Seeker

The Seekers are a group of adventurers who search for ancient relics and traces of the Ancient Gods across Grandis.

History

Origins

Ages ago, the Ancient Gods were defeated in the Ancient War and sealed away, putting an end to the primordial chaos. Despite this, however, remnants of their power lingered across the world in the form of ancient relics, history, and ruins. In the centuries that followed, legends of the Ancient Gods persisted - particularly in Grandis, where the influence of the gods had been strongest - inspiring many to go in search of their legacy. These adventurers became known as the Seekers, who began traveling across the world to various ruins and sites where the gods were said to have existed. Though the Seekers were nothing more than a loose coalition of adventurers, many used Hotel Arcus in the deserts of Grandis as a base of operations, seeking refuge at the hotel during their search for traces of the gods. However, after the High Flora began their war of conquest, communication and travel became particularly difficult, with many Seekers abandoning their pursuit of ancient relics. Though the Seekers continued to pass on their stories and legends to others, fewer and fewer people began taking up the Seeker's calling as the High Flora continued waging war on the other races.

Resurgence

Following the Black Mage's death, however, Maple World and Grandis became one as the two dimensions converged together. With all three of Maple World's Transcendents gone, the Ancient Gods slowly began reawakening from their long slumber. With the gods opening their eyes once again, ancient ruins and artifacts all over Maple World and Grandis began lighting up with a magical glow, signifying that the Ancient Gods' power was returning to the world. This event catalyzed the return of the Seekers, many of whom had grown up hearing stories from other Seekers about their adventures in Grandis.

Identisk Investigation

Soon after the convergence of the two worlds, the a group of Seekers - Baz, Nell, and Blanc - traveled to Identisk, an island created from the fusion of two other islands - Iden and Tisk - in Maple World and Grandis. There, the Seekers began their search for ancient artifacts of the Ancient God of Identisk, who had given the island their blessing long ago. During this time, however, a High Flora officer named Avril stole the blessings of Identisk, leading the locals to believe that the Seekers had stolen the Ancient God's blessings. In order to clear their name, Baz assisted the people of Identisk and the Adversary with investigating the disappearance of the blessings. His research led him to discover that the island's blessings had been nothing more than man-made magic created from the Identisk people's worship of their god, and that the appearance of the Sol Erda had scattered those blessings away.

Return to Hotel Arcus

Several months after the battle of Cernium, many new Seekers - including Baz's team - traveled to Hotel Arcus, which they knew to be the central hub for the Seekers who had come before them. Using the hotel as their base, the Seekers began searching the desert for traces of the Ancient Gods. Many of the Seekers traveled to Karote, a self-building tower that was repeatedly being destroyed by a mysterious power. Having heard a legend that the tower's completion would reveal a secret that even the gods feared, the Seekers combed through Karote, but found nothing but rubble and old statues. During this time, Nicky Angler - the son of the Angler Company's founder - disguised himself as a Seeker in order to trick the Adversary into completing Karote for his father, thereby opening the path to Odium. During the expedition, the Adversary defeated Guardian Kalos, who had been destroying the tower to prevent the unworthy from entering Odium. In the resulting battle, Nicky plummeted to the bottom of the ocean, while the destruction of Kalos allowed for Karote to complete itself. Soon after, the Adversary met with Baz's team, who were curious about the completion of Karote and Nicky's disappearance. After telling the Adversary more about their organization, Baz and his team offered to test the Adversary in order to initiate them into the Seeker's path. After putting the Adversary through a series of tests, however, the Seekers revealed that they had already intended to let the Adversary join their ranks, as conquering Karote, the tower of legend, meant that the Adversary had nothing more to prove.

Twilight Eve Festival

After the expedition to Karote, the power of time began resurging in the Arcus desert. The Alliance's investigation led them to discover the hidden village of Evernia, whose people were descendants of priests who had once served Chronica, the Transcendent of Time. With the power of time returning to Grandis, the Evernians began preparing for the Twilight Eve Festival, which would herald the second coming of Chronica. As the Evernians needed to gather the Sands of Time for the ritual, they hosted a large celebration to draw people from all over Grandis to help them with their mission. Amongst the Alliance and the merchants of Grandis, Blanc - a member of Baz's Seekers - came to Evernia in order to search for ancient relics and artifacts.

Expedition to Tallahart

During the Alliance's mission to investigate the power of the Ancient Gods, the Adversary returned to Hotel Arcus and met with Baz's team, who told the Adversary that stories about their prowess were circulating amongst the Seekers, such as their victory over the Apostles during the Apostles' raids across Maple World and Grandis to steal the power of the gods. During this time, Luce - an Ancient God of illusion who had once lived in Tallahart ages ago - disguised herself as a Seeker and came to seek the Adversary's help. As she had been stripped of most of her godly power by the other gods of Tallahart, Luce had spent ages waiting for the Ancient Gods to reawaken, hoping to reenter the city and break the seal on her twin sister, the supreme god Noctis. Claiming to be a Seeker who had spent ages researching Tallahart and honing her illusion magic, Luce asked the Adversary to help her reach the city in order to claim the "divine treasure" of Tallahart, hiding the fact that the treasure she spoke of was her sister. During the mission to Tallahart, however, Luce was killed by the Apostle Baldrix, though her power was recovered by the Adversary and given to Noctis, who sought to find a way to return her sister back to life.

Organization

Membership

The Seekers are an organization without a central leadership or mission. Though the Seekers all pursue ancient artifacts and traces of the Ancient Gods, every Seeker has their own reasons for their mission, whether it be wealth, power, or curiosity. It is commonly stated by Seekers that the artifacts they seek have immense power, capable of making their owner a king or even destroying nations overnight. Because there is no direct leadership amongst the Seekers, anyone who wishes to find ancient artifacts may claim themselves to be a Seeker. While some Seekers choose to explore alone, many Seekers will work in teams to make their work easier. Although there is no official test or initiation to become a Seeker, a group of Seekers may choose to test anyone who wishes to join them in order to ensure that they have the qualifications needed to be a valuable member. Baz's team, for instance, tested the Adversary to ensure that they possessed the qualities of strength, insight, and intuition, though the team had already decided to admit the Adversary into their ranks after learning that they had conquered Karote. Though many Seekers operate for themselves, there are some who work for hire, finding ancient artifacts for others via commission.

Location

As the Seekers are not a united organization, they do not have a central headquarters.However, Hotel Arcus has historically been a safe haven for many Seekers amidst the perilous deserts of Grandis. In addition to food and lodging, the hotel is also home to the Arcus Gate, a portal created with the power of the Ancient Gods, capable of taking the user anywhere across Grandis. These amenities have made Hotel Arcus the perfect rest spot and transportation hub for Seekers in the midst of their adventures.

Known Members

Baz Seeker (Team Lead) Alive	Nell Seeker (Baz's Team) Alive	Blanc Seeker (Baz's Team) Alive	The Adversary Seeker (Baz's Team) Alive
Nicky Angler Seeker (Solo Seeker) Unknown (Presumed deceased)	Luce Seeker (Solo Seeker) Deceased