The Ranger's Guild

The Rangers of the Guild have been an integral part of life on Fulkran since the Age of Magic. Possessing an uncanny ability to find their way through the ever changing landscape of that dreadful time and live off even the most magic-ravaged parts of the land, they were the preferred guides for anyone needing to travel any significant distance.

Just like everything else in the world, the Guild was deeply affected by the Great Purge  and has since evolved into something new. The quieting of the land has made pathfinding less demanding and allowed the Rangers to pursue other skills as well. The Guild is now a global network of loosely affiliated individuals of all races and creeds, connected by some vague oaths of allegiance to an obscure and secretive group of druids, known in the Guild's ranks as the Ruling Council, that is virtually unheard of by the rest of the world.

Members of the Guild still act as guides for those who hire them, but the Guild does not enforce this. Rather it is a natural choice that most Rangers make on their own. The Guild's goals and demands of its Rangers are loose and vague, but can be summarized as protecting the natural order of the world. Each Ranger interprets this slightly differently, but all agree on a few points. They dislike monstrosities and try to keep their populations down. They detest aberrations and actively hunt them when they can. They also keep and eye out for extraplanar incursions in Fulkran and report any significant news or changes to the general state of the world back to the Council. As a professional courtesy they try to stay out of each other's way, but violent clashes between Rangers have been known to crop up from time to time.

Sanctioned Rangers of the Guild are always issued two distinctive pieces of gear. That gear sets them apart from all others and has an almost religious significance to Guild members. One is an earthy-green cloak with the power to visually displace the wearer when the hood is pulled up, making them harder to hit in combat. The motion of pulling up the hood is second nature to the Rangers and they can do it by instinct when thrust in a dangerous situation. Although not indestructible, cuts and tears in the cloak do not much affect its function, and heal on their own by being washed and left out to dry in the sun.

The second piece of gear is the fabled weapon of the Rangers. Essentially a hilt without a blade, long enough for two hands, it is made from an unknown dark material that resembles stone or perhaps unpolished metal. The weapon is adorned by some simple elegant carvings but nothing extravagant. Simply by grasping it, Rangers are able to shape it into a long sword or a longbow of pure green light. No string or arrow is visible on the bow until it is drawn back and they are formed by the same green light. As soon as they hit, the green bolts disappear, leaving a distinct scorch mark.

It is believed that there is no defense that cannot be pierced by the the Ranger's weapon and over the centuries it has become central to their identity. So much so that the Rangers actually consider their weapon's owners as their true genealogy. Some rare Rangers throughout history have been able to produce more forms with their weapon like the hammer of Augustus or the whip of Ellis Thricecursed, and they and their weapons are revered by the Guild.

How the two pieces of gear are made is a closely guarded secret of the Council. Even the number already in existence is unknown. Questions about them are usually met with cold or hostile stares by most Rangers. The Guild demands that gear that has been lost or whose owner has died must be surrendered to a Ranger immediately, and more often than not a Ranger can tell if someone has a right to their cloak and weapon. Refusal to hand them over is considered a grave insult to all members of the Guild and they feel justified to result to absolutely any means to recover these almost sacred items.