Unique among the peoples of Telon, rangers are vigilant warriors of nature - possessed of a strong sense of purpose, passion, and personal code. Their intimate connection with the forces of life grants them abilities and understandings of a very special sort, together with a driving need to use those gifts for the protection and betterment of all creation.

This is especially so for the Guard. Our brotherhood's roots are immersed in this spirit of nature - having been grown wholly from the pursuit of it. It is the essence of Balance that we champion and cherish, and we strive to be the paragon of this philosophy of the Ranger's call.

Though we follow the creed of the Ranger's Brotherhood, our kindredship extends far beyond just those who would call themselves 'rangers' by title. The spirit of Balance cannot be contained by such divisions, and so our brothers and sisters can be found walking every path of life. Regardless of race, class or profession, any who would work with us towards making the Guard a vessel of Balance-incarnate will be known to us as a ranger at heart.

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The Sundered Guard holds a particular concept of Balance, and the pursuit and defense of this concept is our most sacred mission. The spirit of Balance is born of the interdependency of things - born of the absolute essence of nature. Everything exists in tandem with its opposite, for a thing cannot 'be' without its opposite arising to define it. There can be no Light without Dark; no Life without Death; no Good without Evil.

This Balance is a pattern; one mirrored at every level of life, and threatened at every corner. For while these things exist only in pair with the other, they tend to forget that this is so. Good tries to eradicate Evil; Life seeks to eternally avoid Death. But a person obsessed with crushing wickedness is sure to fall into it himself, just as a plant that is watered beyond its fill is sure to drown from the excess.

We hold life and existence to be truly and ultimately good. And we hold that in order for the greatest number of beings to have the greatest chance at discovering this, a constant and progressive Balance must be sought. Go too far towards any extreme, and you will find nothing but abrupt ends and broken hopes caused by the constant and chaotic tug-of-war between opposing imbalances. Even the pursuit of 'balance' itself must be truly Balanced, for a world in which everything is utterly equal and level is a world with no Life or nature occurring. This is why ours is a 'progressive' Balance - a steady but constantly fluctuating dance between opposites, culminating in what we believe to be the most bountiful arising of life and happiness.

Any threat to this Balance will attract our attentions, but none more so than the vile and corruptive presence of undeath - a phenomenon that is nothing more than an extreme and imbalanced manifestation of death. The walking-dead are the greatest abominations of the natural order, and we hold the undead scourge now plaguing Thestra to be the greatest menace to the Balance on this world. Any who would aid this loathsome influence, or contribute to its number, will be marked instinctively as our enemy, and hunted to extinction.

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While the Guard tries to cultivate a strong sense of self-discipline in its kindred, it is an unavoidable truth of human nature that we are more akin to water than to steel. We tend to run along whatever paths we find before us, twisting and turning with them as we go; while inexorably spreading out to whatever boundaries that surround us.

The Sundered Guard's structure is one that embraces this fluid truth. It is a framework established to channel and support the flow of our collective efforts, without encasing the spirit of freedom that drives them forward.

Central to this structure are the vessels of purpose known as the six Orders.


The Orders of the Guard

The Sundered Guard is composed of six branches that each serves a particular function in guiding our efforts forward. These six divisions, known as the Orders of the Guard, are themselves separated into two further categories: the Support Orders and the Combat Orders. All six maintain their own roster and requirements for joining, and while they all work together towards a single purpose, each has their own style in the advancement of that purpose.

The Support Orders are responsible for engaging our efforts in the struggles of the land and the monsters that roam it, establishing and maintaining relations with the other residents of Telon, gathering knowledge and supplies for the Sundered, and generally serving as the backbone of the Guard's economy and membership. Whereas the Support Orders organize and outfit our adventures across the world, the Combat Orders are responsible for the active defending of the Guard's endeavors from the most challenging of enemies: other heroes of the Saga that may threaten the Balance. Each of the Combat Orders fills a particular role on the battlefield, and are all designed to work together as an effective and flexible whole.

The kindred of the Guard are commonly members of two Orders at once, with one receiving primary attention, and the other secondary.

Below are the names and descriptions of each of the four Orders of The Sundered Guard-Vanguard Chapter.


The Support Orders


Order of the Bear
The Shapers of Craft

The greatest crafters and artisans that Aldalonde has to offer lend their services to the Guard through the industrious Order of the Bear. These members gather the resources, shape the wares, and raise the walls in the name of all those who dwell within the proud city of Aldalonde.

Order of the Fox
The Silver Tongues

The most clever, charming and witty minds of the Guard are often attracted to the Order of the Fox. These members serve as the merchants and diplomats of the guild, as well as the mentors of our young kin. Working closely with the Bears and Stags, the Foxes traverse across much of the world, seeking trade and negotiations with the other established guilds of Telon.

Order of the Stag
The Ridge Runners

Those kindred whose hearts are taken by wanderlust often follow in the path of the Order of the Stag. These members journey both near and far in search of knowledge of the land and the secrets that lay just below its surface. The Stags provide insight into the shape of the terrain, assisting our combatants' awareness of the battlefield, and guiding our kindred to the most plentiful hunting grounds. Map-making, path-finding and dungeon-crawling all fall under the Stag's wide tread.


