Adventurer's Guild

The Adventurer's Guild is the central hub and authority for adventurers, tasked with defending Endros from demonic threats. While the guild wields immense power and influence, its focus remains solely on adventurer-related activities. It does not act as a governing body, and avoids political or civil matters unless they directly impede guild operations or its members. It only steps in when local authorities obstruct or threaten its primary mission. Nobility tends to submit to the guild's interests, knowing that pressing their luck with the guild can have undesired consequences.

With a branch in every city and adventuring town, the guild commands respect from all corners of society. Functioning as both a military and logistical powerhouse, the guild offers rewards and recognition to those brave enough to undertake its missions. Adventurers of all ranks accept contracts through a tiered system that matches assignments to their abilities, while the guild's oversight ensures fair play and honorable conduct.

Guild Oaths

All adventurers must swear to abide by the Guild Oaths when joining, which include:

All essential intelligence must be declared and reported to the guild through one's handler.
Aid must be given to fellow adventurers in distress, unless it would cost one's life to do so.
One cannot interfere with other adventurers' contracts or missions unless asked for help.
One must obey the stated laws of any jurisdiction they are in, within reason.
One must not abuse their privileges, protections, and authority granted by the guild for personal or selfish interests.
It is forbidden to take contracts directly from patrons without guild approval.
Any violations of guild rules, including by patrons, must be reported.

Failure to comply with these rules can result in fines, suspension, demotion, expulsion, or even criminal prosecution.

Guild Commandments

All adventurers are expected to know Artemis' commandments:

Know your enemy.
Study first. Strike once.
Courage is useless to a corpse. Never wager your life to win a moment.
Never play into your enemy's hand. A predator sets the terms.
If your plan has one path, it is a wish.
Mercy is a tool, not a mood.

Guild Ranks

Unranked (Affiliates)

Non-adventuring support roles, such as guild secretaries, desk workers, and representatives.
Provisional adventurers that are new to the guild.
Adventurers that contribute to the guild exclusively through safe missions, such as gathering assignments.

Bronze Rank

Adventurers that engage with minor threats, typically serving as support for higher rank adventurers.
Must pass some simple tests and an interview process with guild secretaries and an overseer.
Roles often include carrying or gathering supplies, scouting, and combat support.
Roughly half of all adventurers are bronze rank.

Silver Rank

Adventurers capable of handling notable threats, or benefiting the Adventurer's guild in other ways.
Roles tend to be more combat-oriented, or involve higher stakes within their specialization.
Must pass the relevant exams on guild training grounds.
Receive adventurer's insurance, offering excellent compensation to families in the event of death.

Gold Rank

Skilled adventurers, highly capable within their field of expertise.
Combat-oriented adventurers of this rank are capable of handling notable threats.
Must pass higher-level exams, and may need to prove oneself in battle or within one's domain.
Often have authority to command lower-tier adventurers for missions (on a case-by-case basis).
Receive adventurer's insurance, offering excellent compensation to families in the event of death.
Rewarded with Raiments, paid for by the Adventurer's Guild, demonstrating their prestige and skill.
Roughly one-eighth of adventurers are gold rank or higher.

Platinum Rank

Professional adventurers that are willing and able to survive dangerous encounters.
Have proved themselves through challenging assignments and reliable service to the Guild.
Rewarded with Adventurer's Regalia, demonstrating their prestige and skill.
Approximately 1 platinum adventurer for every 2000 citizens in the general population.

Mithril Rank

Refers to a platinum adventurer in line to be a Hunter once Artemis can bestow his next divine Sacrament.
Considered a temporary, transitionary title while awaiting the official designation of "Hunter."
There are usually three to five Mithril adventurers at any given time.

Hunter

Elite adventurers, tasked with high-risk contracts that require the best.
Received Artemis's or Valkyrie's Sacrament, gaining potent new advantages.
Receive the prestigious title of "Hunter," distinguishing them as a world-class warrior.
Usually take a pseudonym, an official "Hunter Name," that reflects their adventuring nature.
Receive a Reaver of their choice from the Onyx armory, to be returned on retirement.
Have almost unrestricted access and privilege within the guild.
Allowed to participate directly in guild politics and decisions.
Can access a good portion of classified guild intel.
Are well-known celebrities of society. Most are known by name throughout Endros.
Roughly 1 in 20 platinum-rank adventurers become Hunters.

