Coursers' Guild
Synopsis
One of the oldest private organizations in Advarsel, the Coursers' Guild is home to the city's best trackers and fastest runners. Anyone in need of a messenger or a guide need look no further.
Operations
Courser agents are separeted into three main categories: Couriers, Locators, and Reconaissance. Couriers deliver goods and/or letters; Locators track down specific targets like lost items, animals or people; Reconaissance seek out desired information and escort travelers to requested destinations. Coursers can be hired on the basis of individual jobs, or for contracted service. There's no official mail service in Advarsel, so anytime someone needs something delivered they hire a Courier, whether they be a private citizen or a civic officer.
Coursers have been hired by both the Advarsel City Hall and the Insitute of Justice on occasion. For example, if a Hand of Justice doesn't want to carry the census information they've collected to the next station, they might hire a Courser to do it for them. When an announced is made by the Advarsel City Hall which is relevant to citizens outside the city, Coursers are often sent to relay the message to the outer territories. If a citizen is summoned to appear in the Baron's court, the summons may be delivered by a Courier.
Recruitment
Anyone could potentially join the Guild if they wanted to learn, but it's a long-term commitment, and the seeker would be expected to undergo extensive training. The length and intensity of the training received depend on the individual's chosen category of performance. Couriers are required to pass a fitness assessment, and to have both a good sense of direction and the ability to protect themselves while on the road. The 'higher tier' categories require a longer term of training.
History
The Coursers' Guild is named after the now extinct Courser, the Moors' native horse and mount of choice before the prevalence of the Steppes Caribou. It was established in the second year of the Barony by Lord Arwel Firth, whom at the time bred and trained these horses for the ruling family. Though some townsfolk consider the Guild to be outdated like its namesake, Guild members are proud of their work and generally treated with respect.
Are horses in general extinct, or just the Courser breed of horse?
The Courser is the only horse breed I've built as of yet. I probably won't make any others though—I'd like experiment with some less conventional mounts and see what the people do to compensate.