Coursier
The world of Hysal is a large realm and it may be difficult for people to travel quickly through. This also apllies to critical information intended to reach a king at his court, or a general marching his army to the battlefield. However, the abilities of one particular kind of mage, called a Soulstrider, makes them able, with proper training, to relay information over extremly long distances, spanning entire countries or even continents in mere minutes, instead of weeks or months by other means. These specialy trained mages are called coursier.
Career
Qualifications
This profession, in its current form, can exclusivly be practiced by a mage with the ability to travel long distances near instantaniously, which almost exclusively refers to Soulstriders. This makes this profession one of the most difficult to access, as the number of Soulstriders in Hysal that are powerful enough for the job is only numbered in the thousands.
Career Progression
The Continental Guild of Coursiers, headquartered in the City of Raune, in the Kingdom of Naurcia, is the sole entity responsible for the training, lodging and the security of Coursier. Only through them can a Soulstrider become a coursier.
Other Benefits
Depending on the person or the organisation they work for, the benefits can vary greatly, but in almost all cases, they are treated very well, with housing, food and even intertainment being provided to them in exchange for their services.
Perception
History
The coursier system is a fairly recent invention, as the first coursier station opened in the City of Raune in the year 176 AC, making the system less than 200 years old. The profession itself however, is a bit older, as Soulstrider messengers had been used for centuries before that. However, it became much more regulated and mainstream with the creation of The Continental Guild of Coursiers, again based in Raune, in the year 12 BC. It had become a nessessity because of the numerous wars and battles occuring at that time all throughout the continent.
Before Coursiers were widely used, the invention of the Sterling ring did help with long distance communication, and it was much quicker than sending a message via an Ajax bird. However, this method was sometimes unreliable and created tension between the mage and the person wanting to send the message. Add on the fact that the message that was actualy sent could not be independantly verified, which naturaly caused a lot of suspition whenever a problem occured. The coursier system was and still is seem as a major improvement over the Telepathic rings.
Operations
Tools
Coursiers usualy have a large leather bound bag strapped to their side. The bag is secured by numerous straps in order to keep it glued to their side, as if it is not, when entering The Ether, it will be left behind, unable to follow the soulstrider to the Ether. The messages are stored inside the bag, each one inserted into a small wooden cylinder that is able to be closed by a wooden cap that is pushed into place or screwed on, depending on the model.
Materials
Any peices of metal on the Coursier needs to be iron or steel, as any other metal is too reactive to the Ether's atmosphere and will be supercharged with mana, which can lead to problems, such as burns or breakage.
Workplace
While some may occasionaly work within imperial palaces, castles or even guildhalls, most work from what is called a Coursier Station. These unique buildings can be found in nearly every large settlement in Arros. Etherial Waylines connect those buildings with eatch other, which allows coursiers travelling through the Ether to find their designated destination, preventing them and their cargo from the risk of getting lost as they exit to the physical world.
Dangers & Hazards
The abilities of Soulstriders allows them to travel great distances through Hysal by going through the Ether. This is not without risk and the dangers associated with this ability do not dissapear with training, but can be mitigated by a substaintial amount.
Alternative Names
Messengers/Envoys/Emissaries
Type
Public Services
Demand
Extremely High
Legality
Transporting anything containing mana or nexurium is strictly forbitten as it can cause various problem for the coursier as well as when it arrives at its destination. This is because the Ether supercharges anything that can contain mana to the point where it becomes unstable. This prohibition includes most types of potions, anything using lycen crystals, and most metals. The punishement for breaking this rule is severe and can include the person being banned from the guild, which would make them unable to be a coursier anymore.
Transporting living beings, including humans is also strictly forbitten. This rule exists despite the fact that this has never been succesfully done before and is largely though to be impossible by most scholars experts in the field. The The Continental Guild of Coursiers have stated that the penalty for breaching this rule is death by decapitation.
Related Technologies
Social Status: Coursiers are regarded as having a very important job and are seen as trustworthy and skilled.
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