Those following the profession referred to, somewhat euphemistically, as Attendants are found throughout the Abethine sphere of influence, particularly aboard their ships. For the most part, however, they are only considered a respectable profession in Ǣdyihòzh, where they have in recent cycles formed an association or guild for mutual support and representation.

Despite the physical strength of takma females and the possible asset it would be in sea travel, almost all ship crews intended to travel further than a particular distance are overwhelmingly - if not exclusively - male. The reasons for this are only partly due to demographics (male takmar make up two thirds of the population), and partly due to the impact of instincts on their psychology: unattached males, those who are neither living with their parents nor associated with a female, tend to become restless and eager for new sights, and are well-suited to manning a vessel that allows them to move around; while females prefer to establish themselves in a territory they feel to be 'theirs' and not to stray far from it.

This is not to say that there are not exceptions on both sides. Some males are struck by heavier wanderlust than others; some can satisfy it in a complex and interesting environment (such as a large city) rather than a distant one; some whose wanderlust has faded, or indeed are married, may go traveling for other reasons (usually on behalf of their wives). Likewise, some females seek adventure or riches instead of territory, or can make the mental adjustment required to view a ship as territory. (These latter cases come particularly about when a female either purchases a ship or is placed in command of one by some higher authority.)

Regardless, the majority of ship crews are all, or overwhelmingly, male. And while male bands on land frequently have to deal with certain kinds of deprivation for several vigils at a time, seagoing vessels are often far more isolated for much longer periods of time, and find the respite of shore leave to be all too brief.

The role of Attendant appeared to fill this gap. A Ship's Attendant is not easily equated to English terms: she is reminiscent of the Japanese oiran, but nothing quite so limited, or so refined or expensive. She is something of an onboard counselor, helping to keep her shipmates well-adjusted in their situation; something of an entertainer, distracting them during their free time with stories, songs and music, and either playing or managing games; something of a mediator, representing the crew members and groups to each other and helping resolve their disputes; usually (but not always) something of a prostitute, providing sex for payment.

The remit of an Attendant, at its core, is to maintain the feeling of well-being among the crew of the ship by which she has been hired, and in this sense is something of a morale officer; the officers may keep the crew working, but the Attendant keeps them happy. Precisely how she does this depends on the tastes of both the crew and the Attendant herself, and is often specified by her contract, but a good Attendant is considered to have a particular mix of qualities: approachable rather than impersonal, familiar rather than businesslike, earthy rather than refined; willing to mix with the crew, to talk with and engage them, and to learn their concerns and their tastes.

While not at all a traditional career path for a female, it nonetheless has its attractions, particularly those with considerable personability and low social status. Even a relatively unskilled Attendant, if she can herself adjust to life aboard ship, is likely to receive modest but comfortable pay, room and board into the bargain, and the possibly mixed blessings of the physical attentions of the crew.

Generally a ship acquires the services of an Attendant by contract. Most commonly, the contract's term lasts until the ship returns to the port at which the Attendant boarded, as this guarantees her a ride home, but other arrangements are available and often desirable. An Attendant of a ship that calls into the same ports frequently, for example, might find it inconvenient to renew her contract repeatedly at her home port and might instead offer one with a fixed term, or that renews automatically at home port unless terminated. An Attendant of a ship with a much longer-term route, which would take her further than she was comfortable with if she stayed aboard for the entire journey, may opt to sign on only as far as a specific port, disembark there, and risk having to wait for another ship headed in the right direction.

Attendant contracts tend to separate their work into two kinds, which are treated differently. One, usually referred to as “relief of the soul”, covers entertainment - singing, stories, games - and counseling; a typical contract simply lumps these together under this label, although it is not uncommon to specify which ones she is responsible for and essentially excuse her from others (especially if she is not good at them; expecting an Attendant to sing every day with a voice like a foghorn is unlikely to please anybody). Duties falling under relief of the soul tend to require that they be performed, or at least be available for request, with a certain regularity; for example, a musician being open for requests during a particular period every vigil. The pay drawn for this work is usually paid directly by the ship as wages, disbursed when calling in port; but if a voyage is expected to be lucrative, some Attendants will attempt to negotiate a share of the profit in addition to, or instead of, fixed wages.

The other kind of work, “relief of the body”, mainly covers sex, but also any manual labor the Attendant may perform. (This latter is not necessarily expected, but welcome if provided; females usually being physically stronger than males, their aid in some of the more strenuous duties required of sailors make the jobs of the crew that much easier.) Unlike relief of the soul, an Attendant's contract tends to give her much more leeway in when and whether to provide relief of the body; usually she decides for herself when she is, so to speak, open for business. Relief of the body is considered as a one-time event rather than an ongoing duty, and is paid via one-time fees, expected to be given by the receiver of the service.

It is generally expected that a crew member seeking sex must schedule with the Attendant beforehand, and with her blessing; a ship that cares whether or not it is blacklisted by the Attendant community will take swift action against a crew member that is too pushy, though indeed not all ships are so decent. However, an Attendant, in her turn, is expected to be impartial in granting service; she may, with the backing of the officers, refuse a client on the grounds of objectionable behavior, but not because of taste. If a crewman is polite and respectful, then he may have an appointment, however ugly and unwashed he might be.

Although there are Attendants throughout the Abethine sphere of influence, they are at their most organized and influential in Ǣdyihòzh, famed for its casual - some would say libertine - attitude toward the ways its people choose to enrich and entertain themselves. At the request of the Attendant community, the Grand Princess Ōzhdinem - the grandmother of the current ruler, Èdnam - cheerfully granted them a guild charter, which allowed them to represent all of the city's Attendants. In the eight-and-a-half cycles since, the Guild has expanded dramatically in both membership and in influence.

