DEPRECATED - Dalliances 1.20 - Extracurriculars

[ A/N: Please note that this chapter has been deprecated. 1.19 and 1.20 were combined into the two beefier 1.17 and 1.18 chapters to limit the # of consecutive info-dump releases. Next week will have 2 additional releases to stabilize the schedule. ]

“Guilds are simple,” Harper said. “They’re a stick-around from the old days, and really, don’t matter much. Just don’t be caught saying it. Some people are bristly about guild allegiances.” She flashed a grin. “Either way, you’re required to pick, and there’s benefits to being in the right one. Lets you network with peers, find mentors, both faculty and students alike, and, y’know, it serves as a hang-out place, too. I’m sure everyone’s heard the stories.”

Even Natalie had, and she was less informed than probably anyone here. The guild’s parties were legendary … in both good and bad ways. Another byproduct of that ‘stressed environment’ she’d mentioned. Natalie hadn’t come here to party, but she doubted anyone did. She’d probably check one out, eventually.

“And I know I’m stating the obvious here, but again, that’s kinda my job—I don’t know what everyone here’s background is, so I gotta be thorough. The role guilds are: fighter, thief, mage, healer, and tank.” She counted through each on her hand, raising fingers and tapping them with her other hand’s thumb.

The five-man party was a dynamic as old as time. Tried and true, the way a sword and shield was … or a flint and steel. Sure, there were exceptions, and unusual party compositions that worked—due usually to meshing of particular classes—but as a whole, most adventurers went about in teams of five, often in the archetypal five-role party. Some classes even excelled alone. Those were rare.

Natalie wasn’t sure where she fell in the five-role dynamic. Tank or fighter, almost certainly. But, some paladins could be a mage or healer, too. The only role she knew she wouldn’t fill was ‘rogue’.

As things stood, she had no healing spells, and only a single spell in the form of an illusion. But that might change. At the same time, her class might develop to encourage fighting or tanking more than spellcasting. So the question was, which would she settle into?

Tentatively—in their discussions on the train, coming to Tenet—she, Jordan, and Sofia had talked about Natalie filling the tank role. Sofia filled the fighter … though she bordered a rogue, as a rapier-wielding duelist, but Jordan was the rogue, and not in a malleable way.

“Some people fit several, obviously,” Harper continued, as if reading Natalie’s mind, “and don’t worry, you can qualify up to two, if your class fills several. It happens. Plenty of, say, priests are in both the healer and mage guilds, or in another case, both the healer and fighter guilds. Or a more obvious example, lots of brawler classes dabble in both tanking and fighting. So feel free to check out both guildhalls … though I recommend you stick to one. Getting comfortable is important. Almost as much as what they represent—the sorts of skills found in your class—practicing filling an archetype is important simply so you know your job in a team. The roles aren’t really a classification of classes, per se, it’s about what functions a team needs filled to operate smoothly … and some people can handle several. Division of labor and specialization—it’s what crawled us out of the stone age, you know, and adventuring isn’t different. That said, don’t get stuck in your ways. Your class might be a healer now, but you might find fighter fits you better, five levels from now. Stay flexible. Keep your options open.”

“And like I said, you have to pick one, even if you don’t end up using guild services much. Which would be a bad idea. Roles exist for a reason, and the guilds help you learn them. Tenet encourages creativity, but some things develop for a reason. Tradition develops for a reason. Employ the conclusion that millennia of your predecessors came to—that if nothing else, the five-man squad is a good starting point.”

“And last comment, though it might not even be necessary. The divergent guild. If you’ve got a class that doesn’t fit into any of the guilds—it happens, surprisingly—then that’s the one you’ll be slotted in. For those of you that applies to … well, you know who you are. Hard to not.” Harper scanned the crowd, as if seeing if anyone would give themselves away.

Natalie was intrigued, also looking around. She’d never heard of a ‘divergent’ guild. Someone who fell outside all five roles? How would that happen? Wouldn’t that just be a … craftsman class, or something? How could someone be neither a fighter, thief, mage, healer, or tank? Not even in a peripheral way?

