View source for Ardent

Ardents are the official adventuring members of the [[Axiom]].  Ardents are all members of various guilds, bands, or groups within this structure.


Founding a Guild

Guilds within the Axiom require the following:

* A headquarters
* An undefined minimum amount of core members (which may be defined within its charter)
* An undefined amount of support positions including but not limited to: Scribes, Cooks, Liaisons, Quartermasters, and Cannon Fodder.
* A vote of confidence of 1 or more Harbingers - also known as Sponsorship
* A plethora of paperwork and oaths binding their loyalty to the structure of the Axiom, its laws, and regulations.


Ardent Guilds operate on primarily three things: Renown, Seniority and Paperwork.

# The more famous you are, among ardents and by association the axiom, the better jobs you get. Greenhorn ardent wannabees almost always end up becoming ardents by one of two ways: they do a few freelance jobs and get strongarmed into becoming ardents by axiom officials who sniff them out, or they join an existing guild from the get go and work their way up from being cannon fodder (you might want to keep someone who survives dreg level contracts back to back around)

# Senior ardents A) have a better idea of how the axiom works, and B) have more than likely acquired a few contacts throughout the guilds and axiom personnel that enough favors can be called in to form their own guild. Guilds require an undefined amount of minimum manpower, a headquarters, a vote of confidence from 1 or more harbingers (see: sponsorship), as well as a number of necessary support positions (stewards who receive and respond to contract offers, liaisons to the axiom itself, people who cook meals, buy supplies, control funds, etc). Many ardent guilds have investments or backings of nations and other organizations ranging from magical schools, to assassin guilds, to political sub-factions within nations. Religions are very prone to this- The Ferrosian Iron Maidens for instance

# The Axiom keeps a very organized ledger of its ardents, guilds, who goes where, does what, etc. Whole teams of scribes are employed at Alabaster Hall and in the surrounding burroughs of Antiliath. Typically, scribes or their support personnel will either remain such, or will venture to be stewards for guilds and earn significantly more money doing so. This also usually means that guilds with stewards who are former scribes will be able to call on their contacts to have greater influence over contracts, better information, and sometimes dig too deep into matters that will get them and their guildmates killed