The three biggest authorities in the Gaia Continent and much of Orvonia are the Churches, the Royal Families and the Guilds respectively. The Nobles and the Churches often compete with each other indirectly for control over the populace and Ascenders, while the Guilds serve as a buffer and go-between for them, a necessary third wheel to keep the balance.
Founded by a joint partnership between Sol, Zephylte, Xerxes, Nyx, Ingrid and Jester (an usual line-up considering Xerxes and Sol are enemies, while Ingrid and Jester are Secret Gods) at the start of the Fifth Era there are four Guilds: the Merchants Guild, the Finance Guild, the Information Guild and the Adventurers Guild.
Aside from having the strength to balance the scales of both politics and religion, the Guilds have an additional purpose: to corral and control dropouts from the other two organizations. Those that fail to keep up with the curriculum, or are forced out due to unfortunate circumstances, often end up joining one of these four Guilds. The Churches and Nobles discretely encourage this, as it means they can be watched over and any secrets they hold will not be spread beyond a certain radius.
Victor and Suzan had seen or heard of many such cases over the years, and had became somewhat used to the protocol. This led them to believe that Endyr was one such dropout, since her Rank and Tier were were way above average for her age. In their minds, only a member of a powerful Noble House could achieve such results.
After sending Endyr on her way, Victor quickly wrote a letter addressed to the head of the Sky Cross branch to inform them that a potential Noble had just registered. What would happen from there was beyond him, but Victor had been around long enough to know Endyr would undergo several discreet tests and investigations to explore her past. While the Adventurer's Guild claims to accept all types of people, there are always exceptions.
The Guild was strong enough to fend off the Nobility and Churches, but angering them by taking in a hot potato wasn't a smart decision either. Likewise, if Endyr had ties to extremists like the Cults of Navruavati or Aenrys, she would be rejected or even outright handed over for arrest.
Of course, even if Endyr was a follower of an Evil God, as long as she kept it moderately hidden then there would be no problem. There was no shortage of Cultists hiding within the Guilds, and their presence was an open secret. Despite their best efforts, the Royal Families and Orthodox Gods could not erase them, since the Gods were internally fractured. To truly erase the Secret Gods, the Orthodox ones would need to unite and launch a full-blown campaign with aid from the Royals. But this would elicit a price neither groups were willing to pay, so this uneasy status quo continued.
Of course, Endyr had made a large mistake in her Status. Endyr had met very few powerful Ascenders, and so went by the standards of those she knew, which was Jace and Raphaniel, along with her own conjectures. Generally speaking, the maximum limit for someone that wasn't a Noble or had particularly strong backing was a Grandmaster.
Most Nobles could reach Epic Tier, but becoming a Legendry was reserved only for the Family Heads. The position of Mythical Tier was reserved purely for Great Nobles like House Atrazark and Legendry. Finally, the only group with a Sovereign Tier powerhouse was Sky Cross, the Churches and the Royal Family.
By showing herself as a Grandmaster with a B Rank Core at only fourteen years old, Endyr had made herself out to be a prodigy of a relatively powerful House or organization. After all, the gap between each Tier past Grandmaster only becomes more exaggerated, so achieving such a state at her current age showed undeniable talent.
...........
Endyr hummed a tune as she waited at the desk for her application form to be returned. She had gone over everything that transpired a few minutes prior and more or less come to the same conclusion as Victor and Suzan had.
'When their investigations yield nothing, they will likely deepen their surveillance. I probably won't be rejected outright, but my first tenure as an Adventure won't be completely pleasant either. Actually, I wonder if the Guild can track down the previous user of this body...the System did say it used a woman called Selene Syndrine as the genetic base. If her DNA is still prevalent, then that could serve as a link to my "past" as a Noble.'
Endyr tried to come up a passable backstory for her new identity, drawing on the countless lives she had experienced as a Denizen. The bastard daughter of the Augustus Family, a spy sent to infiltrate the Guild, a reclusive hermit that has come back into society, a secret weapon for the Churches, a relative of Le'garde...Endyr came up with many different ideas in a short time.
"Excuse me, Miss Syndrine."
Endyr looked up to see Suzan standing before her with a polite smile. She held out a badge with the Adventure Guild's logo on it. She took the badge and attached it to her robe before turning back to Suzan. "I guess there was no problems with my application?"
Suzan shook her head and handed back the form. "None at all Miss. We have sent a copy ahead, so you can keep the original if you so wish. Ah, here is a handbook on how to operate as an Adventurer. I recommend you read it at the first opportunity, since it highlights out rules."
Endyr nodded and received both her form and a small notebook from Suzan, placing both within her robe. Seeing there was nothing else to say, Suzan bid her farewell and returned to her desk again. Endyr watched her go before pulling on her hood, making sure it was steady. She then walked over to the Quest Board and waited for the jostling crowd to clear a little.
Endyr had to do her own pushing to get to the front, but finally made it to a point where she could actually see. The board had several dozen sheets of paper, each one neatly organised based on the difficulty level. Endyr skipped the easier ones and went directly to the top quests available.
[Transport special goods for the Merchant Guild. The reward is 30 Gold Coins.]
[Hunt down the followers of Navruavati hiding somewhere in the east of the Outer Ring. Reward is 25 Gold Coins.]
[Find and retrieve an item named the Gesperatos Scales, suspected to have fallen into the hands of Seraphic followers. Reward is 40 Gold Coins.]
