Maintenance (Patreon)

Before the Rodent Adventure Group, those descendants of Avala such as Peppermint, Rooibos and Darjeeling lived under conditions that the more native Thistleland residents did not. 

Those of Avala were forbidden by the Adventure Guild to use their own high-level technology and devices, and were forbidden from being accepted into the Adventure Guild as Adventurers or Mages. While the Guild claimed this was for responsibility reasons, some argue that neither the Mages or Adventurers wanted the competition of an efficient if loosely held former militia in their ranks.

The people of Avala that chose to become adventurers regardless received no support from The Adventure Guild. Over time their numbers were whittled away by the various beasts of the continent, and with no Restoration Shrine to bring them back, soon fell into obscurity.  

However, those found to breech the ruling of technology were not cast aside, those people were treated as criminals, hunted down and envisioned. The Adventure Guild would not allow what happened to the lost continent of Avala to happen in Thistleland.

Despite all this, due to the proud and effective adventuring abilities of Avala's militia, and potential problems with uprisings, The Adventure Guild decided to relent in some way. The Adventure Scouts were formed, providing support services without true adventuring, and those of this group were permitted access to the Restoration Shrine and other Adventure Guild services. At a notably higher cost.

However, for every rule there are exceptions. Some people who prove themselves too useful, or powerful, to fit within the confines the system itself will adapt to them.

Chai Patch was one such person. An Avala descendant fancy mouse with hereditary dumbo ears, Chai had joined with the Adventure Scouts at a young age and never looked back. While many scouts will work various support fields, such as placing of supplies, mapmaking and more, Chai opted to enter the field of search and rescue and specialised.

Few are entirely sure of how it happened, but the rumours say that Chai quickly established some high ranking clients, and between her impressive work and said clients pressure, Chai managed to wind her way into a very unusual situation indeed. There are whispers that she once managed to rescue one of the Adventure Guilds faction leaders, but nobody knows which one and less are inclined to risk asking.

Chai is one of very few people within The Adventure Guild who has the right for free and unlimited access to the Restoration Shrine. Not only this, but she is also allowed a licence to use a pair of Avala teleporter sticks, the holy grail of technology from her people, on condition that they openly teleport too fixes location - a room in her house. For her to be able to operate this relic of her ancestors, she is also allowed to perform maintenance and operate tools to repair and reproduce the device. As such, Chai is one of only two people to be officially allowed to operate Avala technology.

Those that question these exceptions, as many Adventurers have protested in the past, are quietly told as to Chai's method of search and rescue, often silencing any protest.

In recent times The Adventure Guild has produced the Inclusion Program, a way to bridge the increasingly socially awkward gap between Avala descendants and Thistleland natives. With the introduction of the Rodent Adventure Group, an attempt has been made to demonstrate if those from Avala can be considered responsible under the Guild's tutelage to use their peoples relics, or if they must be forever banned.

The Rodent Adventure Group was allowed the use to Mage enchanted items, as well as some Avala relics, and dispensation given for the maintenance of such in the same way. Of all the group, it was Peppermint the squirrel who took to maintaining, repairing and creating Avala technology. 

So it came to be that Peppermint and Chai are the single two Avala descendants who have official recognition to operate Avala relics. The two rodents, being that they both live within Burrow Valley, are known to share information and techniques on a regular basis, learning from each other. Peppermint especially has found Chai's skill with teleporters invaluable, herself playing catch-up to Chai's years of experience.