In Tales Unending, class is not a profession, rank, or destiny. It is a path of engagement—a description of how an individual moves through conflict, meaning, and change. These paths are known collectively as the Six Classes, but among scholars of the Storywake they are more often called expressions of continuance.
An Anchor does not choose a class through ceremony or inheritance. Instead, a class emerges through action. How one responds when a story fractures—whether by standing firm, striking decisively, shaping from afar, rewriting reality, preserving others, or adapting without form—defines the path they walk.
These paths are neither rigid nor exclusive. Many Anchors drift between them over time. Others embody one so completely that it becomes inseparable from their identity.
Those who stand between a story and its end.
Vanguards are defined by presence. When a realm trembles, when the Unwritten presses close, the Vanguard does not retreat. They endure. Whether through oath, rage, discipline, or sheer refusal to fall, Vanguards act as living bulwarks against collapse.
In many Story Realms, Vanguards become symbols—knights, guardians, wardens of gates or ideals. Yet the role is not limited to warriors. A leader who absorbs blame to protect their people, or a sentinel who remains long after hope fades, may walk the Vanguard path without ever lifting a blade.
To the Storywake, Vanguards are anchors of stability. Their continuance is rooted in commitment: this ends no further.
Those who decide when a story turns.
Strikers are agents of momentum. They do not linger in stalemate or attrition; they act at the moment where change becomes inevitable. Precision, speed, and resolve define their presence. Where others endure, Strikers conclude.
Across the realms, Strikers appear as duelists, assassins, martial artists, hunters, or myth-bound warriors whose legends hinge on decisive action. Yet the essence of the path lies not in violence, but in timing. A single choice, made without hesitation, can redirect an entire narrative.
The Storywake responds keenly to Strikers. Their actions create ripples—sudden divergences where outcomes crystallize. They are feared not for their power, but for their certainty.
Those who shape the flow from afar.
Marksmen influence stories indirectly, altering outcomes without standing at the center of the storm. They guide, inspire, suppress, or dismantle from a distance—physically, emotionally, or symbolically.
In some realms, Marksmen take the form of archers, gunners, or engineers. In others, they are performers, tacticians, or messengers whose words travel farther than weapons ever could. Their strength lies in awareness: seeing the field entire and choosing where to apply pressure.
Marksmen often become chroniclers or remembered voices. The Storywake records their influence not as moments of impact, but as patterns—threads pulled gently, until the tapestry shifts.
Those who rewrite the rules.
Arcanists engage directly with the forces that shape reality. Through aether, symbols, contracts, or resonance, they alter the underlying logic of a Story Realm. Creation and destruction are equally within their reach, and consequence follows both.
Many cultures revere or fear Arcanists as mages, summoners, or seers. Yet the path is broader than spellcraft. Any individual who knowingly bends the nature of the world—at cost to themselves or the story—walks this road.
The Storywake marks Arcanists deeply. Their actions leave scars, echoes, and anomalies. A realm touched too often by unchecked Arcanistry risks instability, but without it, many stories would never escape their own limitations.
Those who keep the story alive.
Wardens are preservers of continuance. Where others push forward, Wardens ensure that something remains to push with. Healing, protection, preparation, and foresight define their role.
In some realms, Wardens are healers or scholars. In others, they are caretakers, archivists, or quiet figures who ensure that memory does not fade and loss does not calcify into stagnation. They do not erase pain; they prevent it from becoming the Unwritten.
The Storywake recognizes Wardens as sustainers. Their presence lengthens narratives, allowing growth where collapse would otherwise occur. Stories rarely celebrate them—but they endure because of them.
Those who walk between roles—and between worlds.
Wayfarers resist definition. They adapt, learn, borrow, and endure without committing fully to any single path. Some are explorers, diplomats, or civilians drawn into larger stories against their will. Others wield strange, situational abilities gained through experience rather than training.
Wayfarer is the most common path among noncombatants and civilians, but it is not a lesser one. The Storywake values adaptability as much as strength. When a story does not fit established roles, it often turns to a Wayfarer to continue.
Many Anchors begin as Wayfarers. Some remain so forever. Others crystallize into a different path as their story sharpens.
Class does not dictate occupation. A farmer may be a Vanguard. A merchant may be a Marksman. A scholar may be an Arcanist. Civilians who never engage in conflict often default to the Wayfarer path, not because they are weak, but because their role is narrative rather than martial.
In Tales Unending, what matters is not what one does for a living, but how one carries a story forward.
The Six Classes are not rules imposed upon the world. They are observations—patterns noticed by those who study the Storywake and the Anchors who traverse it. As stories evolve, so too may these paths. New expressions may emerge. Old ones may blur.
For as long as stories continue, so will those who walk them.
And no path is ever truly final.