Ranger

Cloaked warriors bonded to nature around them, oftentimes to specific forests or other verdant areas via viridian aether. They always have animal, plant, or fungal companions and wield bows and daggers.

Forest Law

The laws of each forest vary only slightly, depending on the forest. The basics of forest law are a series of rules about how to engage with the forest to minimize risk to it, to keep out pollutants and invasive species, and to protect it from imbalance in its ecosystem. Rangers are more mystical than scientific, but they do often have a basic understanding of ecology and biology. Their power derives from vowing to enforce the laws of the forest and their subsequent fulfillment of that vow.

Range

The range of a ranger is almost always a kind of forest, delineated not by the boundaries of mortality but of nature herself. If a forest is too big, multiple rangers will have ranges within it. A ranger is at one with their range so long as they are within it. They can sense when something new enters their range, and they can sense any being in their range which they have "marked". Their range gives them power, including the power to heal themselves with deep rest, and they can communicate with anything living within their range.

Initiation

Rangers are chosen by the forest and recruited either by the living things of the forest or the outgoing ranger, if there is one. If they agree to take on the mantle of ranger, an initiate is taught and tested for many years before being sent to commune with the range itself on a nine-day solo journey through the heart of it. They must spend these nine days (and nights) taking part in nature, not harming anything without cause or necessity, and fighting off any unwelcome intrusion to the range. If they succeed, they are taken by the range's spirit, the living things of the range, or the outgoing ranger (usually retiring for illness, injury, or advanced age) to a special grove where their vow is taken and their renewal bed is made. The following day, their companion will arrive.

Renewal Bed

All ranges have a grove in which the ranger may sleep, usually in a shallow where they can be covered in earth and roots, or withon the branches or bole of a tree, and be renewed of health. Most rangers can extend their lives by upwards of 50% their species' average lifespan by doing this regularly while they are hale. They can cure almost any disease, wound, or other condition through this means, though only they may use it. If they put another within it, that other must be a being of aether or the renewal bed will fail and die. If the being is an aetherial being, the renewal bed will work but be weakened significantly for a decade. If a being of the forest is put in it, they may be renewed with a much lower penalty going forward. If someone else tries to use it without the ranger allowing it or trying to put them in it, nothing happens. If natural forces destroy it, the ranger may create a new one by spending the night digging or communing with a tree, etc. If it is destroyed by evil powers, the ranger must purify the grove/range and then restore it.

Companion

All rangers have an animal companion. As every forest varies greatly, all rangers' companions do. Rangers in forests needing protection from physical forces usually get a large predator as a companion. Those rangers needing fast communications will get a bird or rabbit. And so on. This varies greatly by region.

Steed

Many rangers will have a steed with whom they ride out of their range with. This is usually a beast native to the forest, so stags, for example, are common. They befriend and engage with their steed even in the range, but while in the range, they prefer to walk so as to be closer to the range itself. Their steed comes when called if they wish to leave, and outside the range, it can be called, but it will not be able to teleport. If they are somewhere the steed cannot reach, it will get as close as it can. It will be able to sense the ranger almost anywhere, but not vice versa (except within the range).

Powers

Rangers earn powers by enforcing or living forest law:

Heightened Senses

As long as they are not within a "civilized" area, ranging from farming community to major city, a ranger will have heightened senses (+1 to +6 to all forms of perception that they have, unless otherwise noted). The closer to their original range, the higher their bonus, and the longer they have been a ranger (in good standing), the higher their bonus. Max is an experienced ranger within their own range, who gets +6. A novice ranger in their own range gets +3. Outside their range, +3 is the highest their bonus can be. In small communities, they take no penalties, but in major urban centers, they take -1, and in an industrialized area dense with pollution, they take upward of -6.

Marking

A ranger may mark anything within their range with their own blood. Even after this is washed off, the ranger will be able to sense where this being or thing is within the range. They can neither mark nor sense outside the range, but almost nothing can occlude their sensing of the marked within the range. If the being marked refuses, the marking will fail. If the being marked accepts then changes their mind, they must simply wash (even if the mark is physically gone) to remove it. If one then changes their mind again, they must find the ranger again.

Intrusion

If anyone or anything new comes to the range, the ranger will sense it for the first hour. After that, they will only sense if if they have gotten close enough to sense it naturally (see, hear, smell, etc.).

