The Seekers

The Seekers were a company of Rangers and Wardens inhabiting the mountains North East of the Sword Coast. Formed many centuries ago they tasked themselves with protecting civilization from the monstrosities and magical beasts that were spreading south throughout the land. Prior to, and during the Collapse they stalked and hunted these beasts and their masters, acting as a line of defence against the spreading darkness. In recent years they were defeated in a vicious battle and their entire membership slain.

Symbol

All Seekers wore the Seeker’s Eye on their Armour, cloak or shields. This symbol was a single eye in the centre of a 5 pointed star. The eye represents the unity and line of their leaders, the One Rangers. The star is drawn from the holy symbol of Gwaeron Windstrom.

Base Of Operations

The Seekers often travelled far and wide in their task, but chose the mountains north of the Lurkwood as their home. Here they built their keep, know as The Citadel. Serving as the seat of the One Ranger it was a base of operations and training grounds. Built over centuries The Citadel housed over 1000 Rangers at its peak and was believe to be impregnable.

Origin Of the Seekers

Before being raised to Demigod status, and becoming The Master of Tracker and deity of the Northern Rangers Gwaeron Windstrom walked the northlands as a mortal man. Centuries before the beginning of the Collapse he began to notice hordes of magical beasts and monstrosities flowing south from The Spine of the World, a mountain range in the far North. While these foul creations were spreading across the land towards more civilized areas he could tell they were coming from one common area.

With his companion, the Elven Druid, Ereldior Belasson he sensed a growing natural imbalance with dark magic emanating from the far North that seemed to be guiding and creating these creatures. Together Ereldior and Gwaeron attracted a following of warriors to aid them in stalking these creatures and searching for their source. Ereldior guided these folk on how to live in harmony with nature while Gwaeron taught them how to track and combat the monsters that plagued the lands. This group became the first Rangers to be know as the Seekers. As these Rangers grew in strength and ability Gwaeron left them under the leadership of Ereldior. Although he never returned new recruits would often arrive saying they had met a traveller who persuaded them to join the Seekers. Eventually this tale changed with new recruits showing up having been inspired by the Demigod Gwaeron Windstrom to join them. Despite their history or background these new recruits were trained in the ways of the Rangers and sworn to protect the civilized lands against the magical chaos that looked to destroy it.

For hundreds of years Ereldior lead the Seekers. With no shortage of monsters to hunt and destroy the Seekers ranks swelled. As time passed the Order discovered a circle of Wizards and Sorcerers, based in the norther mountains, were behind this plague. Know only as The Creators, it became clear that they were using magic to create these mystical beasts. Not only were they releasing the beast into the wilds and setting them upon civilized society they were supplying them to other factions throughout the lands. While the Creators motivation has never been truly discovered some historians believe they were tasked with aiding in, and contributing to,,the calamities that were bringing about the Collapse. Whether they served mortals or more nefarious fiends has never been made clear and the Seekers and Creators engaged in a war that lasted for over a thousand years throughout and even after the Collapse.

As Ereldior aged, she became concerned with the future of The Seekers without her guidance. She selected their strongest warrior, Jarret Folsoun to succeed her as leader, to become The One Ranger. She gifted him with the Seeker’s Amulet which held her spirit to aid Jarret and all The One Rangers that would follow. It was instructed that each of the One Rangers would undergo a process of implanting their memories and spirit within the amulet and eventually pass it on to next One Ranger to guide them in their stewardship of The Seekers. This magical process of attuning The Seeker’s Amulet became known as the Rebranding.

After initiating Jarrett as the One Ranger Ereldior Belasson departed and was never seen again. It is believed, or at least hoped, that she went to again travel with Gwaeron on the higher planes.

Ongoing History Of the Seekers

Much of the ongoing history of the Seekers has been lost to time. By the time after the Collapse both The Seekers and The Creators had become known only as myth and legend, if at all, by most of civilization. A few Historians have pieced together some tales and stories much of which often cannot be verified and are ambiguous in date. They are easiest told and sorted by the One Ranger who led the Seekers at the time.

