Talon Adventuring Guild
The Talons were the second major guild to appear after Vanguard, and for a time were on track to be the most popular. Founded by a strange and enigmatic elf known only as Raptor, the Talons function as a guild with a high signing rate and a lower cost, allowing for a large portion of the population to get help from adventurers - if less reliably than Ardent or Vanguard. This tactic kept them going as Vanguard was propelled into the spotlight in Requiem after Myth stopped a coup, and has given them the moniker "Peoples Swords". Affording a contract with Talon isn't expensive, the signing process is relatively easy, and the large amount of signed on adventurers means it'll be filled and dealt with quickly.
Problems have arisen with Talons "quantity first" approach of hiring. The recruitment process is short, requiring only a couple of completed contracts to get into Talon. Once in, the large amount of active bands means contract and party vetting is lower - so adventuring parties will sometimes go on contracts that may be too much to handle, or a group not really suited for a contract will show up. This isn't often, but does happen enough to build a small reputation of the inconsistency of Talon. Its popular parties have smoothed this out a bit such as the Midnight Moths who helped stop an attack on the previous Lord of the Walls.
The strangest part of the Talons are their founding. They appeared right after Vanguard, and out of nowhere. The Raptor is a completely unknown and masked figure, who is apparently quite rich. Where his money is gained from is unknown, as is anything about the man. He appears at many banquets throughout Requiem and is friends with quite a few of the elites.
The Talons logo is that of velociraptor claw within a circle, with a number of starts beneath it as a denotation of rank up to 5.
