the costs and the benefits, of tools, of plans of action, and even of people.  For with the Quill, the Master is able to shape the final history of the Craft by deciding what will be accepted and who will be promoted in rank.

Smith Masters must be (1) Active, (2) Helpful, and (3) Instructive:

1. A minimum activity level will be set in the near future.  We will try to make it reasonable and have appropriate policies for exceptional periods when a Master cannot connect as much as usual.  Also, I understand that quantity is not as important as quality.  If a Master connects and then just hides somewhere and doesn't do any interacting with other Smiths, that's not being active in the sense we need activity.
    
2. Masters must be prepared to help Apprentices as they take their first steps in the Craft.  There will be both IC and OOC questions from Apprentices.  The Masters should either (1) answer the questions, (2) point the Apprentice to a helpful source of information where the answer can be found, or (3) bring the question to the attention of someone who can help.  What is most important is that we never leave an Apprentice wondering what we're doing to answer the question.  Keep them advised.
    
3. Masters will be expected to conduct a minimum number of IC and OOC classes per month.  These will need to be scheduled far enough in advance that Apprentices can try to arrange their schedules appropriately.  In any case, if you can, the classes should be logged off-line so that all Apprentices can at least read the logs.