Any random schmuck can complete quests for the guild. But not anyone can become an official guild-member. Official guild-members get special perks that other freelance-adventurers do not get. These perks encompass, but are not limited to, things like:
- Limited Diplomatic Immunity: Guild-Members are given more legal authority than the usual freelance adventurer or regular person when interacting with political entities and individuals of note across their branch's jurisdictions, in order to complete certain vital missions to a satisfactory degree. As the Union of Sancstoryl Adventurer's Guilds has become incredibly useful across the world, the mistreatment of any Guild-Members over political reasons and the resulting fallout from the Guild is something that many rulers of countries often don't want to risk. However, this Diplomatic Immunity can be rescinded by official Guild Supervisors anytime, should a Guild Member misbehave or overstep to an unacceptable degree in their eyes. Such a rescindal often will likely result in a suspension, temporary arrest and investigation from the Guild itself, and depending on the severity of the incidence, followed by dismissal and banishment from the Guild, and prosecution by the Authorities. Generally, things work like this: Punishments for petty theft of potential evidence, roughing up an individual to get information, or even breaking into a private home as long as evidence is found may get waived. Robbing merchants meanwhile is off the table, while large amounts of
destruction of property may get someone suspended, and so on.
Misdemeanors and other crimes that are only subject to fines meanwhile
will most likely only result in the Adventurer having to pay these fines
out of pocket, if there was no good cause for causing them.
- Healing and Resurrection-Services: Even lower-ranked members have access to certain medical services at Guild-Houses and certain temples, that include certain healing magic and resurrection-spells for for discounted prices or even for free in certain circumstances, depending on the price of the spell. Often times, this are things like Lesser- and Greater Restorations, Curse-Removals, Antidotes, Disease-Curing, and even spells like Revivify, Raise Dead and scrolls of Gentle Repose. However, higher-level spells like Resurrection, Regenerate or True Resurrection aren't covered and often have to be paid for out of pocket.
- Teleportation-Circles: Official guild members may use the official Adventurer's Guild Teleportation-Circles. Most capital cities and quite a few smaller cities have at least one teleportation circle, in order to make travel for Guild-Members easier. Lower-tiered adventurers usually only have access to a selection of bigger cities and capital cities, and need to get to their destinations proper by foot, but as adventurers rise in the ranks of the guild, they unlock more and more teleportation circles for use; even for use with the Teleportation Circle spell, should they have access to it.
- Library- and Archive-Access: The adventurers guild keeps an extensive archive on any notable subjects one could imagine, as well as collections of books that could be useful for more scholarly adventurers. Members with a wizardly background or those who simply are interested in knowledge and learning more may use the local guild libraries and archives to gather knowledge, although many books and files are restricted by rank.
Although the primary Membership-tiers of the Adventurer's Guild vary by Continent, the secondary tiers are overarching and can be found all over Sancstoryl.
Secondary Tiers:
Leadership Tier: A tier that exists outside the usual tiers, and is usually given as a secondary tier on top of a members' regular tier. They are responsible for the organization and the upkeep of the guild, across the entire world. The Leadership-Tier is separated into two tiers, the Silver-Stars, also known as "Continental Leaders", being the leadership of the continental guilds like the Liwilai Adventurer's Guild or Lagetia Adventurer's Guild, and the Gold-Stars, also known as "Union Leaders" who oversee all guilds on all known continents, which is pretty much reserved for the elected boards of the entire Union of Sancstoryl Adventurer's Guilds, who are adventurers that mostly retired from the adventuring life in favor of managing the guild itself on a global level. Each continental guild has at least several handful of Silver Stars managing it in a democratic manner.
Local Leadership Tier: Has an oval-shaped pin. A tier for the leaders organizers of local branches of the adventurers' guild and regional branches of the Adventurer's Guild, usually in capitals, important cities or near embassies. Members of the local leadership tier act as basically the regional managers of the adventurer's league. It's not uncommon for Local Leadership-Tiered members to become overarching Leadership-Tier members, responsible for a plethora of tasks within the headquarters of each continent.
Support Tier: Another supplemental tier that exists outside the usual tiers. This tier is given to members of the guild whose day-to-day activity doesn't consist of adventuring, doing jobs, being mercenaries or exploring, but rather the mundane activities in and out of guildhouses, like managing quests, cooking food for members that live in the guild bases, cleaning, financial management, bureaucracy, archival etc. Some Support-Tier ranked members even manage their own safehouses and exclusive resting spots for the Guild. While this rank can be combined with any other rank of the guild, and is often given to people who want to support the guild after retiring from adventuring proper, it's also awarded to regular people who are employed by the guild.