Master Hunter

An honorary title reserved for humanity's greatest heroes.
May possess a degree of power that matches or exceeds the Gods.
Considered legends throughout all of Endros, and will be remembered by history.
Exist in a station and law of their own. No rational citizen questions their authority.
Work directly with the Gods and provide almost unthinkable services to humanity.
Permitted to commission multiple custom relics from Sutra and Aedron.
Are granted this legendary rank by invitation only, and approval from the Gods affiliated with the guild.
Wield overwhelming influence within the guild, in addition to society in general.
Only 1 in 10 Hunters will ever achieve this rank.

Adventuring Towns

The majority of adventurers live in adventuring towns, typically located within shadowlands where there is a much higher need for their services. The percentage of adventurers in adventuring towns is closer to 4% of the population, while in normal urban centers it is closer to 0.5%. As such, people living in most cities may feel like the number of adventurers is smaller than it is; particularly of higher ranks, such as Hunters and platinum adventurers, whose presence is rarely seen.

Earning Regalia & Reavers

Upon reaching platinum rank, an Adventurer earns their Regalia; a custom-tailored, relic-class outfit created by Sutra, Goddess of the Weave. Regalia is handed down from previous generations, returned to Sutra after retirement or death. This reduces the tailoring process to less than half an hour. Those who wear Regalia are afforded many privileges throughout Endros as recognition for their work against the demonic forces.

Upon becoming a Hunter, one receives their Reaver; a relic-class weapon created by Aedron, God of Crafting. These iconic weapons represent an extraordinary threat, and most citizens can recognize them. Reavers are stored in the Onyx Armory, to be returned after retirement or death. Only Hunters are allowed to possess or use a Reaver.

Guild Influence & Special Privileges

Adventurers, particularly those that wear Regalia, are afforded great status and special privileges. They are expected to self-regulate their behaviors and follow the laws of each jurisdiction, within reason. However, their privileges overrule laws that impede on the guild's work. The guild doesn't address every small infraction against their members, but they do have a history of fierce retaliation when the boundaries are tested.

Since the Adventurer's Guild is the closest thing Endros has to a national military, their influence is largely obeyed, especially by commoners. Nobles may protest or deny the jurisdiction of the Adventurer's Guild in rare cases, but in practice high-ranking adventurers have considerable freedoms because of their backing.

Platinum Rank Privileges: According to guild law, enforcers outside of the guild are not allowed to arrest a platinum adventurer unless they have committed a serious crime that the guild themselves would recognize as such. Any arrest of a platinum adventurer will be investigated by the guild, leading in most cases to either the adventurer or the enforcer being punished.

Free passage is given to platinum adventurers, allowing them to move without impediment through the cities of Endros. They must be permitted to cross any sanctioned access point and travel aboard any vessel they require; for free if necessary, though the guild expects them to repay a fair transit fee when able, and will take notice of any abuse of the system.

Hunter Privileges: Hunters have nearly unrestricted access within society, and do not have to follow the laws of any noble's domain. Turning down a request from a Hunter is considered breaking the law in the eyes of the guild. It would be risky even for royals to refuse a proper summons by a Hunter.

Upon acquiring the Sacrament from Artemis, most Hunters take on a "Hunter Name" to be publicly and officially recognized by. These names usually reflect their adventuring nature in some way, and become a status symbol.

Master Hunter Privileges: In practice, Master Hunters are essentially above any law, similar to the Gods. Anyone that refuses a request by a Master Hunter, if it is within their ability to fulfill it, should be ready to experience the full wrath of the Adventurer's Guild, if not from the Hunter themselves.

Adventurer Classes and Categories

Adventurers often register one or more classes that reflect their abilities and define their guild laws and privileges.

Warriors: Frontline fighters. Often trained Chi or Fire Sorcery.
Archers: Ranged combatants using bows or crossbows. Often trained in Air Sorcery.
Rangers: Wildlife experts, scouts, and trackers. Often trained in Nature Sorcery.
Cavalry: Mounted adventurers, often rangers, that train with specialized war-ready mounts.
- Common cavalry types include Battle Ostriches, Familiars, and Beasts.
Casters: Users of sorcery that provide magical ranged combat.
Healers: Non-party Prana sorcerers capable of healing. Typically stationed at sanctuaries.
Priests: Active party adventurers that provide team support. Trained in Prana sorcery.
- Adventurers that lose a priest in their party may suffer penalties and demotions.
Specialists: Adventurers that possess specialized skill sets or handle classified intel.
- Typically work directly for a guild handler, and not through standard guild contracts.
- Requisition and privilege are unique to each specialist, which vary between guild branches.