The Combat Order

Order of the Wolf
Fangs of the Forest

For those called by the thrill of the hunt and the rush of the chase, the Order of the Wolf is home. Just as a wolf stalks through the forest with an intimate awareness of its surroundings, so do the members of this Order pace across the world in search of their prey. When battle stirs, the pack engages quickly and in concert, moving against the enemy as one. (Player vs. Player Combat Order)

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Our ranks are established for the easy recognition of a person's degree of involvement in the endeavors of The Sundered Guard on Thestra. They do not imply personal superiority, and the opinions of every member, regardless of rank, are wanted and respected.


Yeoman

When a person seeks entry into The Sundered Guard, they become known by the title of Yeoman. Such a person is not yet a member of our brotherhood, having to still discover for themselves whether or not the Guard is right for them, and having to prove their commitment to our family's ideals if so. Once invited to walk the path towards kinderedship, a Yeoman will be paired with a mentor from the Order of the Fox, who will be in charge of guiding and encouraging them through their exploration of the Guard.

This is an introductory period, for the Yeoman to get acquainted with the community and vice versa, and it is to last no more than three months. During this time, the Yeoman is expected to seek their place within the Guard's efforts, and to choose which of the Orders will be their primary home. This choice is an important one, as it has the potential to greatly color a member's experience with the Guard.

At the end of this initial period, the aspiring member's status will be decided based on the subjective impressions of their mentor, the leadership of their primary Order, and the rest of the Inner Council. They will either be offered a full invitation into The Sundered Guard of Thestra, or asked to consider hard whether the Guard is truly right for them.

More information regarding the mentoring program can be found here, and further description of the requirements for membership will be detailed soon.


Pathfinder

Once a Yeoman accepts the invitation to fully join the Guard, they will become known as a Pathfinder, and will be pronounced a full member of our Thestran family in a ceremony under the moonlit sky. A Pathfinder has full access to all the benefits and opportunities the Guard offers, and will be expected to represent the ideals of the brotherhood at all times. Pathfinders form the bulk of our kinderedship, and each one should exhibit a concentrated effort in at least one of the Guard's Orders.


Tracker

A member who has shown exemplary dedication to the Guard and its ways will be celebrated as a Tracker. This is a position of recognition, and though it is accorded no extra privileges beyond those granted to Pathfinders, the Trackers will always be the first ones counted on to take care of the brotherhood's needs.


Seeker

Seekers are the lieutenant officers of The Sundered Guard. They are the secondary leaders of their Orders, under the direction of that Order's Protector. They are entrusted with assisting the administration of the guild, and with inspiring their Order's efforts. Seekers are chosen by the Protector they will be primarily assisting.


Protector

The six Protectors, one for each Order, are the captains of The Sundered Guard's branches and the leaders of this Chapter. Together, they make up the Inner Council of the Guard. They are each charged with organizing and motivating their Order's efforts, and with maintaining and fostering the Guard's identity and community.


Guardian

The Guardian is a single person responsible for driving the guild forward and for coordinating the endeavors of its six parts into a cohesive whole. This is a rotating guild-leader position, and it is bestowed upon a single Protector once every month, with each Protector acting as the Guardian twice in a single year. This rotation is in place to distribute the burden of leading the guild evenly among the members of the Inner Council, and to provide a regular change of flavor to the Guard's direction. During a Protector's time as Guardian, they are encouraged to organize guild-wide events and direct the community's focus towards any needs they may see as requiring attention.

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A guild's strength is reflected in its community's dedication to a collective ideal. Without an enthused and concentrated member base, a guild is little more than an extended adventuring party with flashy tags and fancy titles. Likewise, the ideals and codes of a guild, such as found on this page, are little more than creative pieces of fiction unless they are truly cohered to by the community. For these reasons, the quality of membership should be the highest concern of any guild that seeks to keep and treasure an identity of its own.

The Sundered Guard's mentoring program serves two key functions in the development of a cohesive identity among our members. The first is to provide our petitioners with a variety of opportunities that allow them to become immediately involved in the guild's activities, while at the same time learning the lay of the Guard's structure and ways. The second is to help our new recruits feel more welcome and familiar within our kindredship, establishing a smooth and ready path towards immersion in our brotherhood's community.

Through the mentor program, a Yeoman is paired with a dedicated and supportive member of our community to serve as their guide through Aldalonde during their first weeks as a petitioner within the Guard. During this time, the Yeoman will be introduced to The Sundered Guard's unique flavor of role-playing, as well as encouraged to choose among the various roles performed by our six Orders. Once a mentor feels that their Yeoman has obtained a lucid grasp of The Sundered Guard's identity, and given the person seems a good fit for our brotherhood, he/she will then recommend the petitioner for promotion to the rank of Pathfinder.

As a social endeavor, the Guard's mentor program lies in the Fox's realm of responsibility, and is organized and conducted completely by the Order of the Fox.

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For the diplomatic customs of The Sundered Guard, please visit this article, found in the Fox's Run Inn.

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