Speech

A ranger may speak with any living thing that dwells within their range, but not all are willing to speak back. Those who do not speak back cannot be understood unless they choose to be. If they do speak back, they will always be understood. This speech only extends outside the range with exact species in the range, and even then, dialects and accents vary regionally.

Resilience

Within the range, the ranger can be revived from death, though the trauma of such events usually means they will refuse to do so more than once (and some may refuse it even the first time without pressing need). It is always voluntary - the forest will swallow the dying ranger and offer another chance, restoring them to active health, though not removing disabiliies, age, or other more permanent conditions. After three times, the ranger will almost always refuse revival.

Tracking

They can track extremely well outside their range. Within their range, their high skill gains a bonus of +6.

Purifying

To purify a person, place, or thing of brown aether or other infernal essences, they can draw upon the power of their range either with blood sacrifice (13 base +3 per wound level above normal) or with temporary sacrifice of a point of STR or WIL (13 base +3 per point thereafter), which will be restored once they have a sleep of renewal. Outside their range, their blood sacrifice still works at power 10 +3 per wound level).

Inventory

Rangers are given many objects as they serve the forest:

Cloaks

The first thing a ranger gets after they take their vow is a cloak, either handed to them by the previous ranger, by a fellow ranger from another range, or by some forest elemental. The cloak is woven from the pelts, moss, leaves, and other things of the forest the ranger protects, and it provides them +6 STH camouflage while in the range, +3 in any similar forest, and +1 in any other landscape that is not "civilized".

Colors

The colors of the cloak match the ranger's forest, usually brown and green hues. See variations below for more information.

Brooches

The brooch of a ranger's cloak is usually made from a nut, cone, twig, or other fallen thing of the ranger's forest. It provides +3 vs. infernal attacks when worn in the range, +1 when out.

Armor

Rangers sometimes wear light, leather or hide armor, given to the as a present from the forest itself. Powerful rangers will have armor of the forest made from soil and twig that is extremely potent aetherial armor and moves as if part of them.

Bow and Arrow

The primary weapon of a ranger is their bow and arrow, made from the wood of the forest, given freely. Their arrow heads are sharpened stone and often have aetherial power, if the ranger has served long and well.

Staff

Many rangers have a walking staff given to them by the forest which provides them with a bonus to endurance (+1 to +3, depending on how long they have served) when they travel the world. If planted into the ground outside of the range, it will return the ranger there upon death of the ranger.

Knives

Rangers carry knives, but they rarely have special powers.

Footwear

The shoes or boots of the ranger are leather given freely from the forest that allows them to move silently in any forest, and with +1 to STH in any other kind of wilderness, but with -3 in "civilized" areas.

Societal Role

Rangers are protectors of forests or wildernesses, and as such, they are revered where nature is revered, feared where it is under attack, and despised where it is unwelcome.

Variations

There are many, many variations of rangers, most based on range and the energies that come with it.

Aetherial Rangers

The aetherial variations are all closely related to the original:

• Arktos: rangers of southeastern Stayflies who are mostly young women who have bear companions.
• Bawmache: rangers of the wetlands who have alligator companions.
• Caminador: rangers of the central Jesenyan plains who wield livadi and have dog companions.
• Delyanann: elven rangers of the Silverwood who wield ashar and have rabbit companions.
• Forester: rangers who eschew viridian aether for prasinofos who have squirrel companions.
• Gezelencz: rangers of the shining forests of Lesedi who wield the bright and have moth companions.
• Guardian of Genesis: rangers of forests with an axis mundi who wields Genesis who have simurgh companions.
• Haqriq Wuqar: rangers of the burning mountains who wield lahab al'qalb and have tiger companions.
• Hii Torekou: rangers of the rain forests of eastern Palhur who wield all forms of green aether and are have anaconda and monkey companions.
• Jaroka: rangers of the bluebell forests who wield hasken fure and are attended by spring's animals.
• Kadam: rangers of the Dabusenese monsoon forests who wield bijalee and are attended by cobras.
• Khodok: rangers of the taiga who wield TykvaVlast and have autumnal animal companions.
• Khutwa: rangers of the deserts of Mahad wo wield ma'dhahabi and have bird companions.
• Matagi: rangers who hunt bear in the winter, wield hvittdogg, and have boreal animal companions.
• Natattakkaran: rangers of Gyrah who wield kiiric yihi have bird companions.
• Neg-yihat: rangers of the Night Wood who wield true shadow and have night wolf companions.
• Omutambuze: rangers of the forests around the great lakes of Taggarus who wield conflueverant and have water buffalo companions or the undersea rangers who have fish companions.
• Pathfinder: rangers of any wilderness who serve a civilized group and wield nzwara murazvo to remain wild.
• Poti: rangers of the islands, usually tropical ones, who wield ikehua lyua pele and have shark companions.
• Sarnaqiri [aymara]: rangers of eastern Palhur who wield nzwara murazvo and have multiple animal companions.
• Turuknogahn: rangers of the subterra who wield kazaddarean and have rock lizard companions.
• Veinfinder: rangers of the Low Mines who wield bailaohu jingua and have worm companions.
• Vuunakm: rangers of western Palhur's deserts who wield hamasat al-sahra and have coyote companions.
• Zentiq: rangers of the cosmos who wield qeernariji and have astral animal companions.