* Jarret Foulson, The Inspired Ranger- Jarrett became the One Ranger following Ereldior Belasson’s departure. He was far more militant than his predecessor and pushed the Seekers to more aggressively attack and engage The Creators, beginning war of attrition that would last for over a thousand years throughout The Collapse. It was Jarret who began construction on the keep that would eventually become The Citadel
* Azarious Ambrose, TheSpell Ranger-Several Hundred years before TheCollapse Azarious Ambrose was a noted Wizard and scholar. He was allied with the Seekers in their struggles with The Creators and aided them throughout the years. The Seekers amulet had begun to weaken and Azarious worked to restore it and to perfect the Rebranding. Later in his life he went to live at The Citadel and became the One Ranger for several years until his death. While he did take the mantle of a Ranger he was still primarily a Spell Caster and Scholar.

* Borimoch B’ranseion, The Swift Ranger-Known for his speed and skill with a blade, Borimoch served as the One Ranger in the period prior to The Collapse, just as people were retreating to the cities and towns. During his tenure as leader of the Seekers his top lieutenant was a Ranger known as Monaris. She dedicated much of her time to the study of the line between the living and the dead, investigating how power could be borrowed from the spirits of the afterlife. She began to question the Rebranding and the power held within the Seekers Amulet, believing it was too fragile a system and had potential to lose the spirits of the One Rangers. She believed through study and meditation the One Rangers spirits could be drawn upon by the entire order while extending their lifetimes for beyond normal mortals. This began a split among the Seekers, while most followed Borimoch, a group calling themselves The Seekers of the Long Death began to push for Monaris to take the mantle of the One Ranger.
* Tharmouk Hardspine, The Twilight Ranger- A Dwarven Gloomstalker, Tharmouk was appointed The One Ranger by Borimoch B'ranseion, despite a call by the Seekers Of the Long Death to have Monaris take the title. After much discussion, and almost all out war, it was decided that Monaris and her disciples would leave to deal with a new threat emerging from the South. It seems history lost track of Monaris and the Seekers of the Long Death and little remains of their legend.
* Lord Willis Perrin, The Grand Ranger- Born to a noble family during The Collapse Willis’s family was once a powerful and regal line. Due to effects of the Collapse their influence and fortune had declined. As a young man Willis travelled north to join the Seekers, and discovered them to have become bitter and withdrawn. Much of the membership had grown weary and felt the war against The Creators to be a futile errand. Willis knew well the hardships that the civilized world was enduring and believed The Creators to be instrumental in contributing to this. A natural Leader and statesman Willis rose to the position of The One Ranger. He inspired and reinvigorated the Seekers and began a series a skirmishes and outright war with the Creators that was believed to be the beginning of their defeat.
* Plethos Gratorix- The Iron Ranger. Slowly people began to emerge from behind the walls of their cities and towns as the darkness of The Collapse began to recede or, at least become cloaked. At this time the Seekers and The Creators had become little but legends and rumour to the peoples of the land. Still their battles continued even though they were percieves as myth by the common people. Gratorix, was a renowned General from the Southern Empires who traveled north to meet the Seekers. He found a group hidden to the world and in the grip of a destructive war of attrition with their foe. Due to his tactical and strategic battle skills he became the One Ranger and lead the Seekers in the final battles against the Creators. Under his leadership The Creators were defeated and believed destroyed.

* Terrfreid, The Vandal Ranger- Upon Plethos Gratorix’s death the role of The One Ranger was taken by the Northern Warrior Terrfreid. With the defeat of The Creators the Seekers entered a period of relative calm. There is little detail but Terrfreid led the seekers for decades in peace. It is believed that the Terrfreid and the Seekers were eventually eradicated by an unknown foe. Until recently it had been believed there were no Seekers left.