Swift Sables

The Swift Sables is a well known messengers' guild in Kartol, with its main area of operation between the countries of Gnaritia, Dermanica and The United Kingdoms of Gutt.

Post-haste delivery outposts

Many guilds have adapted to the relatively newly created occupation of "adventurer" over the years, but not many have been created with the adventurers in mind. The Swift Sables guild is one that was founded "by adventurers, for adventurers" - anyone can join as long as they prove themselves credible. To see the flexibility of this guild, look no further than the Martesian outposts - marked with the Sables' symbol and adorned in their orange-yellow colour combination, the Martesian outposts are wooden buildings located in most cities in Gnaritia and almost all major ones in Dermanica and the Gutt Kingdoms. These outposts are paid for by the city, not by the guild itself - this allows higher ranking members to get consistent pay, not just freelance fees.

These outposts house each member's pet companion while they're around running errands, exploring or adventuring nearby. The companions then signal to the locals that a Swift Sable messenger is in town, open to work! They can then leave messages, letters and even packages for the guild members, depending on where they need them delivered. Each outpost is divided into different parts to let the messangers' signal to the people around the outpost what kind of packages they're going to be able to deliver. Once the Ajil is put into the outpost, mail placed there must be delivered, so it's important that the members don't bite off more than they can chew!

Along with where you place them, you need to specify where the package needs to be delivered, either as an address or as a series of notes detailing the outpost chain that the delivery is to go on, ensuring complete secrecy - since the messengers, except for the last one, have no clue what city is the final destination, you can be sure your addressee is going to remain a secret even to the guild.

The divisions in the outposts are as follows:

• Local deliveries are the cheapest, but if a messenger is staying in town for a longer period of time, it's easy money - thanks to the sheer speed of deliveries, it is preferred to just leave some coin and a letter that needs to be sent to someone in town at the Martesian outposts than to deliver them yourself.
• City scope deliveries are reserved for letters and packages that need to be sent to a relatively nearby city, town or settlement. These can also be done via an outpost chain, but it's important to specify that on the package!
• Long distance deliveries are the most expensive ones (use of an outpost chain method is also available) and usually require the messenger to travel from one side of the country to another, or even cross borders in some cases.
• The last section in each outpost is dedicated to delivery pick up. This is guarded by a Swift Sables member of a higher rank, from Diligent Dweller up, so that the packages aren't stolen. There is no fee to pick up a package, but the addressee must go through an identification process to ensure the mail ends up in the right hands. Mail theft is a serious issue, people!

Outpost partition	Outpost chain option	One trip minimum fee	Outpost chain minimum fee (per stop)
Local deliveries	No	10 copper pieces	-
City scope deliveries	Yes	10 gold pieces	5 gold pieces
Long distance deliveries	Yes	300 gold pieces	20 gold pieces

A messengers' creed

The Swift Sables guild prides themselves on not only being one of the fastest mail delivery organisations in the Kartolean north, but also, and especially, in their devotion to utter secrecy. Their services can (for a small fee, of course) be provided to anyone with no need for the addressee, or in some cases even the messenger, to know the name of the sender. The members are educated in messenger discipline and absolutely no snooping around, since it's crucial the guild maintains its image of absolute integrity.

However, all messengers in the Swift Sables guild are also taught greatly about self worth. It is incredibly important that each member is capable of withstanding possible rudeness from customers, and the entire guild is full of camaraderie and support. It is very common for strong relationships to form in the guild, and the togetherness and friendly nature in the Swift Sables is highly encouraged.

Both of these values are reflected in the oath that new guild members take.

I, a Fledgling Courier, hereby swear myself to the Swift Sables' practice of sender and consignor confidentiality, letter, package and message protection and safekeeping, and integrity. I swear myself to partnership with my companions, trust with patrons, pleasant paths and constant acknowledgement of my own worth not only in our guild, but in life. May my roads be peaceful ("Do no harm!") and my self worth unquestioned. ("Take no shit!")

Swift Sables' guild's entrance oath (and the guild's participation in it in brackets)

All that discipline is of course unbroken, but the clever members of the guild find ways to still be able to gain at least some information about the sender, should they not place their package anonymously. With the guild's integrity and taught clever charm, it's relatively easy for the members, when talking with others, to gain information about the surroundings. They have a keen eye for how people react to things they say and things they hear, and while others may perceive things through rational, calm eyes, the Swift Sables guild members have a different, more fine-tuned approach.
[If you are a member of the Swift Sables guild, you may make a Perception or Insight check using your Charisma modifier instead of the Wisdom modifier while in a conversation. You may also refer to it as a vibe check, should you want to.]

