Adventurers

Adventurers refers to people who make a living by completing requests and bounties, killing monsters, or exploring dungeons. They are overseen by the Adventurer's Guild.

Overview

Adventuring is like a tunnel. No, wait, a staircase. Tunnels are idiotic. You keep chasing higher and higher, saving up for the next artifact, saying ‘if only I had real armor, not this steel crap’, or, ‘if only my spear were tipped with adamantine, not just enchanted’. And then when you quit, you realize how much gold you spent on just a potion.
Tekshia Shivertail

Adventurers are individuals officially registered with the Adventurer's Guild. They undertake bounties or requests issued by the Guild in exchange for monetary rewards. These assignments range from monster subjugation and escorting [Merchants], to tracking down and eliminating [Bandits].

Adventuring as a profession has existed for tens of thousands of years. In the modern day, adventurers can be found on nearly every continent, with Adventurer's Guilds established in most towns and cities. These Guilds maintain shared records and remain in communication—even across continents. However, local regulations, rules, and membership requirements can vary widely. For instance, in Drake adventurers bear a stronger loyalty to their home cities and often serve a dual role, acting as a city militia in times of crisis.

Motivations for becoming an adventurer differ greatly. Some seek fame, fortune, or the thrill of danger, while others view it simply as a means of livelihood. Many have left other careers to become adventurers. One such example is Gemhammer, a group of former [Miners] who discovered their mining Skills were equally effective in dungeon excavation and monster combat. Even criminals can join the Guild after settling their debts—such as Typhenous, Riz, or the Waterborn Raiders. On the continent of Baleros, the line between adventurer and mercenary is often blurred. Regardless of their origin or motivation, few adventurers reach old age. As Deniusth, a famed Named Adventurer with decades of experience, once observed: out of the hundreds of adventurers he had known, only eighteen remain alive today.

Registration

Signing up at an Adventurer's Guild has a registration fee of two silver for materials, and may cost more depending on the guild. To register at a rank higher than Bronze, references are needed. The new adventurer then provides the following information for their file: their name, gender, species and subspecies, age, place of origin, fighting capabilities, and next of kin. A copy of the file may be given to the adventurer if they wish. If the no next of kin is listed, then the adventurer's possessions are given to their team or the guild's city.

Rank Classifications

Adventurers are primarily classified by the ranks given to them officially by the Adventurer's Guild. This system of classification is employed in every continent, though the standards for each rank can differ. An adventurer's rank is determined by their levels, experience, and gear. The higher the rank, the better the reward and social position, but also greater risks and danger. It is customary to work up the ranks when starting out as an adventurer, seen with Dorgon, who was only Silver-ranked despite being a Level 36 [Twinblade Linebreaker] as he was only an adventurer for nine months. Monster species and dungeons are also classified under the same system to indicate their danger rating (i.e. Eater Goats are considered a Gold-rank threat)

Bronze-Rank

Bronze is the lowest adventuring rank, reserved for newly registered adventurers. Their job requests are typically run-of-the-mill grunt work.

Silver-Rank

Silver-ranked adventurers have more experience and power far above that of a Bronze-rank. It is said that a team of that rank are more than a match for a small city's standing militia. Their equipment and magic allows them to take on challenges even a large garrison might not manage. The average levels for Silver-ranks are in the low 20's at best. Silver-ranked adventurers are largely considered the norm.

Gold-Rank

The cream of the crop, Gold-ranks are the elite adventurers, typically being Level 30+. The average Gold-ranked team can take out a threat that might require multiple Silver-ranked teams. Unlike Silver-rank adventurers, they can afford to buy magical artifacts that greatly boost their prowess. Because of these special magical items, they are considered to be far above Silver-Rank. At the top of that group, teams of adventurers are equivalent to small armies and could affect disputes between nations. While gear is a major factor for becoming a Gold-rank, any adventurer who reaches Level 30 can call themself a Gold-rank regardless of equipment and gear. Gold-rank adventurers are held at stricter standards and hold a moral responsibility to defend and protect cities in the event of an attack, sometimes swearing an oath to do so.

Named Adventurers

If Gold-ranks are considered elites, than Named Adventurers are legends. They are called as such because their names are known throughout the part of the world where they travel, as well as possessing a distinctive nickname. Adventurers can be recognized as Named-ranked starting around Level 40, and are widely acknowledged to be among the strongest in the entire world, with only a few having reached this rank. Nations can be considered world powers purely based on having a Named Adventurer on retainer. That being said, the majority of Named Adventurers are considered crazy, due to them being able to take on risks that would make armies run. It is considered normal or even expected for a Named Adventurer to display odd behavior or have a personality quirk.

Teams

Adventurers generally fight in teams due to increased likelihood of survival and efficiency. There are no limits to the number of members in team; however, most teams typically have four to five members in order to maintain an ideal ratio of income shares versus cost of equipment. An adventurring team's rank is determined by overall efficiency, meaning that a team can be made Gold-ranked, even if the individual members are Silver-ranked in strength.

