Guild Lore /
AND FAQ
The Adventurers Guild possesses a rich identity and an even richer history. From the annals of battles won and conquests achieved by both Adventurer and Staff alike, to the origins of the departments and their own
sub-lore.
The Scribes
The Scribery began as little more than the logistical side of the Guild in its infancy. Alongside the clinicians, it largely did not have a determined point of formation. What is known, however, is the reformation of the department following its collapse both early on in the Guild's history, and later on during the reclamation of Eldcastle, the former resulting in the privation of archival information that we see today.
The Clinicians
Much like the Scribes, the Clinicians formed out of a need for a formal medical force to address both Adventurer and Staff requirements. With little documented history, what is known of the Clinicians is their undaunting and tireless work, and their status as one of the more formalized and professional medical bodies within Tykonia.
The Keepers
The Keepers, the newest of the departments, technically tracing their origins to the now-defunct Guard Department. Previously the elite knight retinue of the Forsters, which were disbanded following their rise to power as the leaders of Larova and then reinstated by King Ingeld's decree following the surrender of Eldcastle to the city. The department was founded out of the need for an elite, but contained and professional, military force that protected Guild assets and spearheaded larger organizations of Adventurers. Still in its infancy, the true history of the Keepers is still being written in the annals of the Guild.
Origins of the Departments
Battle of Eldcastle
Waning Highsomer, ~10th
In the days of Waning Highsomer, ragtag groups of mercenaries were called upon to reclaim the seat of the Adventurer's Guild. Successful in their efforts in slaying the basilisk that rested within, they would herald a new dawn for the Guild and its operations within Larova.
Friend or Foe?
Waning Highsomer, 24th
An occurrence that still shakes the minds of many within the Guild, largely forgotten by most today, the night of Friend or Foe proved to be one of the first warnings the Guild would receive. Orchestrated by the enigmatic and mysterious Cassens, mimics of adventurers and staff alike would work against the Guild to retrieve and take control of mysterious catalysts. Eventually succeeding, they never knew what became of them.
The Pale March
Waxing Fallowtide, 28th
"They had gathered by the edge of the Miasma, the Pale and their abominations charged by the edge of the West Gate. We hurried, used Flamel's foul creations, and crude techniques to increase and bolster our power. I had to look through the old storage for extra plate. But it ended up working out just fine, we held them back... for now."
- Guildmaster Sisu
Trial for Huntsmarshal
Waning Fallowtide, 5th
A trial held after the mysterious death of the last Larovan Huntsmarshal; large and grand in nature, the trial consisted of three stages before one Adventurer from the Guild was selected to be presented before the King.
B-Rank Thalen would assume the mantle and be chosen before the King as Larova's new Huntswarden.
Castle That Burns
Waxing Hibernalia, 2nd
The arrest of the late Guildmaster Flamel was something that would go wrong in more ways than one. Eventually resulting in his death, it would prove to be a defining moment in the annals of Eldcastle history, as, along with the attempted arrest of Flamel, the interest of Larova and the Sanctum led to severe reprimands from the King himself.
Deimos & Phobos
Waning Hibernalia, 10th
In an attempt to understand the nature of the Miasma and its contents, as well as determine a path forward in the war against the Pale, Guildmaster Sisu orchestrated a delve into the stone within the pit of Eldcastle. Corpses of Forster bannermen, half rotted by miasma, were drawn to the location and their memories extracted through the very experience of them. Soon, after all was said and done, what was required was obtained.
The deafening cry of a colossal beast broke the skies. Suddenly, the dead were rended, their foul contortions sloughed from their flesh, as a massive, coiled ribcage surrounded the survivors on all sides, like great mountains in the distance. For but an instant, upon the faces of the dead was fear.
King's Marrow
Waning Hibernalia, 13th
Marching their forces to the Eldcastle with a beast in tow, the Adventurer's Guild calls all of its Adventurers, all of its heroes, to arms. This was their stand. A Dread Serpent with a powerful miasma core within its skull must be retrieved; the visions of the Echostone have revealed its power and the need to defeat the mist.