Fuzzy friends

Each messenger, even the ones in the lowest ranks, is given a magical creature of the Martes adjilia species, known on the material plane as Ajiles. They are a Feywild equivalent of the sable species in the material plane, hence the name, and have strong magical abilities.

"Aside from being immune to non-magical weapons, they are quite agile, letting them run away from any danger that may threaten them. Their dexterous nature comes from their most well-known magical boon - their speed magic. Used by Archfaes and Feywild nobility as messengers, they can either move themselves at (by material plane standards) incredible speeds, or help creatures in their proximity by boosting their speed."

[The boost in speed is roughly 30%! Therefore, a creature with a speed of 30ft will be able to move 40ft and one who can move 45ft by default may move up to 60ft!]

Ranks

The Swift Sables guild doesn't have many ranks. The distinctions between them aren't small though - the higher ranks receive more coin on a more regular basis, but end up with more responsibilities.

• The Fledgling Courier rank is the lowest rank, perfect for new adventurers! It has next to no responsibilities, while providing the option of earning extra cash for low effort. They may tend to and place their Fae sable at the Martesian outposts and deliver letters and small packages, but they may only do so city scope wide and locally. They may occasionally have to take part in an outpost chain for longer deliveries if there are no other ranks present, but they cannot do much else.
• The Swift Sable rank is the most common one - almost all the members in the guild fall under this rank! All of the options are here for you once you get this rank. All the delivery options, including the high paying one-trip deliveries, are now at your fingertips! Your Ajil also gets a tiny bag of holding to hold your mail for you, even heavier packages. Neat!
• The Diligent Dweller rank is reserved for long time, devoted members of the guild. These members get put in the outposts, staying there most the time and managing most of the local deliveries. They are in charge of the outposts' state, making any necessary repairs, and looking after the Ajiles that are placed there by the other members. They also receive an actual monthly pay check by the city - yay! Aside from that, they also hold training courses for anyone interested in joining the guild, and with permission from the guild masters, can officially enrol new members.
• The highest rank is the Alacritous Ajil, reserved for the leaders of the guild. These members also man the outposts in the capitals of the countries associated with the guild, as well as their headquarters, in the city of Mivale. They are well respected among the nobility in Gnaritia, still delivering mail county-wide despite their high status. They are the only ones that can approve giving members higher ranks, assign outposts for Diligent Dwellers, and occasionally assign members a specific delivery, though that is quite rare. The current guild masters are Martin Arendonk in Mivale, Agatha Gabor in Dermanica and Trux Synniel, the Sables' representative in the United Kingdoms of Gutt.

"Our swiftness is no fable - count on your dear sable!"

What might your character know?

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The Swift Sables guild delivers mail, mostly! It's a readily available service in most cities, and you're pretty sure that as a side-hustle, it's pretty good! From what people say and what people hear, they seem friendly and trustworthy.

Type

Guild, Professional

Location

Mivale

Character boons overview

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Requirements

• 13 Dexterity
• 11 Constitution
• A love for the postal service

Boosts

• A messenger's trust - You are member of a very respected guild. When you ask someone if they need any mail delivered (and they do), they will automatically trust you with it. You have advantage on deception and persuasion rolls when asking for people's mail.
• Apt assessment (vibe check) - Over the years, you have learned what to notice in people's behaviour when it comes to what they feel comfortable in sharing and not, even when you're not looking for anything specific. While in conversation, you may use your Charisma modifier for your perception rolls.
• Fuzzy friend - you get your very own Ajil as a companion! As long as they are on your person, your furball of fun and fae nature helps you get around faster!
• Postman's precision - you always know which way is north and get advantage on survival checks that have to do with finding a path / safe directions.
• Spare change - you gain additional 15 gold pieces. You also have an extra set of clothes which make up your guild uniform.

Normal speed	Ajil's aid speed
25 ft	30 ft
30 ft	40 ft
45 ft	60 ft
60 ft	80 ft
90 ft	120 ft
120 ft	160 ft

Mail delivery

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When you arrive in a city, you can earn some extra cash by seeking out a Martesian outpost (there's one in almost every city) and delivering mail. You can put your Ajil into one of the parts to signal what deliveries you will be making (local, city scope wide or long distance ones) but once you do, unless there are other Ajiles in the same division, you have to make those deliveries. Easy money, but as long as your Ajil is in the outpost, you have to work for it.