Your profile has two paths that never share points:
- Wanderer — grows as you read, shelf, rate, join communities, keep reading streaks, and play Weekly Prompts. Tiers climb from Kindling toward Chronicle Keeper.
- Emberwright — grows as you publish and gather an audience. Empty until you light a story; then it climbs the author ladder (Ember Spark → Rising Flame → Established Hearth → Hearthbound → Legend of the Ember).
How XP arrives
Actions grant XP with daily caps (so grinding all night does not empty the ladder overnight). Many grants are one-time per chapter, review, or prompt so refreshing a page does not farm points. Daily and weekly Progress goals pay a small bonus on top of the base action — they do not replace it.
Official Job Board work pays Wisps, not XP. Peer jobs settle Embers between members. Community Trust stays a separate citizenship score.
The Paths UI unlocks after a few chapter completes, any published story, or an explicit opt-in — so new accounts are not buried in RPG chrome on day one.
Badges level up in families (bronze through ember metals). Story hero badges celebrate the story; your personal badge wall celebrates you.