Natalie brainstormed. She realized she could think of a few. An explorer class, maybe, with no combat specialties, but useful in delving, or adventuring in general. Someone who could navigate the dungeon, disarming traps, leading the party to treasure … even if they didn’t have any combat prowess.

Though, why be trained at Tenet, in that case? To operate functionally in a team?

She didn’t get a chance to think too hard about it, because Harper was moving on. Like for the rest of orientation, she kept an expeditious pace.

“Last item of business. Extracurriculars. The fun stuff.” Her lips quirked. “Or, the ‘fun stuff’. It’s not an uncommon opinion to think them a waste of time. And if you’re having fun, are you trying hard enough?” Harper laughed. “Either way, despite the name, extracurriculars are mandatory. You need to pick one. Good news is, there’s options for everyone. I’ll go over the big ones, the ones you’d be an idiot to not consider.”

“Dueling,” Harper said. “The biggest by far, besides the harvesting disciplines. Of course. The truth of the matter is that as much as delvers keep the economy afloat, we’re needed for another reason. Our … sometimes unfriendly neighbors across the border.”

An uncharacteristic solemness crossed over Harper—and indeed most of the gathered students. It was a fair point. Valhaur was a civilized nation … but not all were. The threat of force—the supernatural powers a high-level delver could bring to bear—were what secured the nation its sovereignty. Or more accurately, Valhaur’s dominance on the international dueling stage, their demonstrations of strength, kept other nations from invading. As much as troops and logistics, the strongest individuals of a nation were what maintained peace.

“Or for the fame,” Harper said, the brief seriousness gone. “Maybe you like tournaments, or dueling for dueling’s sake. Either way, a popular choice. Lots of carry-over to delving, too. Anything that gives you practice with your weapon and skills is a plus. Fame, travel, and prize money? Cherry on top.”

“But say you’re not interested,” Harper said. “There’s another prime candidate, which I already mentioned. The harvesting disciplines. Mining, woodcutting, fishing, herb gathering, the choice is yours, but if you’re planning to be down in the dungeon for extended periods of time, you’d be a fool to not consider a harvesting skill. Dungeon runs are lucrative by themselves, but stumbling on a vein of gems or mithril ore? A healthy ghost-oak? Doubles the profit.”

“If we care about profit,” some student said.

Harper gave them an amused look. “True enough. But that’s my point. You can pick dueling for glory or duty—or, harvesting for profit. There’s a functional choice for anyone.” She looked away, back to Natalie’s general direction. “But there’s also non-functional choices, if you’re inclined. The usual smattering. Drama, crafting, band, the arts, a slew of sports, sorted by divisions. So on. A list is in your pamphlet, though it’s not comprehensive. And new ones are forming all the time. Remember that not all count for the requirement, so check the bulletins, or with faculty.”

Harper breathed in, clapping her hands together. “That’s it! We’ve made it through. Or, sort of. There’s one last quick thing, before I get to questions … it’s time for your generic words of encouragement.”

Natalie’s lips quirked at the continued irreverence.

“Remember, not everyone can be the Dimming Herald,” Harper said. “That’s fine. It’s what Tenet wants you to be, but that doesn’t mean they want to get half the school killed trying for an impossibility. The one percent might provide a third of all monster cores—by energy—but the other two thirds … that still comes from us mortals. We aren’t wholly expendable, and Tenet doesn’t want you to get yourself killed trying to be something you aren’t. You have to realize—some of us are playing different games from each other, and that’s the reality of … well, reality.”

Natalie frowned. She didn’t like that perspective. Anyone could be the Dimming Herald if they worked hard enough. She didn’t believe a special set of people were simply born into fates like that. They earned them.

“So,” Harper said. “Work hard and have fun. Be the best you can be, but avoid croaking it. That’s it! Any questions?”