Adventuring Companies

Adventuring companies are associations of individual adventurers who join forces to have better chances of success in their endeavors. These companies also have better chances of official recognition from the rulers of all nations than individual adventurers.

Adventuring bands could forge an interesting career as “finders and disposers” for archmages, a royal court, or wealthy individuals. Some people hired adventuring bands, especially well-known and/or veteran bands, to find works of written word (such as books and scrolls), a job that in the Realms was very expensive, while followers of Mystra usually used such bands to “uncover” the magic items they had left behind in ruins, caves and other such places, following the edicts of their goddess.

With the rise of factors, who needed able protection without endangering the reputation of their homelands, adventurers became widely accepted by merchants, nobles, wealthy individuals, and those in need of agents that would dare to act outside of the law across the Realms.

As the power of guilds increased, and the accompanying reform to rules, regulations, and edicts in the early 14th century, agents outside of the law were hired to thwart competition while protecting themselves and their investments. As a result, there was enormous pressure to regulate adventuring companies.

In some regions, adventuring companies were given “legal” recognition and rights of claiming missions and rewards, rights that were denied to unsanctioned companies. Some nations even recognized adventuring companies as official authorities, and such were capable of enforcing the law of the land if they wanted to.

The Adventurer’s League was founded among the members of the Lords Alliance to create a regulated and accountable guild for adventurers. While many adventuring companies still act independent along the Sword Coast, many employers will only work with members of the League.