The Fallen World : A Dungeon's Story

There is a total of 14 adventurer ranks in the adventurers guild. The ranking is roughly from the least precious to the most precious material, although it is mostly as a rule of thumb, since the actual price of materials can vary from region to region.

Note that there isn't an estimated level bracket and equipment requirements because those get really nebulous in the upper ranks, and become more a question of reputation and quests successfully cleared past copper rank, although that depends heavily on the local guild and its guildmaster.

Format :

Rank - Rank description.

Material explanation : Material description and link.

Notable adventurers : Adventurer name (status if not active, such as a different position in the guild or retired). If several parties are present in the list, a ; will separate them.

Clay - The first rank, and lowest of all, clay ranked adventurers are usually just civilians with adventuring gear and basic training. In military terms, a clay ranked adventurer is the equivalent of a peasant levy.

Material explanation : The rank originally came from a joke right after the Dawn of Flames, that the youngest members of the groups of volunteers sent out to reclaim the wastelands were about as tough as clay. There was a form of backhanded compliment to it as well, as in they could be molded into something greater if care was applied.

Notable adventurers : Camille.

Iron - The second, and by far most common, rank of adventurers. Iron ranked adventurers usually have some decent equipment and skills, but are still very much learning their jobs. In military terms, an iron ranked adventurer is the equivalent of most trained conscripts or trained militias.

Material explanation : Iron is a very common, cheap and mass produceable metal. Like iron ranked adventurers, in short.

Notable adventurers : Edwards, Jaruk, Martin.

Steel - The third rank, and usually considered the point at which someone becomes a 'true' adventurer. Steel ranked adventurers have good, reliable equipment, good skills and magic, and are usually expected to have some combat experience under their belt and some serious offensive capabilities. In military terms, a steel ranked adventurer is the equivalent of most professional soldiers.

Material explanation : Steel is an alloy, but is considered by most people to be a refinement of iron, which is exactly what the rank represents. Steel ranked adventurers are usually considered 'completed' iron ranked adventurers, that have become full members of the guild and true adventurers.

Notable adventurers : Alexandra (former).

Copper - The fourth rank, and the first at which it is considered that you are making a career out of being an adventurer. Copper ranked adventurers are especially lethal within their respective fields, and are usually highly experienced combatants with loads of combat experience to draw upon. Most copper ranked adventurers possess some enchanted or magical equipment, and virtually all of them are carrying potions to enhance themselves. In military terms, a copper ranked adventurer is a veteran soldier or a junior member of a shock unit.

Material explanation : Copper is heavily used in electric technology, whose efficacy the Eris Empire has amply demonstrated, prompting many less advanced nations to try to replicate it. Hence, several virtually non-industrialized nations like the Elkis Republic have power plants (albeit imported ones most of the time) and copper is always in high demand throughout the world. It is also a better magic conductor and enchanting metal than iron or steel, albeit not by much. It is thus not rare to see low grade enchanted items made from copper.

Notable adventurers : Artok, Sorior, Elahyl, Elistria ; Raika, Thomas, Alyssa, Fernand.

Silver - The fifth rank. Silver ranked adventurers are usually hardened veterans with multiple enchanted items at their disposal. In military terms, a silver ranked adventurer is a member of a shock unit.

Material explanation : Silver is a precious, highly electrically conductive and magically conductive material, that is highly sought after in the electronics and enchantment industries.

Notable adventurers : Dominique (guild attendant).

Gold - The sixth rank. Gold ranked adventurers are professionals who can handle anything thrown at them, and usually have diverse experiences in several fields of adventuring, since it is a requirement to reach the rank. They are starting to become so powerful as to be equivalent in combat power to a modern day Main Battle Tank, or a 2160 Earth power armored soldier. In military terms, a gold ranked adventurer is a veteran member of a shock unit, or a junior combat specialist.

