Collective of Vagrant Excursionists

The Collective of Vagrant Excursionists, or COVE as it is commonly called, is one of the oldest organizations in the Lone City. Founded by a group of vagrants near the city's beginning. A group of six of LC's founders were tasked, and took it upon themselves, to venture into the wilderness for resources, wayward souls, and knowledge of potential threats. The founding vagrants were skilled and strong in their own right, but their skills complimented eachother and enabled them to survive deep in the wild. The founding vagrants were: Tanulia an elven wizard, Zirdas a high-drakkic sorcerer, Tulgan an orcish ranger, Lucille a human fighter, Jormaek a dwarven cleric, and Colias a tiefling rogue.
The Lone City grew as the six vagrants ventured into and returned from the wild. The vagrants would often return to a larger city than they had left. Bringing back resources and trophies of monsters they had slain. The residents of LC would gather around the vagrant party and listened to their tales. Retelling them to the newcomers and youngfolk of LC. This led to many of the youngfolk attempting to venture off into the wild to return with stories of their own. Many of which that attempted vagrancy never returned to the city they left.
That is until the six founders began taking in the adventurous youngfolk and teaching them the ways of their trade. As more and more individuals wanted to learn the skills necessary for surviving the wilderness, the COVE had to establish training grounds within the city to best prepare would-be vagrants. The COVE started where the LC tower stands now, and as the city grew COVE opened more locations. The COVE remembers its origins still. As LC grew and the tower was constructed, many of the organizations had to relocate or claim floors in the tower. COVE claimed part of the ground floor, and now provides a location for new vagrants to join it Learning the skills of a class under those that came before.
COVE's entryway provides a location for any interested in classes to be given an introduction. Where individuals can talk to current vagrants, test out equipment, and attempt to find a mentor. If a young valonite desires to enter the COVE, they must register with a mentor who's a current member. New vagrants must then train under their mentor before they register with a party in the COVE. Once a party is registered, they can sign on jobs from the community questboard.
The questboard is an arrangement of jobs the local residents and businesses submit to COVE. Ranging from small tasks such as escorting a shipment or guarding a location, to more difficult adventures like hunting enormous beasts or eradicating a monstrous den. The COVE values its members, and will not allow a party to undertake a quest that is deemed too much of a threat to it. Parties must have a long enough successful record of jobs, or return from adventures with trophies of vicious monsters, to be allowed to undertake more difficult jobs.
As parties claim quests from the board, they are given a timeframe to return victorious. If parties don't return before the allotted time, the quest becomes available again for parties to claim. At which point the party that returns to COVE first with the job requirements are presented with the quest's designated rewards. A party's success and strength are often determined by the quickness they can complete a quest. In turn, the better a party's track record the more desirable a mentor its members are considered.
The COVE in the tower of LC provides quests for lower-tiered parties, and a location for vagrants to meet and train with their mentors. As parties prove themselves and are deemed more capable, they are directed by COVE officials to other branches of COVE within LC. These branches are spread throughout the districts of the Lone City and the various questboards have less restrictions on who can claim posted jobs. The jobs posted in the COVE's district locations relate more directly back to the local community, rather than the overarching city. Providing locations for residents who do not have the skills themselves to find individuals who can complete necessary tasks.
The variety of quests on the district boards range much more widely than those on the boards in the LC tower. With the reduced restrictions come lessened vetting of posted jobs. This has led to many vagrant parties meeting untimely ends as they, intentionally or otherwise, claim a job that proved to be too dangerous. The risks of minimal information doesn't always provide for better compensation unfortunately. Businesses and wealthier individuals often pay fairly for their posted quests, many times also providing bonuses upon completion. The poorer individuals who post jobs, often the ones who need them completed the most, do not have the funds or means to appropriately compensate the vagrants. Many times leaving jobs unclaimed and only growing more dangerous overtime.
The many COVE branches are stationed at or near the many courtyard-gates of LC. Maintained by retired vagrants or those who have resolved to their role as mentor. The mentors of COVE are experienced adventurers who have amassed enough wealth, become injured to the point of hinderance, had age catch up with them, or other reasons they have found to hang up their vagrancy and claim residence. Many of these retired vagrants had successful careers as adventurers and became local celebrities within their districts. The most successful of which became widely and commonly known throughout the entirety of LC. Signing on many mentees and growing COVE in the process.
The most revered mentors are the original six vagrants, or those who are still alive and in LC: Tanulia, Zirdas, and Jormaek. Tanulia and Jormaek have retired from adventuring after their long tenure, and now offer guidance to new vagrants who come to the LC tower. Zirdas occasionally visits his former party members, but much of his time is used maintaining high level operations of LC. Aside from the remnants of the founding vagrants, many others have come and gone from COVE. Making a name for themselves and/or the parties they travel with.
The following are a few of the more well-known mentors throughout LC. Walter Wright, a human fighter who trained under Lucille and resides in the Geson Point district. Falvus Wanderfoot, a halfling ranger who mentors throughout LC. Thaola Balnorin, an elven paladin who mentors in Upper-East Midtown. Varcun, a drakkic monk who trains in Walnut Plaza. Mystic Entities, a party of wizards and sorcerers who train and entertain in Zippoan Square. Sholi, a half-orc rogue who travels throughout LC in search of displaced who may turn towards crime to make ends meet. Ivorytales, a party of bardic entertainers who travel throughout LC retelling stories of their travels and the travels of vagrants they've come across. Pemwim Gnenkle, a gnomish cleric who devoutly worships The Council of Eight and spreads their grace to the inhabitants of LC. Binyat Canan, a human druid living in Cralen Hill and teaching the importance of nature to the city-folk.
There are many more mentors scattered throughout the Lone City. However the aforementioned have each proven time and again their respective prowess. Those that reside in a specific district primarily mentor in that district. Many have claimed a residence and started businesses mentoring young vagrants. Walter, Thaola, Varcun, Mystic Entities, and Binyat each have established training grounds in their respective districts and teach classes to the young vagrants. The renowned mentors teach at BattleWright, Staunch Defenders, Tranquility of the Abandoned, Meperra, and Keepers of the Expanse respectively. While each of the mentor's schools primarily focuses on teaching the ways of a specific class, many vagrants often briefly attend the schools of their partymembers' mentor to better learn how to support each other out in the wild.