Celestial Rangers

Some ranges contain more celestial power than aetherial:

• Adasehedi: a ranger of the western Palhuric forests who wields yahas to bond to the wilderness.
• Anichneftis: a ranger of rainbow forests who wields euphotonia.
• Bee' Eehozinii: a ranger of the western Palhur]c deserts who wields waarheid and has a rattlesnake companion.
• Dasofylakas: a ranger with various ranges as they walk the Long Path and have an owl companion.
• Kugenda: a ranger who wanders from their savanna range but can always return via hegnhic powers.
• Lalakad: a ranger of the rain forests who wields liberation power as they defy companies who seek to destroy their range. They have flying fox companions.
• Leinjeo: a unifier who works as a semi-mundane park ranger and has a bear companion.
• Mutasvi: one bonded to a landscape via a miracle and made a ranger-like figure who protects it.
• Opas: one bonded by a clan mage, via banaru, to the clan's lands, and made a ranger-like figure to guard it.
• Rapadu: a ranger of lake regions who wields dumaqu off the beauty of the lakes and has fish companions.
• Tiān yóuxiá: a ranger of celestial terrains.
• Warru-Ngarni: a ranger of the southern Island Bridge rainbow forests who wields radiance and has a rainbow serpent companion.

Infernal Rangers

Some landscapes are infernal:

• Cerddwr: a ranger of the Shrikewood who wields Cacophony and has a shrike companion.
• Pit-ranger: a ranger/pitwrangler of the Fuligin Field who has a pit-monster companion.
• Plisiazon: a ranger of the wastelands who wields Sterisi and has a vulture companion.
• Poacher: a ranger of the thorn forests who wields thorn energy and has a bwystfil drain companion.
• Stalcaire: a ranger of the forests of Tromlui who wields uafas and has a black fox companion.
• Strannik: a ranger-velikiy who wields razdavit' and has a serpent companion in the cold north.
• Urdun: a ranger of primordial waters who wields entropy and has a random animal companion.

Other Rangers

• Asogbo: rangers of the western Taggaran savanna who wield poioumenon and have rhinoceros companions.
• Chodec: rangers of the forests of the northern Island Bridge who bonds via True Name and has a marten companion.
• Gongu: rangers of the Jesenranic forests who wield shavev mashkalran and are very harsh in their judgments of breakers of forest law. They have chamois companions.
• Hayum'aemaa: ranger of the forests who uses fate to see and cannot see via mundane means. They have hawk companions.
• Meramejamiba: ranger of the arid plains and plateaus of eastern Taggarus who speaks the First Language and has ibex companions.
• Molsem: rangers of the great western Palhuric plains who use mijjit and have wolf companions.
• Oshiguruma: rangers of the Tenzanese forests who use kor and have red panda companions.
• Patrol: quasi-rangers who wield gebvel to protect borderlands. They have the range-senses but not the nature powers.
• Riverman: rangers of rivers who bond to them via ethereal essence and have fish companions.
• Siurloir: rangers of the Lyrillan faerie forests who use dream energy and have fox companions.
• Tracker: quasi-rangers who have the high tracking skills of a ranger but do not bond to any landscape. They wield momentum.

Skills

Common skills include

• Hunting
• Tracking
• Botany
• Zoology
• Mycology
• Forestry
• Ecology
• Biology
• Animal lore
• Plant lore
• Herbalism
• Riding
• Woodworking
• Direction sense

Stats

Modifiers from base of species/nation:

PRO +2
ATH +3 Endurance +4
STR +1
AWA +1 Perception +3
WIL +1
STH +3
PRS +1