Quester's Travel Guild
The High-Elves who travelled with me were all kindly gentlemen. Clothed in green garbs wrapped tightly at their knees and elbows, each of them bore a golden brooch in the shape of a lyre signifying their status as Guild Guides. Their organization, kind as it is, had provided 5 of their more talented climbers to give me the grand tour, signified by the bright red hood each of them wore off their head. I had a feeling I would need their help.The Shatterlands are vast, with shifting terrain and mind-boggling heights that can be impossible to navigate for anyone not skilled in climbing or a nomadic lifestyle. Many unskilled travelers consumed by pride get lost in the dense jungles or dehydrate in the vast expanses of the Viridi Heights, or gods forbid fall from the great heights of the islands themselves. To solve this issue, a guild was formed in the early 7th era. The Quester's Travel Guild, as it's known now, dedicated itself to guiding any and all people who wish to see The Shatterlands be they Elf, Human, or otherwise. This passion, borne from the ancestral worship of the Sunfey and their territory, blossomed into a free guide service that operates as pilgrimage protection, guiding, and equipment services. The guild is widespread in the modern era, with shrines and congregations in most major cities across Nevarine. Many shrines choose specific relics or Sunfey figures to worship, and a few offer Fey or Sealeth worship, but all of them provide services to people seeking to undertake a pilgrimage to The Shatterlands. Their main clientele is usually High-Elves seeking to undertake a Relic Quest, but many shrines service tourists equally. Although far from their main purpose, many shrines in major cities offer religious education to people seeking to learn about the history of the elvish people and their religious practices. Some have accused their teaching of being inaccurate or biased towards the High-Elvish perspective, but plenty see their teachings as the true history of the elvish people.
Structure
Each shrine or guild house is staffed with at least one priest of its associated faith and at least 2 Guild Guides. These guild guides range in rank from Novice to Gōmma, with their rank relating to their level of training and experience in the guild. Any member may seek additional training at specialized shrines, but their advancement to the next rank is entirely determined by the guild and its Shrine Association.
The Shrine Association is the governing body that watches over the entire guild network. Comprised of elected members of every major shrine, the association makes decisions on everything from member promotion to the creation of new shrines. The Shrine Association can also decide to divert guild guides from more populous shrines to smaller shrines or specific travel groups, usually for the purpose of protecting important persons or encouraging growth in newer shrines. A member of the shrine council can be distinguished by a gold stripe in the middle of their hood.
Culture
The beliefs of Quester's Travel Guild associates vary from shrine to shrine, member to member. The organization purposefully encourages diversity of religion and people. The official guild position on this is to "prevent our elvish Sōhla from discrimination and division", but many members admit that this policy exists to encourage as many people to use their guild services as possible.
Generally speaking, members of the Quester's Travel Guild tend to believe that all people, elvish or not, deserve to know the history of the Sunfey and its descendant people. Many more experienced Guild Guides and Shrine Members learn entire encyclopedias worth of knowledge, oral tradition, and trivia about the Sunfey Empire and its descendant people and are only so happy to share this knowledge.
Out of all of the myriad beliefs of the guilds members, the main structured central belief is that of the Guild Guide.
Guild Guide Corps
Guild Guides are the main task force of the Quester's Travel Guild, and make up a bulk of the guilds members. Comprised of physically fit volunteers, the Guild Guide corps volunteers its members as travel guides, protection, and climbing trainers for those who wish to see The Shatterlands. Each member when joining is required to go through a training course consisting of combat, climbing, and survival. Only after passing this course is a Guild Guide allowed to go out into the field. Each Guild Guide wears a specific uniform consisting of bright green garments that wrap tightly at their knees and elbows, but bag out in other areas for maximum comfort and mobility. Guild Guides also wear hooded shoulder-capes, of which color dictates their rank. These should capes are tied with a golden brooch shaped like a lyre, which operates as a symbol of their status are Guild Guides. Each color of hood dictates what rank a guide is. The colors and ranks are as follows:- Novice: Black
- Journeyman: Dark Green
- Adept: Blue
- Master: Red
- Council Member: Red with a gold stripe.
Hea Se Tsasa (Hear, See, Know)
Tajuru Paragon by Cristi Balanescu
Peaceful Distaste / Hostility
Although the Questers Travel Guild widely advocates for peaceful or diplomatic solutions to problems, the Freylian National Fronts outright hostility towards the organization has made this position difficult to keep.
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