Oct 24, 2024 9:46 pm
@Leira Stormwind:
Hassan seems unbothered by your questions. In fact, as breezily as he answers, he's probably answered them dozens of times before.
"You desire more details? A good sign! It means you haven't rejected the Path outright."
"So, details: to join, you need a sponsor. As I said, I'd be happy to sponsor you and your friends. You'd have to fill out some paperwork (establishing your identity, mostly), and then you'd be put on provisional status. After that, you'd be assigned a job. Nothing too daunting; we're not going to send you out to slay a dragon on your first mission!"
"If you perform satisfactorily, great! You're now a part of the guild. If you don't perform well, we'll evaluate your performance, and then send you out on a second job. If you fail at that job...the guild would still work with you, but it certainly wouldn't be an auspicious start. Perhaps the Path isn't a good fit for you."
"As for member ranks, we go by coinage: Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum. We don't use electrum, because it's such a strange currency. Why even have it at all? But I digress...."
"If you succeed in your provisional job, you'll become a Copper. Then you move up based on your efforts...or get demoted based on your failures. Should you prove extraordinarily capable, you may even ascend to our ruling council, called the Nine Pillars. There's nine of them, obviously...a straightforward name, eh?"
"You're expected to be active in the guild, though 'active' is flexible. You know how it is: some jobs take two days, some jobs take weeks, after which you're certainly entitled to a break."
"We don't deal in slavery, sex trafficking, or consort with dark or demonic forces. However, there is some...moral ambiguity for some of our jobs. You may have to grease someone's palm, or bend a few rules, to accomplish your goals."
"If you take a job through the guild, they take out 2% for membership fees. This is taken out beforehand, so don't worry about doing math; if someone tells you a job is 100 gold, you'll get paid 100 gold, not 98 gold. Many balk at this fee, but I think they're foolish. 2% for a world of opportunities, for a network that has your back, for reliable allies that you can consult on any topic? A bargain, in my opinion."
"As for how you and your friends fit in: you all must determine that. I don't know your exact capabilities. Are you crafty and ambitious, but also skilled at combat and exploration? Then you'd be like a fish in water! But as I mentioned, the Path is not for everyone. If business and investing bores you to tears, then you'd be better off joining a straight-up adventuring guild...as much as it would pain me to lose you!"
"Oh, and you can leave the guild at any time. We don't hunt you down like barbarians for rejecting us. However, if you officially leave, you lose whatever status you had; even if you were a Platinum, should you wish to rejoin, you'd have to start back at the provisional stage. This has actually happened, and certain former Platinums thought they should get special treatment. The Path rejected their pleas, which created hurt feelings, but that's how it is. We can't have people bouncing in and out willy-nilly, yet still expecting to maintain their rank."
"I'll let you digest those details. But once you have, feel free to ask more questions! I am at your service."
Hassan seems unbothered by your questions. In fact, as breezily as he answers, he's probably answered them dozens of times before.
"You desire more details? A good sign! It means you haven't rejected the Path outright."
"So, details: to join, you need a sponsor. As I said, I'd be happy to sponsor you and your friends. You'd have to fill out some paperwork (establishing your identity, mostly), and then you'd be put on provisional status. After that, you'd be assigned a job. Nothing too daunting; we're not going to send you out to slay a dragon on your first mission!"
"If you perform satisfactorily, great! You're now a part of the guild. If you don't perform well, we'll evaluate your performance, and then send you out on a second job. If you fail at that job...the guild would still work with you, but it certainly wouldn't be an auspicious start. Perhaps the Path isn't a good fit for you."
"As for member ranks, we go by coinage: Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum. We don't use electrum, because it's such a strange currency. Why even have it at all? But I digress...."
"If you succeed in your provisional job, you'll become a Copper. Then you move up based on your efforts...or get demoted based on your failures. Should you prove extraordinarily capable, you may even ascend to our ruling council, called the Nine Pillars. There's nine of them, obviously...a straightforward name, eh?"
"You're expected to be active in the guild, though 'active' is flexible. You know how it is: some jobs take two days, some jobs take weeks, after which you're certainly entitled to a break."
"We don't deal in slavery, sex trafficking, or consort with dark or demonic forces. However, there is some...moral ambiguity for some of our jobs. You may have to grease someone's palm, or bend a few rules, to accomplish your goals."
"If you take a job through the guild, they take out 2% for membership fees. This is taken out beforehand, so don't worry about doing math; if someone tells you a job is 100 gold, you'll get paid 100 gold, not 98 gold. Many balk at this fee, but I think they're foolish. 2% for a world of opportunities, for a network that has your back, for reliable allies that you can consult on any topic? A bargain, in my opinion."
"As for how you and your friends fit in: you all must determine that. I don't know your exact capabilities. Are you crafty and ambitious, but also skilled at combat and exploration? Then you'd be like a fish in water! But as I mentioned, the Path is not for everyone. If business and investing bores you to tears, then you'd be better off joining a straight-up adventuring guild...as much as it would pain me to lose you!"
"Oh, and you can leave the guild at any time. We don't hunt you down like barbarians for rejecting us. However, if you officially leave, you lose whatever status you had; even if you were a Platinum, should you wish to rejoin, you'd have to start back at the provisional stage. This has actually happened, and certain former Platinums thought they should get special treatment. The Path rejected their pleas, which created hurt feelings, but that's how it is. We can't have people bouncing in and out willy-nilly, yet still expecting to maintain their rank."
"I'll let you digest those details. But once you have, feel free to ask more questions! I am at your service."
