(LEGACY EDITION)
You may or may not know, but there's this woman in strange armor always looking at you in the distance but now she's even closer, without the armor.

Souls of Etermyst No.5

Premise

You are celebrating Blossom Festival (With friends or not is up to you) and you noticed a woman in strange outfit staring at you from behind one of the Sakura tree, she finally worked the courage to talk to you, and she may seem to have trouble speaking ?

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Etermyst

The world of Etermyst is a high fantasy continent defined by ancient magic, diverse cultures, and looming threats. Its northern and central regions are dominated by traditional feudal kingdoms and a federation, while the south is a vibrant collection of maritime and scholarly republics. A vast, advanced but troubled empire spans the east, and isolated nations hold fast to their unique traditions on the peripheries.

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The Waywarden Association

The Waywarden Association is an independent, apolitical organization dedicated to maintaining peace across Etermyst. Its professional adventurers, known as Waywardens, operate from guildhalls in every major city. Membership requires passing rigorous physical and written exams, followed by a binding oath. Waywardens advance through a clear ranking system, from rookie C-Ranks to the legendary few who achieve X-Rank.

All guild contracts are officially sanctioned to ensure reliability and neutrality. While Waywardens are a key defense against major threats, they also handle standard jobs like monster hunting, item retrieval, and escort missions. While most quest are reserved for Waywarden, a person with no affiliation with the Association can also take quests from them, they are called Freelancers, but unlike a Waywarden, they have to pay a fee to take a quest.

Paths to Membership

1. The Waywarden Examination

The traditional, brutal, and prestigious path.

• Frequency: Held annually at a remote, unpredictable location.

• Supervisors: Volunteer A-Rank and S-Rank Waywardens, who design the tests.

• Nature: Extremely dangerous, with a high casualty rate. Tests are not just physical but psychological, ethical, and strategic. They may involve surviving a monster-infested forest, solving an ancient puzzle in a ruin, or navigating a complex moral dilemma. It's designed to find diamonds in the rough—those with innate talent, resilience, and the right mindset.

• Reward: Immediate granting of a C-Rank Emblem and full membership rights.

2. Accademia Valore

The academic and "safe" path, often viewed with skepticism by traditionalists.

• Location: A sprawling campus city jointly administered by Selvascura, the Triumvirate, and the Association.

• Curriculum: A rigorous 4-year program covering various studies

• Graduation: Students must pass final exams and a supervised, high-stakes field operation. Upon graduation, they are granted a C-Rank Emblem.

• Culture: Graduates are often called "Eggheads" or "Valorians" and are considered book-smart but lacking the raw, practical experience of Exam-passers. They must work doubly hard to earn the respect of veterans.

Ranks & Progression

• Freelancer: Provisional members. They can take low-risk, local contracts but lack the authority and privileges of full Waywardens. They are often used for support roles or as informants.

• C-Rank: Novices. Restricted to low-difficulty, local contracts.

• B-Rank: Professionals. The backbone of the Guild. Can operate independently or lead teams on most standard contracts.

• A-Rank: Elites. Entrusted with high-risk contracts, state-level requests, and the right to access restricted sections of the Archivum. Many specialize in a specific Path.

• S-Rank: Paragons. Living legends. They have the authority to refuse any contract and to make unilateral decisions in the field that can reshape borders and topple kingdoms.

• X-Rank: A legendary rank reserved for those who have fundamentally altered the course of history or is capable to do so. Their past deeds are required study at the Accademia Valore.

Combat Roles

This denotes a Waywarden's function in a team, crucial for contract assignment and team formation.

• Kashikoi: The leader and strategist. Assesses threats, devises plans, and manages the battlefield. A party's survival often hinges on their judgment.

• Tsuyosa: The combat core. Excels in direct confrontation, controlling the engagement area through sheer power, defense, or area denial.

• Setsu: The scout, assassin, and intelligence gatherer. Operates ahead of or outside the main party, handling threats quietly and gathering critical information.

• Suketto: The support and wildcard. Provides healing, enchantments, logistical support, or unique magical/scientific skills that can bypass conventional challenges.

Paths

This indicates a Waywarden's chosen specialty, granting them priority and higher pay for relevant contracts, they can still choose other contract outside of their own specialty.

* Path of the Artisan: Masters of enchantment, alchemy, smithing and culinary who keep the Association running.

* Path of the Sentinel: Bodyguard duties, Specialists in the eradication of monstrous, demonic, or otherwise hazardous entities. Frontier defense, patrolling untamed lands, combating large-scale monstrous threats.

* Path of the Scholar : Researchers, historians, archaeologist and cryptographers. They explore ancient ruins, catalog flora and fauna, and maintain the Grand Athenaeum, the Guild's repository of forbidden and lost knowledge.

* Path of the Seeker: Pioneers and explorers. They map uncharted territories, establish new routes, dungeon delving, relic retrieval and make first contact with isolated cultures. They also do Bounty hunting, rare material acquisition and tracking.

* Path of the Emissary: Conflict mediation, Diplomacy, espionage, acting as a neutral intermediary between states.

* Path of the Justiciar: The internal affairs and law enforcement of the Guild. They investigate Article violations, hunt down rogue Waywardens (Strayblade),

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The world of Etermyst

Special Thanks to @Lonewalker for the World Map and the lorebooks, give them a follow!

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You should know:

• You are a Waywarden, rank, path and role is up to you.

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Author's note:

Use Proxy such as Deepseek or Gemini, tested with Deepseek.

Set 15 years after the event of EXILE, if you played that bot.

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Q&A?

NO, this is a changelog section now

• Waywarden Module now includes The Fireflies, and new Association festival event that took place in summer, spring, autumn and winters! next up quest section.

• New Lorebook entirely dedicated to the history of Etermyst

• Race and Beastiary Lorebook modified

Ah, the DEVIOUS crisher...

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