Known Adventurer Teams:

Unknown rank:

• Maird’s Massacre

Bronze-Rank Teams:

• Brilliant Swords of Celum
• Haresbane
• Poke Duo
• Redfang Goblins
• Rhine of Blades

Silver-Rank Teams:

• Boltspitters
• Dawncallers
• Ensoldier Shields
• [Fools] of Fortune
• Gemhammer
• Hauntgheist
• Gekla Raiders
• Maweil’s Reach
• Meliem
• Pithfire Hounds
• Reddogs
• Rustless Guard
• Scaleguards
• Scaleshard Mages
• Skillfull Swords
• Skylark’s Hubris
• Steelhowl
• Swordlock Dogs
• Tempest Singers
• The Tail of Xil
• Thunder’s Solace
• Thunri Dwarves
• Vuliel Drae
• Whistling Bows
• Windfrozen Riders

Gold-Rank Teams:

• 

  Horns of Hammerad, by mg

• 

  Griffon Hunt, by mg

• 

  Halfseekers (-Ulinde), by mg

• A Pact of Flame and Sword
• Beachcat
• Bushrangers
• Conquerors of Rameid
• Distinguished Staves of Invrisil
• Dividenblades
• Falling Axe
• Fissival’s Light
• Flamewardens
• Flawless Riposte
• Glitterblade
• Goler's Limbs
• Heron’s Mark
• Horns of Hammerad
• Lifwail Blades
• Nerrhavia’s Champions Abroad
• Oblivion’s Call
• Onyx Bucklers
• Optiment’s Fighters
• Oresen’s Steel Brigade
• Salt Reavers
• Silver Swords
• Solar Strikes
• Spoken Vow
• Ten Razors
• The Axe Brigade
• The Cherinion Swords
• The Regular Defenders
• Todi’s Elites
• Waterborn Raiders
• Wings of Pallass

Named-Rank Teams:

• Champions of the Coast
• Fowl Play
• Jade Garudas
• Orchestra / The Orchestra of the North
• Shield of Tenbault
• Stargazer’s Promise
• Variable Fortress
• ??? - Named-rank team based in Salazsar, led by Akral the Adamantium.

Former Adventurer Teams:

Silver-Rank Teams:

• Bushrangers (Promoted to Gold)
• Circle of Reneë
• Contempt of Zeikhal
• Flawless Fight
• Horns of Hammerad (Promoted to Gold)
• Kyrial’s Pride
• Pride of Kelia
• Scales of Anarchy
• Silver Spears
• Traveller’s Yawn

Gold-Rank Teams:

• Arcsinger’s Bows
• Beatist's Brawlers
• Griffon Hunt
• Halfseekers
• Plain's Bow
• Silvereyed Sables

Named-Rank Teams:

• Forgotten Wing / World’s Founding
• The Radiance of Canopies

Known Named Adventurers and their Titles

Named Adventurers:

• Akral - Akral the Adamantium
• Alked Fellbow
• Baudin - Baudin the Brass
• Calcirite - Calcirite the Forgeblessed
• Caleis Berkesson - Favor of the North
• Chorteal - Chorteal the Djinni Master
• Colthei - Colth the Supporter
• Cosmenaut - Duelist of First Landing
• Degaintel - ???
• Denuisth - Duelist of Strings
• Eldertuin Terland - Eldertuin the Fortress
• Elia Arcsinger - Kingslayer
• Frieke - Falcon of Khelt (ex: Falcon of Medain)
• Gadiekh - World-Pact Adventurer
• Gamur - Gamur the Axe
• Gazi Pathseeker - Gazi the Omniscient
• Gores Caneth - Trumpet of the Battlefield
• Joriac - Joriac Wavebreaker
• Kositer - Kositer the Lazy
• Lehra Ruinstrider - Stargnoll
• Merdon - Crowdcaller Merdon
• Mivifa - Oldblood of Feathers
• Musky - Muscane the Hound
• Rasen Verithe - Champion of the Coast
• Requiel - Three of Arms
• Saliss - Saliss of Lights
• Teithde Verithe - Champion of the Coast
• Tessa - Shriekblade
• Viecel - Viecel the Mad Better
• Zeter - Swordsman of Six

Former Named Adventurers:

• Aotazen - Arenabreaker (Killed by the Shapeshifter of the High Passes)
  • Bound to Roshal; a [Juggernaut of Sin].
• Berythe - Devourer of Devourers (Deceased)
• Dominel - ??? (Deceased)
• Foliana - The Three-Color Stalker (Left to form the Forgotten Wing Company)
• Gorethem - Gorethem Krakenblood (Retired to join the Thousand Lances)
• Ironheart Calecum - ??? (Killed by Velan the Kind)
• Larracel Delais - Larracel of Havens (Retired to become the [Innkeeper] of The Adventurer's Haven)
• Masmak - Masmak the Pestilence Rider (Deceased)
• Niers Astoragon - The Titan of Baleros (Retired to form the Forgotten Wing Company)
• Regrika Blackpaw - Fortress Blackpaw (Revealed to be Venitra)
• Thivian Stormless - The Lightning Thief (Died from unknown causes)
• Torreb - Torreb the Undefeated (Died of a heart attack)
• Voielth Hoeneifeathers - ??? (Deceased)
• Xersia - Xersia the Scorpion (Retired to join the nobility of the Blighted Kingdom - Killed by a Fearless Demon)
• ??? - Jawbreaker of Zeikhal (Deceased)
• ??? - Fangmaster

Trivia

• Some countries had ranking systems that extend beyond the gold rank into Platinum, Adamantium, and so on.
  • This has been retconned in the rewritten version of Volume 1.
• Gold-ranked adventurers can earn as much as 4,000 gold coins if they are lucky in a dungeon.
• The Adventurer Guilds' standards have decreased over the years, shown by Teriarch believing that a Silver-rank team on the verge of Gold to be a Bronze-rank group. Similarly, Nerrhavia claimed that in her time, Level 50 was the agreed upon-standard for Gold-ranks, with Silver-ranks being Level 30 with artifacts.
• Rewards from bounties posted by the Adventurer's Guild can only be claimed by registered adventures and are not available to the general public.
• The Isles of Minos does not have adventurers, nor issue adventuring ranks.
• An "Encounter" is a Guild-term for a single run of battles before resting.
• An Adventurer's Bargain is a term for a scenario during a bad adventure where the team has to choose who amongst them lives.