The Waymakers perform a vital role in Eleath, creating and maintaining the Boardways, Ropeways and Wildways that facilitate travel from place to place.
Waymakers serve an apprenticeship during which they become experts with wood and rope, and at the completion of which they receive their Waymaker’s Measures - an accurately marked cord, and a wooden rod (usually brass bound) and a marked disk which incorporates a bubble in a tiny glass vial. These enable a waymaker to measure heights and distances between points in the trees they have not yet reached, using some calculations that only Waymakers seem to understand.
The Waymaker’s Measures also serve as the mark of a time-served Waymaker, opening the gateway to work not only in Waymaking but in any endeavour where structures, particularly flexible ones involving ropes, need to be supported in the trees.
Custom Background
The Waymaker (Eleathean) background has been homebrewed in DnDBeyond and can be found at https://www.dndbeyond.com/backgrounds/369752-waymaker-eleathean.
The details of the background are:
Skill Proficiencies: Survival, Acrobatics or Athletics
Tool Proficiencies: Carpenter's Tools
Languages: One language appropriate to your character's experiences (as agreed with the DM.)
Equipment: 50 feet of silken rope, a set of waymaker's measures, a set of carpenter's tools, a set of travelling clothes and a pouch containing 15 gp.
Feature: Fellowship of the Road
As a time-served Waymaker other members of your profession (who can be found in most town and cities) generally welcome you, and can be a great source of information. They usually know the best routes to travel (either to far-flung places, or via lesser known routes in larger towns and cities) and are often aware of any unusual local travellers as well as the current rumours on the roads.
They may also be able to assist with procuring materials and tools connected to Waymaking at the best possible prices.