Ranger Induction

*"They swear you in. You take the code. They hand you a couple of axes. They send you off to die. Let's not make this into something more than what it actually is."*

Rangers come about in various ways. Most recruits to a Ranger Outfit are pressed into service by the Tribes. They are often criminals or people who have found a way to end up exiled from their village. Many Rangers are simply forced into service because they made some poor choices and the alternative would be facing Tribal justice. Some people join the Rangers willingly for all sorts of reasons. Perhaps they are escaping responsibility. Perhaps they have delusions of grandeur about what it means to be a Ranger. Perhaps they simply have a jilted lover the result of which may end up with them missing a few fingers or a head if they decided to stay in their village. In any event, Rangers are sent to the Outfit Station as part of the induction. The journey to the station can be perilous, and if a new Ranger is lucky enough, someone from a village may help escort them. Still others if they are lucky may journey there with a group of nearby Rangers. In any event, once they arrive at the station, their induction begins.

## Induction Process

A new Ranger is inducted into service in a non-ceremonial way. When they arrive, they report to the Head Ranger if he is present and to the Veteran Ranger if he isn't. From there, they are given the proper tools of the Ranger, two hand axes and a warm, green cloak. They are assigned to a bed which is usually one of many within a barracks style structure, and they are told to report to training on the next day.

Training for a Ranger is a many week process. The most basic skills taught during this time are martial ones, involving the use of their two axes, and also utilitarian skills,, learning to use their axes as the fundamental tools of survival in the forest that they are. They learn to make beds on the forest floor. They learn how to find water and food. They learn how to throw their axes to catch prey. They are taught everything they need to know in terms of survival in the forest. They are trained by a Veteran Ranger or perhaps the Head Ranger in this regard, and there are always a handful of Rangers in the station who are the lucky few whose primary job involves training new recruits rather than venturing on missions.

After martial and survival training, Rangers are taught to ride Elk, which is no easy task. The Rangers keep stables of Elk in the Outfit Station which provide them with their mobility. Elks are notoriously bad tempered, and learning how to interact with and read the mood of your Elk without also getting yourself gored or kicked is a very important skill. This process alone can take weeks, and even after learning to ride the Elk, they must be trained how to fight from their backs, using the javelin or throwing axes to attack from a distance and with speed.

Once training is complete, a greenhorn Ranger is assigned to duty with a Veteran Ranger and effectively becomes his apprentice. The Ranger is expected to travel with that Veteran Ranger and attend to any mission he attends. This process is very important for survival, and the lucky Rangers get assigned to the most capable Veteran Rangers who may keep them alive longer than they might otherwise be. They will go on many missions with that Veteran Ranger until that Veteran Ranger determines that the new Ranger is capable of acting on his own. Once that occurs, unceremoniously, the Ranger becomes a full member of the outfit and is allowed to act autonomously about his station.

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--Neil (talk) 16:58, 24 October 2016 (AST)