Edyn's Free Warriors

***"A man's shortcomings and failures do not define him; how that man overcomes those shortcomings is far more telling."***

## Edyn's Free Warrior

### Founding Date

12th of Desnus, Year 10 DR (Dwarven Rule)

## Synopsis

Edyn’s Free Warriors, or the Fighter’s Guild as it is more colloquially called, are the group responsible for training and managing the city’s guard and militia forces; as well as preserving many ancient and effective martial arts styles. They are one of the Guilds which run the government of Edyn, and they are led by a man named Galdri Zenthis; a stoic master warrior seeking to atone for the mistakes he made in his youth.

## Functions

Edyn’s Free Warriors are proactive in combating threats to the city, both internally and externally. Of all the guilds, it is the most resistant to the influence of the Thieves’ Guild and puts the most resources towards hunting down its representatives and members. They also serve an important role in training new guards and militia members to protect the city and maintain stability.

Additionally, the grandmasters of the guild serve as generals of Edyn’s militia for the purpose of fighting enemies of the city, including leading said forces against the armies of the Concord and organizing adventurers for special missions to combat Viggronian influence and aggression.

The guild has a long history, dating back over a thousand years, potentially. Throughout the years, members of Edyn’s Free Warrior have been handed down the knowledge of many ancient fighting techniques, which they share with others through rigorous training regiments passed down from antiquity, in order to preserve the authenticity of the training. As a result, many high-level training seminars with grandmasters look more like elaborate rituals than mere sparring sessions; sometimes these seminars involve the wearing of masks and special garments, the consumption of strange elixirs and even elaborate dances.

## Institutional Culture

In general, physical improvement and wellness is the primary pursuit of the guild’s members as much as learning new techniques. The grandmasters of the guild teach of a holistic approach to training, encouraging their students to connect their minds and their bodies as one.

The structure of Edyn’s Free Warriors is much more loose at the lower levels of the guild. So long as one is willing and striving to train and better themselves, they are welcomed in the guild’s many dojos regardless of membership to the guild itself. However, members of the guild who fail to keep up with their training are often ridiculed and ostracized by more dedicated members. The higher up in the guild one goes, the more rigged things become and the more they are expected to maintain their fighting form and to contribute to both the guild and the city with their abilities.

While some members of the guild have magical abilities, Edyn’s Free Warriors is committed to martial talent. Use of magic in the dojos and in sparring matches is heavily frowned upon. Many in the guild believe magic users to be too reliant on their magical powers and see them as single minded in their pursuits; take away their staves and books and there is very little that they are actually capable of.

## The Free Warrior Citadel

Edyn’s Free Warriors HQ is located in a massive citadel located towards the center of the city, colloquially referred to as the Free Warrior Citadel. The citadel serves as a base of operations for military planning and strategy for the city, as well as the main place of storage for the weapons and supplies for Edyn’s military. It also sports a plethora of training grounds and dojos for members of the guild to train and for soldiers and guards to receive their basic training. The citadel has an extensive below network of barracks for housing potentially thousands.

## Early History

Edyn’s Free Warriors, despite their name, have a long history preceding the founding of Edyn. The history of the ‘Free Warriors‘ goes back all the way to the infancy of Highfell; before the kingdom became well known for its peaceful and benevolent ways. Records show that this band of sellswords showed particular bravery, skill and loyalty and received commendation from the Highfell’s first monarch; earning their band high esteem and special privileges.

The Free Warriors existed in Highfell for centuries afterward, being known and well respected for their talent and skill with various martial arts and battle tactics. Their grand masters would learn and teach many different martial arts styles and techniques; keeping the knowledge of the fighting arts alive and improving them over many centuries. Their long held position of respect and endearment amongst the nobility earned them many jobs and legal exemptions. This combination of factors, over time, made them an influential group in the city.

However, the company slowly began to foster a culture of entitlement and ego as time went on, which would overshadow their legacy. More and more, the company would accept less savory jobs than their titles would imply and the company’s leaders would accept and give bribes to corrupt city officials and nobles to line their pockets and protect their members.

## Downfall

The height of their hubris would arrive when a grandmaster named Galdri Zenthis became the head of the mercenary company; eschewing his old name and calling himself Galdri the Unbroken. He would publicly announce to guards and officials that their company was untouchable and would prove that fact with violent displays on regular citizens over minor infractions. His behavior would inspire even worse actions from his underlings, until not even the nobility could sit back and watch for much longer.

Eventually, when a new king took the throne, he began a new kingdom-wide policy against corruption. He purged much of the muck inside the kingdom’s bureaucracy and then proceeded to turn his attention upon the Free Warriors. For their many years of crime and corruption, and for abusing the good intentions of the royal family, he issued warrants on every member of the group and called for the heads of all of its leadership.

The Free Warriors, now with no one to protect them from Highfell’s knights and bounty hunters, would find many of its members arrested or even killed in retaliation for the damage they caused. Seeing this, Galdri’s bravado would be utterly humbled. He would abandon the title unbroken, and flee Highfell with all the members he could escape with.

## Recovery

Over ten years would pass, as the group of runaway mercenaries would hide away in the Northern Heartlands. In this time, they would contemplate their actions and where they went wrong. Galdri himself would look deep within at the root of the issue; corruption within his organization as well as himself. For this time, he’d do everything in his power to purge this corruption through training.

During this time, the city of Highfell would fall to the dwarves, and many would flock to a new city called Edyn. Believing he had rehabilitated himself and those closest to him in their isolation, the Free Warriors would offer their services to the founding of Edyn. At first hesitant, the Free Warriors would prove their worth for months by slaying the monsters that threatened the settlers and acted as lawmen to catch thieves and charlatans amongst their ranks. Thoroughly impressed, the Free Warriors would be unofficially dubbed the ‘Fighters’ Guild’ and put in charge of protecting the city's streets.

To accomplish this, they began to get busy training up a militia and guard to protect the city, as well as offering their services to adventurers with the potential to grow more powerful and face down threats far beyond the city walls. Many adventurers and warriors come to the guild’s dojos to spar with grandmasters and learn ancient fighting techniques that have been passed down from centuries prior.

Despite having accomplished so much good for the city, Galdri still seeks to redeem himself by continuing to follow the path against corruption. He trains ceaselessly, often excluding himself from the day to day matters of the guild. However, should an internal issue arise, Galdri is quick to place harsh punishments on guild members for causing harm to the guild’s reputation.

## Notable Characters

* Galdri Zenthis
* Farina Glaudia
* Ichabod Reeves