The Seeker’s Pact is a renowned and somewhat mysterious guild operating in Thaldor and extending into scattered outposts throughout the desert and the surrounding keeps. Established decades ago by a coalition of scholars, adventurers, and mercenaries, the guild is dedicated to uncovering the secrets buried beneath the sands and preserving the magical legacy of the ancient civilization that once thrived here. As their motto goes, “Truth beneath the dust, power beyond the ruin.”
Guild Structure and Culture
The Seeker’s Pact is organized into specialized branches to support the wide array of missions they undertake:
- The Seekers: Adventurers and scouts who brave the desert’s heart, these individuals are the backbone of the guild, venturing into ancient ruins, battling monsters, and unearthing magical relics. Seekers must prove their courage, skill, and endurance to be accepted and earn additional titles as they complete successful expeditions.
- The Archivists: Scholars, historians, and arcane researchers who catalog findings, translate ancient scripts, and study relics retrieved from the sands. These members often work in the keeps surrounding the crater, though some accompany expeditions to glean firsthand insights.
- The Salvagers: Expert crafters and alchemists responsible for restoring and occasionally re-purposing relics or monster parts. They create items of remarkable quality and magical potency, making the guild an attractive partner for clients looking to procure or trade enchanted goods.
- The Envoys: Diplomats and agents who coordinate with outside factions, including local keeps, mage towers, and even nomadic tribes who consider the ruins sacred. They manage contracts, negotiate safe passage, and secure trade agreements for rare resources and ancient lore.
Reputation and Influence
The Seeker’s Pact is respected but also regarded with suspicion, as they often operate on the blurred line between discovery and desecration. While the guild claims to uphold the sanctity of the desert’s ruins, its agents sometimes clash with locals, rival adventurers, and even religious groups who view their pursuits as meddling with forces beyond mortal understanding. Still, their influence is undeniable, and their network of connections makes them an essential player in desert ventures.
Joining the Guild
Membership in the Seeker’s Pact isn’t easy to come by. Prospective members undergo rigorous testing, where their skills, knowledge, and motives are assessed. The guild values resourcefulness, integrity, and an insatiable curiosity, and members are expected to abide by a strict code, respecting the relics they find and returning with thorough records of what they uncover.
New recruits receive training in desert navigation, survival, and magical phenomena unique to the cursed sands. The guild also provides valuable resources for newcomers, such as enchanted desert gear and access to a vast archive of maps and journals from previous expeditions. Those who prove their loyalty and skill can quickly rise in rank, gaining access to deeper mysteries and more dangerous missions.
Unique Guild Features and Perks
- Desert Lodges and Waystations: Outposts equipped with water, supplies, and maps serve as staging points and recovery sites throughout the desert. Known only to guild members, these sanctuaries are essential for survival and provide places to regroup and plan.
- Relic Vault: The Seeker’s Pact maintains a secure vault within the Last Oasis Inn, where they store and study relics deemed too dangerous or valuable to sell. Only trusted members can access this vault, which houses strange artifacts, lost tomes, and ancient maps.
- The Pactkeeper’s Promise: Guild members receive a small enchanted amulet when they join, marked with the guild’s emblem. The amulet serves both as a badge of honor and as a last-resort lifeline, allowing a weak distress signal to be sent if a member is lost in the desert.
Ongoing Missions and Objectives
- Recover the Lost Keystone: A mysterious object known as the Keystone of Qul’Taar is rumored to unlock an ancient stronghold. The Pact has recently unearthed clues pointing to its location, but fierce sandstorms and territorial beasts have thwarted all attempts so far.
- Study the Crystal Monoliths: The Pact has a standing mission to examine the magical Shardstones scattered across the desert. Teams are often sent to document their magical properties and collect samples, though the monoliths are known to harbor ancient wards and unpredictable magic.
- Forge an Alliance with the Nomads: Some nomadic tribes have hinted at ancient maps and heirlooms that could be crucial to the guild’s work. The Envoys have been instructed to negotiate an alliance with these tribes, though tensions remain high.
The Seeker’s Pact, with its blend of wisdom, ambition, and intrigue, is both a pillar of adventuring life and a force shaping the mysteries of the cursed desert. Members are known to speak the guild’s unofficial saying, “Dust hides all,” reminding each other that in the endless sands, every truth uncovered reveals new secrets waiting to be found.