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The Necessary Servant
Note: The Necessary Servant first appeared in Unknown Armies 1st Edition. All I have done is update it slightly for 3rd Edition. The Necessary Servant is never the commander, never the president, never the titled holder of a lordly domain. Instead, he is the secretary, the seneschal, the aide de camp. While the visible ruler commands respect and wields obvious power, the Necessary Servant acts in the ruler’s name, applies oblique power, and makes the reign of the ruler possible. Though unknown and unnamed, the Necessary Servant is absolutely essential for the success of any large-scale operation. To put it in the parlance of modern business, “You can’t micromanage success, but you can micromanage failure.” Where would Microsoft be if every expenditure, down to a box of donuts for a secretary’s retirement party, had to be personally okayed by Bill Gates? Not on almost every computer in the U.S., that’s for sure. Everyone with significant power has to delegate that power. Necessary Servants are those people who loyally accept delegation. They do the detail oriented busy work that frees up executives to meditate on the Big Picture. (Or to take three martini lunches and bang their secretaries, depending on the Executive.) Not every middle manager or executive assistant is a Necessary Servant, however: only those whose actions and attitudes are sufficiently synchronized with the Archetype. To go the extra mile into Necessary Servant territory, one must have a genuine interest in the power structure one serves. Skilled service is required, and it has to go above and beyond the call of duty. The wage slave who leaves right at 5:00 with the phone still ringing is ineligible for Avatar status. Obviously, the Necessary Servant has to be essential to the functioning of the business/church/club/whatever. Anyone who won’t be missed or can easily be replaced is not “necessary,” no matter how skilled or dedicated. This is perhaps the most critical element: While the Servant takes orders from “the boss” and labors in a subordinate position, it is crucial that the boss rely on the Servant more than the Servant needs the boss. As with most Avatars, there are positive and negative elements of the Necessary Servant. When devoted to a benevolent structure, the Necessary Servant can make it far more efficient. Similarly, a Necessary Servant who selflessly serves can free “the boss” from minutiae and detailed work, providing the space for a leap from “good” to “great.” On the other hand, a good worker can do great harm when serving a bad master. Other Necessary Servants can come to utterly dominate their supposed master (who is, after all, helpless without the aid of the Servant). The more typical “power behind the throne”- the conspirator who controls by suggestion and stoops to conquer- could be channeling the Necessary Servant. Most insidious of all are those Servants who mean only the best, but whose capabilities make them a crutch to their boss. Instead of learning to take charge, the leader fails to lead, letting the Servant do all the work. Want to know more about the Necessary Servant? Read the entire archetype here. The Savage
Note: The Savage first appeared in Unknown Armies 1st Edition. All I have done is update it slightly for 3rd Edition. The image of the Savage can be found in most early societies. Edgar Rice Burroughs gave the archetype a name (Tarzan), and Robert Bly hunted for him under the veneer of civilized manhood. He lurks in the Himalayas as the Yeti, he stalks through British Columbia as Bigfoot, and he comes to us in every ancient myth and urban legend about children raised by wolves. The Savage has cast away the shackles of politeness or social expectation- or maybe they were never there to start with. Having turned away from the society of mankind, the Savage is welcomed by nature. The birds and beasts are the Savage’s kin, and the untamed places of earth are what the Savage calls home. The dark side of the Savage is obvious. Someone who has cast aside the anxieties and polite fictions of society can easily cast aside morals and ethics as well. The Savage is as likely to be vicious and predatory as noble and unspoiled. Want to know more about the Savage? Read the entire archetype here. The Dark Stalker
Note: The Dark Stalker first appeared in Unknown Armies 1st Edition. All I have done is update it slightly for 3rd Edition. The Dark Stalker (also called the Faceless Man) is the remorseless killer without motive. He loves nothing more than the sight of running blood and the feel of dead flesh under his fingers. He may appear charming, but under his shallow smile lies a desire only to murder. The Dark Stalker is a wanderer, a traveler who brings woe and mourning wherever he goes, and who serves no man at all save himself. He is no gloating villain or thug- truly advanced Stalkers are almost ascetic, veritable Saints of Murder. The Dark Stalker is antithetical to the Masterless Man, and Avatars of either cannot abide each other’s presence. Many are quite educated, and none are base or ignorant; even the most brutal and uneducated Stalkers have the grace and dignity of their spirituality. Want to know more about the Dark Stalker? Read the entire archetype here. The Judge
Note: The Judge first appeared in Unknown Armies 2nd Edition. All I have done is update it slightly for 3rd Edition. Everyday, people make choices. What to wear, what to eat, what to say, where to go; every second of every day is filled with people choosing between options, deciding what is right for them. Most of the time, the choices make little difference for anyone but the people choosing, and often little difference to them, as well. But some choices are different. The Judge is the embodiment of powerful choice. His decision carries the weight of law, and his choices can mean life or death for many. With full knowledge of the ramifications of his decision, the Judge learns to read the nuances of the choices before him and to analyze their impact. The Judge must weigh the consequences of his choices and live with the result, because once he makes a choice his conviction and authority impose it upon the world. The decree of the Judge is final. Want to know more about the Judge? Read the entire archetype here. The Loyal Laborer
Note: The Loyal Laborer first appeared in Unknown Armies 2nd Edition, in the source book Break Today. All I have done is update it slightly for 3rd Edition. The Loyal Laborer works, not for reward or recognition, but because toil is in his nature. She does not expect her extraordinary efforts to be commended, though if they are she is pleased. But she does not consider it her due. The only thing she considers her due is the work that gives her life purpose. The Loyal Laberer began as a Chinese concept, and this figure of selfless effort is still found there in greater numbers than anywhere else. While many Loyal Laborers begin as zealots, willing to strive for the greater good of the cause (whatever the cause is), at its apex the Loyal Laborer achieves a kind of enlightened selflessness. To the finest example of the Loyal Laborer, it does not matter whether his work even accomplishes anything. The work itself is what matters. Want to know more about the Loyal Laborer? Read the entire archetype here.
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November 2018
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