Apprenticeship
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There is no set exam for joining the Guild of Roadwardens. Rather, to join, one must receive a recommendation from someone already in the organization. These recommendations are as likely to be given out on merit and skill as gumption and passion. Some wardens look for those with particularly good tracking skills, others fighters capable of taking a beating. Still others will not recommend anyone without “the heart of a traveler” or “a resilient spirit.” 

Often, those who dish out the recommendation end up taking on the newcomer as an apprentice, but it isn’t unusual to pass the recommendee off to a superior who’s more experienced in the ways of being mentor. All apprentices are taken on the Road and whatever contracts their master are duty-bound to fulfill. Beyond that, the apprenticeships are much like the recommendations: anything goes. The apprenticeship’s exact content and length varies from person to person and mentor to mentor.

First Hunt
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When the apprentice is deemed “ready,” their mentor will sign them up for a contract. Sometimes this contract is done with guild members the apprentice has trained and learned under, but other times, the apprentice must work with a new unit. Particularly brutal mentors have been known to form entirely apprentice units for this “First Hunt.” It’s treated with some superstition that this First Hunt gives an indication of how that Roadwarden’s career will be, but regardless of whether the contract is a total success or not, the apprentice is recognized as a full-fledged guild member so long as they survive to the end of their mission.

Critique
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This method of entry has lead to several skilled and colorful persons joining under the Roadwardens’ banner. When questioned on whether these trials really lead to competent Misthunters, the guild is resoundingly unites to heartily reply, “Yes.” The apprenticeships, they swear, point out true Misthunters better than any exam could. Young hopefuls learn early-on and first-hand the full-body fatigue from long hikes on and off the beaten path, the disorienting nature of shimmer expeditions, and the simultaneous boredom and fatality of the Road. Nothing is better at filtering the wardens from the wannabes.