[Need help hunting a powerful Abomination (4✪) with a Storm Affinity in the forest to the west of Sky Cross. Reward is 32 Gold Coins.]
[Need an Adventurer with a Blood or Life Affinity for help with research. See further details if you are interested. Reward is 20 Gold Coins.]
[Exploring ruins from the Fourth Era buried deep underground. Conditions will be tough and and the exact situation is unknown. Reward is 20 Gold Coins.
There truly was a wide assortment of tasks available to Adventurers. Some were posted by the other Guilds, while the Churches had also gotten involved. The majority of theses high-ranking missions involved Cultists, powerful monsters or rare Affinities.
Adventurers followed their own ranking system, from F to S. However, there was no rule stating a F ranked Adventurer couldn't take on a S ranked quest. Of course, there was quicker methods of suicide and the employer themselves would reject you, but the Guild itself didn't limit their Adventurers in choosing any quest. The only rule was that if you constantly picked missions you were unqualified for and the employers raised complaints, you license would be revoked or suspended.
As Endyr looked over the quests, she remembered that the assassins sent to kill him in Fellise worked with Navruavati Cultists. A desire for revenge bubble up within her, and she reached for the quest. Taking the paper, she walked over to an empty table and sat down, reading over the information available.
"Recently, the Blood Coven has built a stronghold in the eastern part of the Outer Ring of Sky Cross. They have kidnapped several tramps, prostitutes and members of the lower society for materials in their rituals to Navruavati. The group is suspected to be lead by a Bishop that is an intermediate Epic Tier existence and several Grandmasters. The Church of Gaia will assist in the operation, of which the goal is the complete annihilation of the heathens. Those with a Fire Affinity are most welcome since most members are likely to be Vampires. Please come to this address by Wednesday 5th if you are interested."
Endyr read the sheet as she formulated her plan. 'While I presented myself as a Grandmaster, my actual strength is much more vague. I never got the chance to fully scope out my Denizen powers, and using them recklessly here will draw a lot of attention. I'm definitely capable of surviving a Grandmaster, but I don't know if I can kill one. At least the Church of Gaia will deal with the Epic Bishop. Plus, there will be other forces to help. yes, this is within my capabilities if I play it smart.'
Her mind made up, Endyr brought the quest over the Suzan and presented it to her. "I want this one" she stated coldly.
Suzan jolted a bit as she read the quest, before looking at Endyr with slight concern. "Are you sure about this Miss? Even with the help of the Harvest Church, Vampires are a fearsome species that are superior to Human Ascenders on the same level."
Endyr calmly pointed to her ears in response. "I'm not a normal Human either" she said, reminding Suzan of her Elven heritage. Still hesitant, Suzan ultimately stamped the form and requested Endyr's badge. After handing it over, she tampered with it a bit before handing it back. "Show this badge to your employer. It will show the Guild has approved your application to join the mission." Suzan informed her.
Endyr left the Guild with her badge in hand, following the directions left on the mission brief. She followed them past the residential and commercial areas of the east side before arriving at the slums. At once, Endyr detected a change in atmosphere. The air was thicker and a slight smog was omnipresent. From the shadows, multiple pairs of eyes watched her every move, and the slums were devoid of life and noise. It was the dead of night, and few were willing to brave walking around at this time.
Endyr ignored the stares, casually releasing her aura as an Ascenders and flaunting her power. This caused most of her observers to retreat, but a few remained glued to her. Endyr was thankful she had worn such a baggy robe and a hood, for if her figure had been properly revealed then she likely would have been assaulted by now, Ascender or no. Naturally, Endyr held no fear for her life. She just didn't want to dirty herself with the blood and guts of some scumbags.
Eventually, she arrived at the marked spot on the mission brief. In front of her was a small yet still defined chapel, bearing the symbol of Gaia yet not Dendron. After observing it for a moment, Endyr walked up to the door and knocked four times: once gently and three times in a flurry. This was the code the brief described.
With a creak, the old wooden door swung open and Endyr stepped in. The person that had opened the door was a middle-aged man with neat brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked at Endyr in surprise upon seeing her stature but said nothing, simply closing the door behind him. The other people present in the room turned to her upon entry, allowing Endyr to see those she would be working with.
There was six men and five women, split between being clergy and Adventurers. With Endyr's arrival, the split was now even. One of the men was dark-skinned and slim, with matted black hair and intense grey eyes. Another was robust and bald, with green eyes and several scars.
The third and fourth men were hidden under cloaks, though Endyr could sense danger and hidden tension emanating from them. The fifth man was small and wiry, with a ratty face and a permanent scowl. The final man was tall and imposing, yet not overly buff. His ashen grey hair was tied in a ponytail and his eyes were orange. He wore a robe that covered the majority of his body, and black bandages hid the rest of his skin from sight. A plain white mask was placed on his face, with holes for the eyes and mouth.
Two of the women were twins with the same green hair, though one had pink eyes instead of blue. A third woman was blonde yet seemingly blind, since her eyes had no pupils and were a dull white. The fourth woman was wrapped in a robe that obscured her features just like the two men, but seemed to be of sizable stature.
The last two woman were both tall and beautiful, but in different ways. One had long pink hair and soft black eyes, a playful and innocent demeaner surrounding her. The other woman was slightly taller, with lean muscles visible on her arms and legs. She had teal coloured hair and heterochromia: one eye was silver and the other rich purple. Her face was blank like a statue, yet to Endyr, she was the most dangerous person in the room.