The Travellers
From European Steamwheedle Cartel
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
The Travellers is a guild of adventurers dedicated to the exploration and mapping of the lands of Azeroth, Kalimdor and now Outland. The Guild is very distinct from the famous dwarven Explorers League, as it bears no royal charter and its membership is open to all races. That being said, the two organisations have been known to share information and have even collaborated on certain occasions. The Travellers are in no way a military organisation and as such there are few rules for its members to observe, each Traveller is free to carry out their duties in their own way, however; honour, tolerance and good will are the core values of the guild and all members are expected to uphold these ideals.
[edit] Guild History
Shortly after the end of the last war a Kaldorei hunter by the name of Stormwolf, conscious that the world he had known for such a long time had changed beyond recognition with the death of the world tree, began to walk the land on a pilgrimage of discovery. During his travels he became friends with others who shared his thirst for knowledge and so what started as a very personal journey of mind, body and spirit became a small bands' shared goal to cross all the lands of the world learning its secrets; and so The Travellers were born.
Following the crash landing of the Exodar and the re-opening of the Dark Portal, The Travellers found new friends among the ranks of the Draenei and a strange new world to investigate. One Draenei in particular rose to prominence within the group, a shaman called Sanastar D'Arellien. Sanastar and Stormwolf became fast friends and would delight in exchanging tales of their respective homeworlds, and so, when an old wound forced Stormwolf to rest from his travels for a time, it was Sanastar that he named as his successor and the new Grand Explorer, the title held by the head of the guild.
Under Sanastar D'Arellien, The Travellers grew from a small band of explorers to a vibrant community of nearly two hundred members, capable of staging expeditions to the farthest reaches of Outland and soon, it is hoped, making its first journey to the frozen wastes of Northrend on board its mighty flagship, "The Traveller," an Orcish destroyer that was sunk towards the end of the second war. Discovered by Master Voyager Vavaia while on a diving trip, the wreck was raised from the ocean floor with floatation devices designed by Sanastar, a keen engineer. The guild lovingly repaired, restored and refitted the old ship, hired a crew and anchored their new flagship in a secluded bay in Lordaeron. The Guild meets there on a weekly basis to discuss new discoveries and plan new adventures for The Travellers.
[edit] The Structure of the guild
While, as previously stated, The Travellers is not a military body, there is a hierarchy within the guild and ranks that members may attain if they prove themselves worthy.
All applicants for guild membership are first interviewed by one of the officers and, if judged to be a suitable candidate, offered temporary membership in the guild, 'Sightseers' as they are called, will undergo a probationary period while the officers decide on their suitability. All being well, the Sightseer will then be welcomed into full membership of the guild and granted the rank of Traveller. Should any Traveller prove themselves to the guild through continued dedication and reliability, they may be offered the title of Crusader. Long standing Crusaders who have displayed unswerving loyalty to the guild's cause may be elevated to the rank of Wayfarer, the mark of a veteren Traveller. The Explorers are a group charged with special duties, they are the lieutenants of the guild's officers and are often dispatched on arduous quests and may be absent from the guild buisness for long periods of time. The guild has two officer ranks; up to six Cartographers are charged with the day to day smooth running of the various guild departments while the three Master Voyagers form the inner council of the guild and are the trusted confidants of the guilds' leader, the Grand Explorer, Sanastar D'Arellien.
[edit] The Really Ambitious Investigations Department
There are, it must be admitted, still dark places in the worlds that scare the adventuring pants off even the most seasoned Traveller; caverns, lairs and fortresses that are home to monsters and villains too terrible for any guild member to contemplate exploring on their own. Mindful, however, of its duty to leave no stone unturned in the quest for knowledge, The Travellers have recently begun to assemble a strike team of hardened veterens, the Really Ambitious Investigations Department, known within the guild simply as R.A.I.D. Equipped with the most advanced gear, R.A.I.D's role it is to carry out the guilds exploratory duties in the most hazardous environments. Wherever standard adventuring is just not enough, wherever the bladder of your average Traveller proves too weak, there you will find them, this crack team of borderline psychos; hacking, slashing and pyroblasting their way to geographic enlightenment.
It was with a sense of both honour and sadness that Travellers have bidden farewell to their R.A.I.D. team ((on the 9th of November 2008)) The department's many accomplishments had not gone unnoticed by the Alliance military and so they have now been seconded to the expeditionary force set to ship out to Northrend in the next few days. In this time of unrest it is only just that the most skilled fighters are sent to serve on the front line and the Travellers are proud that some of their most valued members have been called upon in this way. May the Holy Light shine upon them and shelter them from harm in the dark storm they now venture into. We will remember them.
[edit] Recent Developments
Recently Sanastar, Vavaia and Gherkk met with a former Death Knight in the Eastern Plaguelands. The human death knight Arsius had called for the Sanastar's help. A few former followers of the Lich King were able to throw off their shackles and are willing to redeem themselves. But most people hate and fear them, so they were looking for a group of people willing to forget their former grudges. After a long discussion, Sanastar agreed to help Arsius and his band of Death Knights and he welcomed them into the Travellers. This was a suprise to a lot of Travellers since Sanastar only recently lost his cousin Maraarn to the Scourge invasion.
[edit] Joining The Travellers
The Travellers are once again admitting new members. Those interested in joining may approach an officer of the guild (Cartographer, Master Voyager, or the Grand Explorer) in person to discuss things further or write a letter of application ((IC in-game mail)) to Sanastar D'Arellien, Vavaia, Gherkk or Ghillie
((You can also register your interest on our guild forum at http://www.travellers-guild.eu/forum/index.php))