Elite Classes and Categories

Solblade Warriors: Frontline warriors that fight with a Solblade.
Slingers: Rangers that use Aethervines to fight and maneuver in complex wilderness environments.
- Exclusively assigned to Nature environments due to their training and use of Aethervines.
- A few rare Slingers have earned "Dual Slinger" status, and possess two Aethervines.
Sky Knights: Elite aerial archers that fight with Wingsuits. Trained in Air Sorcery.
- Specialize in hunting airborne demons, or grounded demons using air superiority.
Spider Pilots: Elite Nature sorcerers trained with and permitted to operate Spider Tanks.
- Often come from a cavalry background, having received extensive training with war creatures.

Requisitions & Access

Silver adventurers gain certain access and requisition privileges. They can requisition weapons, armor, and other equipment that fits their class archetypes at 20% discount. Sorcerers can access the arcana libraries to study rare magical knowledge. Discounts and opportunities improve with rank, often significantly. Gold adventurers get 35% off, platinum adventurers get 50% off, and Hunters get 75% off. Master Hunters rarely deal in money or require such services, as they are often provided equipment by the Gods themselves.

Guild Hierarchy

Lexica, the Goddess of the Mind, is the Grandmaster of the Adventurer's Guild, tasked with overseeing all of the guild's operations across Endros. She operates from the guild branch in Arcanus, in close proximity to the Arcanus Academy and its libraries. Lexica chooses Guildmasters for each major branch and territory, selected from candidates that have proven their merit through dedicated effort.

Each territory and major branch of the Adventurer's Guild has its own Guildmaster, which is given freedom to manage their guild operations as they see fit. Artemis, the God of Hunting, is the Guildmaster of the Haven branch where he oversees the guild's operations in the Darklands. The Haven branch is often considered the most important branch due to how powerful and expansive the shadowlands are within the region.

The term "Keeper" is used to describe a Guildmaster that oversees a town or village branch, rather than a main branch in one of the larger cities. They operate their domain like any Guildmaster, but may be reliant on outside assistance. Their towns often have access to fewer adventurers, defenses, and resources, making their positions very difficult. Proving oneself a capable Keeper is typically the only path to the station of a Guildmaster.

Becoming an Adventurer

The Adventurer's Guild recognizes multiple paths to becoming a protector of Endros. While the prestigious Academies typically produce the most elite adventurers, the Guild is open to individuals who have not undergone formal schooling. Aspiring adventurers can learn through self-study, informal apprenticeships, or practical experience. Advancement within the Guild is always based on demonstrated merit, regardless of initial training.

Guild Registration

All aspiring adventurers must register with the Guild, which is possible from their local Guild branch. This involves providing basic information, paying a nominal registration fee (to deter frivolous applications and ensure commitment), and swearing the sacred Guild Oaths.

Following registration, candidates undergo an initial assessment conducted by a Guild representative, typically a secretary or low-ranking officer. This assessment involves an interview and basic skill evaluation. The interview probes the candidate's understanding of the inherent risks and responsibilities of the adventuring profession, as well as their motivations for joining the Guild. The skills evaluation consists of simple tests designed to gauge physical fitness and any pre-existing skills relevant to adventuring, such as weapon proficiency or knowledge of local flora and fauna.

Provisional Status

Completion of the assessment grants the candidate a provisional "Unranked" status. This probationary status allows them to accept low-risk missions under the supervision of experienced adventurers, or in designated safe zones, such as labyrinths, providing a controlled environment to gain practical experience. Unranked adventurers gain access to basic Guild-provided training, covering essential skills such as self-defense, first aid, and the fundamental protocols of the Guild.

To shed the provisional designation and progress to Bronze Rank, the adventurer must demonstrate reliability and competence, and pass a formal Guild examination. This examination rigorously tests basic combat proficiency, survival skills, and a thorough understanding of Guild regulations. While not strictly mandatory, securing mentorship from a more experienced adventurer is highly recommended, as their guidance and endorsement can significantly aid advancement.

The School Path (Formal Training)

Adventuring Schools offer two-year programs that accept a wide range of applicants. Training is designed to provide a solid foundation in core adventuring skills, focusing on combat and survival, which are critical for attaining a Bronze or Silver rank. Exceptional students are recommended for admission to the Academies to complete their training.

The Academy Path (Elite Training)

The four major Adventuring Academies (Arcan, Haven, Onyx, and Skywood) represent the pinnacle of formal adventurer training. Admission is highly competitive, requiring applicants to demonstrate exceptional potential and aptitude. Academies offer advanced and specialized training in a wide array of combat and magical disciplines that are not available elsewhere.

While students progress through a structured curriculum, there is no formal "graduation" to increase one's rank. Instead, Academy students, like all adventurers, must prove their abilities through Guild assessments and real-world performance. However, enrollment does guarantee clan prestige. Students can join an Academy clan, potentially even the highly coveted elite clans, which nearly all Hunters are associated with.