Explorer's Guild

In the aftermath of the natural disasters of yesteryear and the great silence that followed, the Explorer's Guild of High Hedgemont has been chartered by the High Hedgemont Town Council to investigate the world beyond the Crystal Wood. Comprised of brave adventurers young and old, backed by the Council and High Hedgemont University, and invested with the authority to represent the town towards an unfamiliar world, the Explorer's Guild sends its best and brightest into the wilderness in the hopes of discovering the wonders and dangers of the great unknown.

Structure

The current guildmaster is Grandmaster Machus, former Harbormaster and Councilor of High Hedgemont. More reclusive in recent times, Machus is nevertheless a well-respected elder statesman of the community. He can often be reached at his fishing shack aside the Crystal Eye for important matters. Guild Secretary Telle is more involved with day-to-day administrative and record-keeping affairs.
Members of the Explorer's Guild have a loose rank structure based on how many quests they've undertaken and how far they've traveled afield in the course of their adventuring carreer. Among Guild members, however, official rank is far less important than prowess and experience in the field. Wealth, titles, and connections with the Council are nice to have, but do little to protect one from the dangers of the wilderness. When the chips are down, adventurers from the Explorer's Guild can rely their wits, their fortitude, and their fellows to carry the day.

Culture

The Explorer's Guild emblem is based on the traditional Crystal Eye glyph - two squares counter-rotated and cut from the center of a circle - executed in blue-green or, as a physical device, out of quarts or crystal glass. An abstract golden sextant is placed in the center to represent the Guild's mandate to explore and its connection to cartography and navigation. The outer device is a golden two-thirds circular arc with three points to represent the main roads surrounding the Crystal Eye and the routes that radiate out towards the unknown reaches of the Great Lookout Mountains.

Assets

Explorer's Rest was originally a large pub in western High Hedgemont called the Quartz Peak Inn. The elderly couple who ran the 'Quartz' were among the last generation that remembered visitors from the outside and had, for a time, served as interpreters at HHU. Upon their passing, the couple bequeathed the property to the Town Council, who then provided it as a headquarters for the Explorer's Guild in honor of the previous tennants. Now, while the pub still serves liquor and lets rooms, it does so exclusively for current or prospective members of the Guild.
The map table and bulletin board in Explorer's Rest's main hall serves as a centralized place for members of the Guild to share information, co-ordinate efforts, and follow-up on leads generated by other Guild members. Though not strictly part of the Guild's holdings, the well gazeebo in the center of town features bulletin boards where Guild members often find leads generated by the local community.

Demonym

Explorer(s Adventurer(s)

Leader

Machus

Parent Organization

High Hedgemont Town Council

Location

Explorer's Rest

Notable Members

• Jean-Gaius Archambault
• Ryouta Yvain

Related Species

• Hengeyokai
• Human

Member-Provided Services

Members of the Guild offer services to other members at reduced cost, though they do still charge for labor and materials. Examples include:

Ryouta Yvain: Consumables, generally in the form of confections with vitalizing and transmutative effects. Ryouta also helps to publish issues of the Explorer's Guild Journal of Field Medicine (EGJFM), which may be useful for Guild-affiliated groups without access to healers. Member rate: cost +10%.

Amber Ashfeather: Metalworks, including weapons, armor, tools, and machinery. New products and upgrades. Member rate: quotes available upon request.