Ranger

**Rangers** are an archetype found across the world that represent the struggle of humanoids against greater threats of the wilds, foreign invaders, and hostile lands. They can be found in various roles, from guarding the gates of massive walls on the border of mankind and its foes, to serving as hunters of fearsome wyverns on the borders of civilization.

All rangers are experienced survivalists, capable of living off the land in any environment, and they are not perturbed by difficult terrain like hills or marshes. Their wide range of skills make them versatile members of any team, and they are often called upon to be the first - or last - line of defense.

A ranger develops a strong connection with the material and the Earth, and often develops a hatred or proficiency in fighting a particular type of foe. This stems from a lifetime of experience interacting with and hunting their favored quarry.

## Hunter

A hunter is a ranger who defends their society from foreign hordes and from the wilderness, usually given to task an estate or property. A hunter is primarily a commander and a skilled veteran in combat. They are found most often on the borderlands between a civilization and the wilds or another hostile nation. They are the "classic ranger" and found frequently in human populations in the Greater Yuron. The hunter is usually a veteran of some decades.

### Notable examples

Hammond Pfaffinger, a lieutenant who defended the Wall of Orleone against Robaerigon in the Siege of Orleone

Guardians of the Dragon Gate in *Cedonia*, in the early years after the fall of the Dinamid Republic

## Beast Master

Those with a special affinity with beasts of the wild are usually gifted with magical abilities by a forest nymph or wood spirit, and become acquainted with a particular beast in the region in which they have sworn to protect. The beast master is common among those of Jade descent, as they have a real affinity with the magical elements of the wilds. The beast master also usually knows their beast for some years as well.

### Notable examples

Silenus, a falconer and poet who served Barbarossa during his campaigns in Laconia

They-On-Wolves, the band of halfling warriors that avenged the capture of their king Reon Timbertrot

## Horizon Walker

Rangers that understand the Otherworld and the nature of the gates and portals to the nether realms. Horizon walkers are often from the most remote locations in the Old World, and have some sensitivity to the Otherworld and its many iterations. The circumstances of their birth is usually a factor, they may have even been born in the Otherworld.

### Notable examples

Roland I, crown prince of Darcedon who served as a ranger during the Crisis of Corpses

The Sterlingline, elves defending *Balencia* from the demons that hail from *Lydia*

## Monster Slayer

Vigilance against the fearsome elements of the wilds, like wyverns and thunder-lizards, requires a ranger that has spent a lifetime combating and destroying large beasts. The Hunter manages the border between man and wild; the monster slayer ventures into the wild to find and slay the greatest quarries in the world. Few rangers earn such a title, as their survival rates are low; but for those that survive, they are highly valued Margraves.

### Notable examples

Willem Stollford, the earl of Grand Victoria who protected the Kulegs from the wyverns

The Anwalters, a special brigade formed to kill the green dragon Fafnir

## Gloom Walker

Rangers typically face the wilds and the natural world - but for the twisted world underground, very few governors are capable of handling the waves of warped reality that lies below the earth. Many have tried to resist the darkness of realms like the Devildark, but only a few schools have developed a successful strategy to combat such terrors.

### Notable examples

Gareth, who served Tristian as one of the knights of the Dovestone Lake to destroy the Darklake

House of Hawthorne, a family of rangers that overlook *Circea*, Arcadia