It is difficult to enforce Guild membership on a population that migrates between jurisdictions regularly, and there are still many Attendants that are not Guild members. That said, the Guild will watch for ships that regularly employ a non-Guild Attendant, and publicly blacklist them and organize boycotts against them and any businesses that pay for their cargoes. Non-Guild members, too, have no official public representation, and their complaints to the authorities - where it relates to their profession - are politely ignored. Most Ǣdyihòzhis Attendants, therefore, find it advisable to join, and indeed there is significant benefit to doing so. The Guild has the clout to demand higher-paying contracts for its members than an independent can (from which it takes a modest cut); it provides some training in arts and skills useful for an Attendant to know; and it provides free lodgings for Guild members.

The Guild's influence has even begun to show up in other cities where it has no formal presence. There is no bar to membership for Attendants from other cities; so long as one's ship makes port in Ǣdyihòzh or one of its colonies, one can register at the local Guild office. As the number of non-local members has grown, the Guild has made a point of funding the maintenance of facilities in other ports, where visiting members can lodge and keep in contact with the Guild while ashore. Often these are rudimentary, if the port is a small one - sometimes no more than a local inn that has a contract with the Guild, though others are rented or purchased outright - but it can make all the difference for an Attendant to have a place to stay and cheap meals, if she is far from home and waiting for a berth on a new ship.

The international nature of the Guild's activities, and the increasing amount of financial management that accompanies it, has resulted in the Guild employing an impressive in-house accounting operation, and to the development of a network of messengers and couriers to carry information to Guild facilities in various ports. Combined with the purchasing of a few ships to transport currency in bulk, this has given the Guild a foundation for hiring out their financial services to other actors, a fact that they are slowly becoming aware of.

Membership in the Guild is, in theory, open to any female of three cycles of age or older, who is not married or otherwise in a publicly permanent relationship with a male. Other than the dues owed to the Guild, there are no economic or class requirements; indeed most new recruits come from lower-class backgrounds. However, there are several informal criteria for prospective Attendants that are generally weighed, such as physical appearance, personality, social intelligence, and preexisting skillset. While not extremely exclusive, the Guild nonetheless has an interest in its membership being of a minimum quality and a maximum number; they will take a girl with middling looks, if she shows promise in some other aspect - like a good singing voice - but have no motivation to have to admit one with a stoved-in face and a bad smell, however nice she is.

Upon joining the Guild, the female becomes a trainee, where her future role in the Guild is determined and refined through tutoring. Outside of Ǣdyihòzh, the quality and range of training depends on the skills of Guild members that happen to be in residence - and whether they can supplement this training with hired tutors - but in Ǣdyihòzh the official status of the Guild means that amicable partnerships with other organizations are much easier and that there is a wide range of subjects to be taught at the main Guild House. Basic training typically revolves around sex education; vocal coaching; instruction in musical instruments; speech and storytelling; knowledge of games, especially ones that can be played with little equipment or space; and basic seamanship.

The female will spend up to twelve turns being trained in various arts, starting with a broad base and slowly focusing in on those areas for which she shows the most aptitude or interest, and increasingly introducing her to the practice of her skills. Aside from this, the period also serves to sort trainees by quality, and is therefore something of a probationary period; the hopelessly unskilled or unteachable, will eventually have their training discontinued and cease to become Guild members, though some may be employed by the Guild in menial roles as a consolation. Those who are considered more qualified, however, continue on to become permanent members and available for contracts.

Status and leadership in the Guild are strongly associated with seniority, and Attendants that become too old to take on the physical duties involved in their careers, or do well enough at it that they are no longer obliged to continue, or are simply good organizers, often move to a 'working retirement', teaching younger members, administering Guild assets, negotiating contracts, and so on. The highest ranks of leadership are rather collegiate, but the mostly ceremonial position of Grandmistress is held by Kodrèm, who has held it since the founding of the Guild, in which she herself played no small role.

It is not unknown for Attendants and particular crews to become very attached to one another, and on occasion this results in an Attendant marrying crew members and (if she wishes and the officers do not object) remaining aboard as regular crew. As one of the requirements of an Attendant is that have no public and permanent attachments, she ceases to be a Guild member upon her marriage, though should she be aboveboard with the Guild about the matter and promise not to interfere with the duties of her former sisters, she will be considered to have 'retired' honorably and will often receive presents from the Guild and those in it she was closest to. As for those who remain Guild members, remaining officially unattached is not the same as being so as a practical matter, and certainly many of them, even very senior Guild members, have preferred liaisons that they do not charge for - or, to cover themselves, charge a symbolic price.

Neither does the prohibition extend to having children, which - given the nature of their work - can happen even without any official entanglements. While takma females have considerable control over their own fertility, as a form of contraception it is not perfect and there are factors that weaken its utility in this respect; and, then again, there are Attendants who actively want children and choose to conceive, whether with a client or with a more personally interesting partner. How well the Guild responds to this, however unfairly, tends to track with the Attendant's position. For a young and inexperienced Attendant to bear children is considered imprudent, and the difficulty of taking children on long voyages often means that such children must be given up for adoption or otherwise placed in another's care. More mature Attendants, however, particularly those who spend much time at the Guild House in Ǣdyihòzh, are able to house their children there, and to either participate in their upbringing themselves or to have the aid of the Guild in raising them. This has resulted in Guild membership sometimes becoming a family tradition, with daughters and then granddaughters of Attendants becoming Attendants themselves.