The Pale rained down fire onto the Eldcastle. Miasma rushed in through the castle, burning eyes, lungs, and bodies alive. The Pale were few, but the Adventurers were many. The Dread Serpent fell after a combined effort of magic and might, crushed its skull, and retrieved the core from within.
A retreat from Abominations and Monstrosities was called as the Dread Serpent was slain. The Adventurers of the city had held strong, and an ingredient to the puzzle had been found. Their efforts would prove effective soon....
The Final Stand
Waning Hibernalia, 15th
A battle marking the turning of the tide against the Pale, and the beginning of Larova and the Guilds' victory, Adventurers and Bannermen alike fought on this night to destroy the Conduit that was implemented against them. Many sacrificed their lives to give the city hope, and in the end, the resolve of those vowing to protect it won out.
The Southern Basin was cleared of Miasma, and the siege saw its first days of hope.
The Second Push
Waning Niewyer, 5th
An offensive into the Northern Basin of Larova. Once more, Adventurers and Bannermen pushed into the miasma, protected by lanterns lit aflame with blue fire. Toppling yet another conduit and making sacrifices to do so, another striking victory was made against the Pale.
The Adventurers Guild:
A Condensed History
The Compact of First Blades that created the Adventurer’s Guild in 2816 BM was more about registering and controlling Larova’s sellswords than about creating an institution. The first 50 years of the Guild's existence are known as the Founder's Lament, as they fought for autonomy under pressure from the nobility and the crown. They finally capitulated in the Forster Accommodation of 2855, where the Guild's fortunes were tied to a single royal house. The Golden Era (2867-2931) brought consolidation and growth: a unified treasury, salaried staff, a professionalized corps, formal ranks, and a profitable eastern trade based within Avont. Somewhere around 2908 the transfer of administrative functions to the fortress of Eldcastle made the Guild a secular institution, separate from the people it served. It changed the Guild from a civic service into something more like an autonomous power and, as several later commentators observed, removed it from the people it had originally been chartered to serve.
The Years of Disinformation (2932-2934) saw the Guild's records corrupted by forged seals, a flooded archive, and competing factions. The crisis was resolved by the Silent Audit of 2934, a closed proceeding whose records were destroyed by the leadership. Its importance lies in the precedent it set: the institution learned that gaps in the record could be as convenient as regrettable.
That lesson was the basis for the Mundane Recess (2935-3024), the longest, least eventful period in the Guild's history. It could still function and flourish, but money more and more dictated the choices of the institution, as put in the phrase “As the Coin Flows.” They cited the standard price tables, the sealed "Hush Contracts", the expanded holding cells, and the absence of the lower-ranking members from the archive as evidence of this change. The Midyan Conflict (3010-3015) and the subsequent de facto naval blockade have served to cement chronic scarcity and the practice of profiting from it. When the first reports of the Pale, a coordinated undead force accompanied by a red miasma, reached the Guild, an institution used to pricing risk could not find a place to put a threat its existing categories could not accommodate.
The Modern Days (3025-3026) are poorly documented due to their recent nature. The Forster line was wiped out at the Battle of the Bog, and was succeeded by the Ingelds in a time of civil disorder, exacerbated by the Guild's refusal to assist the City Watch. It was a time of great losses and partial recovery: Eldcastle was re-taken, Guildmaster Flamel was killed soon after during conflict between the Levy and Guard, the Echostone was used to gain intelligence from the dead, and the first Pale "Conduit" was destroyed, lifting part of the siege. By 3026, the council of six had become just one, Guildmaster Sisu, and the Guard had been replaced by the Keepers. During the same months, there was a partial reversal of the Recess's priorities. Record-keeping and research were revived, Veneration emerged as a commemorative practice, and the population began to be treated rather than priced. The founding question of the institution left unresolved: can a body that trades in danger be trusted to govern it?
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