Pathfinder
Career
Qualifications
Certification as a Pathfinder is expected before one can legally use the title, however the annual fees to renew the certification each period and the remote nature of the work, means that is common for many explorers to call themselves "Pathfinders" without currently - or ever - being certified as one.
Payment & Reimbursement
An untraditional career, the position pays little to no actual salary, and instead, explorers are left to live off the fate of the land and their need for adventure. Many Pathfinders are able to make a considerable living as scavengers and cartographers. Story and rumor are abundant with tales of Pathfinders who stumbled across ancient artifacts that brought them fame and fortune, however, there are just as many stories whispering the dangers of these same lost artifacts, and how no sensible person would touch an Unstable Magical Artifact in the first place.
That being said, Pathfinders often function as treasure hunters, and the potential for great riches and the thrill of discovery encourage new recruits every year.
Perception
Purpose
The need for greater control, and therefore understanding, of the world has led factions in the immortal and mortal worlds to rely on the explorative nature of Pathfinders. Pathfinders can be counted on to map unknown and dangerous areas, explore unsavory caves and tunnels, or clear out ancient sites that have been overrun by fang or phantoms.
True Pathfinders are sworn to be neutral in military conflicts between nations, however enough have broken this neutrality in the past that Pathfinders are often looked at with suspicion during wartime. Most Pathfinders are wise enough to know dally near disputed borders for too long however, and instead focus their time there on refreshing supplies and accepting contracts from feudal lords and merchants.
Social Status
While most Pathfinders are regarded as little difference as any other lowborn human or lesser species, those among the ranks who have esteemed themselves through great service and discovery can quickly see their reputations rise to folk heroes in various regions. Some Pathfinders have done such great services to Kingdoms or Alvain that they gained worldwide recognition and reward.
In the vast majority of cases however, Pathfinders seem to live their lives adjacent to, but not directly within the Grand Strata that dominates so much of the cultured races of Altwaus.
Demographics
The sorts of people who take up the career of Pathfinder are an unusual bunch, with very few among any of the species having interest to set their lives aside and face such great risks for what is most assuredly little to no reward. While many of the Pathfinders are human, their ranks are bolstered by one of the most multicultural spectrums of various cultured (and partially cultured) species in Altwaus. Saytr, Ogrun, Auroch and Alvain, Kinderstarke, and Promethean all make up the ranks of Pathfinders, with nearly if not all of the other minor races making appearances in the faction's professional listings.
History
Founded by Agandour, First Alvain Explorer in the early days of Alvain society, the Pathfinders were established to expand Alvain understand and control of the world they now saw themselves as stewards over. Initially ranked by just the Alvain, the Kinderstarke were eventually formally listed into their ranks, followed by many other species that began to sow across Western Altwaus.
It wasn't until humans were added to the listing that the Pathfinders' numbers began to swell as they have now, as the fearless and nearly self-destructive nature of humanity led to large-scale and repetitive discoveries in a manner that had never occurred before.
Operations
Dangers & Hazards
Altwaus was, and always will be, the greatest threat to the life of a Pathfinder. Typically operating spans away from the nearest settlement, Pathfinders are left to little more than their wits and will to survive against the hazardous environment of the continent. Outside of this, the regions Pathfinders explore are often filled with poorly documented and understood Fauna and Flora - with an unusual mushroom being just a great of risk to a Pathfinder's life as a hungry cat.
Unfortunately, most Pathfinders are poorly prepared for the environment of Altwaus, leaving an extremely high mortality rate before a Pathfinder's first year. Those that survive this are often left to face often horrors that would be best handled by The Pantheon or the The Collegiate Arcane. True discovery persists despite all obstacles and adversaries, however, those that can endure, survive, learn, and adapt are in many ways the true masters of Altwaus.
Alternative Names
Explorers, Treasure Hunters, Vagabonds
Type
Research / Scientific
Demand
High, primarily due to mortality
Famous in the Field
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