Structure

The COVE headquarters are located on the ground floor of the LC tower. Managed and led by Tanulia Vensys and Jormaek Warhorn. Two of the remaining three vagrant founders. Tanulia and Jormaek have claimed residence in the tower and work to maintain a welcoming place for newcomers to vagrancy. They each regularly connect with current mentors of COVE to gain insight on the skills of their members. Many current vagrants have been mentored by Tanulia and/or Jormaek at one time or another. Further going on to mentor younger vagrants. As such, COVE is a heavily tiered organization.
Given the nature of the occupation, safety is not guaranteed and therefore many mentors will sign on multiple young vagrants as mentees. Teaching and training the youngfolk in hopes of enabling them to maintain a long and fulfilled life. Those that do live long enough will often sign on mentees themselves. Further perpetuating COVE and their class. Certain members even going to the lengths of establishing schools in LC, staying under the supervision of COVE. However, the majority of COVE mentors operate at a much smaller scale. While those that have established schools are the most renowned, there are countless more mentors who only have one to six mentees at most.

Culture

For the most part, COVE is a loose-formed organization. There are general guidelines for claiming and completing jobs. However those guidelines generally apply only in COVE branches. Interactions between members outside of the sanctioned branches are deemed "interpersonal" and required to be resolved between any affected parties. The sheer size of COVE has led to many interactions for better or worse, however those outside of COVE or general LC residents don't regard interpersonal interactions as long as they stay between parties and any posted jobs get completed.
The members of COVE are permitted to train any mentees as they see fit. Which mentors often attempt to instill a sense of dependency or even worship of themselves to their mentees. This has led to a customary gifting of treasure from mentee to mentor after the completion of quests. Mentors will often request a share of claimed treasure or completion rewards for a party's first completed quest. Then thereafter it is customary for vagrants to gift their mentor treasure or trophies from every fifth successful job.
The custom of gifting does not end when a vagrant becomes a mentor however. Only now, mentors will provide a share of the gifts they received from their mentees to their own mentor. Eventually leading all the way back to COVE itself. Sustaining the organization with resources and supplies to continue signing on and training young vagrants.

Assets

Schools

BattleWright - Founded by Walter Wright after the death of his mentor, Lucille. Walter signs on many young vagrants and trains them in the ways of fighting close combat styles in hopes to prevent them from falling to traitorous vagrants like his mentor did.
Staunch Defenders - Founded by Thaola Balnorin, she lost her village long ago to a savage beast and upon reaching LC she pledged to be  a shield for the displaced and train those to defend their own life, and the lives of others.
Tranquility of the Abandoned - Founded by Varcun, a lowborn blue-drakkic. His drakkic tribe had been guarded by an ancient blue dragon long ago, but for some unknown reason his tribe was abandoned and laid waste by poachers. After a campaign of vengeance, Varcun resolved to monastic traditions in LC and provides guidance for wayward souls in search of balance.
Meperra - Founded by Mystic Entities as a home base to store their knowledge of magic and various trinkets they have acquired. Additionally providing classes for young adept to learn and hone their skills.
Keepers of the Expanse - Founded by Binyat after witnessing the industrialization LC was heading towards. Wanting to emphasize Slavalon's natural roots and value the wild LC is leaving.

Type

Guild, Adventuring

Alternative Names

COVE, The Collective

Demonym

Vagrant, Excursionist, Adventurer

Location

The Lone City of Slavalon