Material explanation : Gold is a precious, highly electrically conductive material that does not oxidize. While not as magically conductive as silver, it has some odd properties of its own, and can be used to house much more powerful spells at the cost of mana efficiency. It is also highly sought after as a status symbol for gilding or other decorations (sometimes judiciously enchanted).

Notable adventurers : N/A.

Electrum - The seventh rank. Electrum ranked adventurers are usually highly mobile, as in that jobs for them are so dispersed as to force them to move around a lot to stay employed. They are the first rank at which wasteland quests become more or less routine and not highly dangerous one-off assignments (usually because Electrum ranked adventurers aren't available to do it). In military terms, an electrum ranked adventurer is a combat specialist or a junior member of an elite unit.

Material explanation : Electrum approaches, but does not quite reach room temperature electrical supra-conductivity. That is about its only use, although it is a quite tough metal, it is usually considered a waste to use it for armor and weapons, and most of the available supply is gobbled up by the high-end electric and electronics industry.

Notable adventurers : Berth.

Silvarium - The eighth rank, and the one at which you are officially considered a master in your designated field of combat. Silvarium ranked adventurers are killing machines, and the equivalent in combat power to a water-going corvette. Yes, the ones with the 20mm gatling guns and missile launchers. In 2160 Earth, only heavy combat power armor can compare in destructive power. In military terms, a silvarium ranked adventurer is the baseline member of an elite unit, such as gryphon knights.

Material explanation : Silvarium is an extremely magically conductive metal, with the only caveat that it cannot take very powerful spells and isn't very tough either. It is very popular for long duration enchantments and runed spells for that reason, as well as most form of magitech that does not require massive bursts of energy like a magitech laser.

Notable adventurers : Cassissa (guild attendant).

Mythril - The ninth rank, and the first 'high rank'. Most mythril ranked adventurers are so powerful as to be completely off the charts for individual soldiers, even by the standards of 2160 Earth. They are superior to even the heaviest of powered armor infantry, and could take on railgun equipped grav-tanks. In modern terms, they are the equivalent of a missile cruiser in sheer combat power. It is worth noting that due to the power (and yes, the arrogance) of adventurers of this rank, parties have a tendency to break up, and be formed on the fly to take on specific missions, at which point the party goes on for a year or so before falling apart. In military terms, a mythril ranked adventurer is a veteran member of an elite unit or a champion.

Material explanation : Mythril is an extraordinarily resilient and magically conductive metal. It is capable of absorbing massive amounts of physical and energy damage, comparable only to 2160 Earth pseudo-monomolecular warship armor materials, and can be enchanted with heavy duty combat enchantments. It is the go-to metal for most high-level enchantments and runed spells, as well as a very common component in high-level armor plating.

Notable adventurers : Pyris, Sonya, Elliris, Arinka.

Malachite - The tenth rank. Most malachite ranked adventurers follow the same pattern as mythril ones, but tend to have a lot more of free time. In fact, they are nicknamed 'the scholars', as they are in awkward spot where there are few jobs at their level, but they aren't highly ranked enough to enter into ultra-prestigious organisations that recruit highly ranked adventurers and employ them in their downtime. As such, most malachite adventurers train, do research, and generally deepen their knowledge. Some never leave this stage, and most of the high-level archmages, artificers, alchemists and enchanters of the world simply got lost in their studies so much that they ceased adventuring altogether. In military terms, and for every rank onwards, the only possible position for someone of such power is a senior command position, or that of a champion.

Material explanation : Malachite is...odd. Tough, yes, almost as tough as monomolecular fullerene armor plating, which makes it virtually invulnerable to most conventional weapons. But its oddest quality is its mediocre magic conductivity...and nearly infinite capacity to take spells. A malachite sword can get enchantment stacked like almost no other material in existence. It is extremely popular for very powerful magic items, and forms the core of the containment and energy conversion fields of most Old World power cores.

Notable adventurers : Elkaryos (former), Oromar the Magnificent.

Orichalcum - The eleventh rank. Most orichalcum ranked adventurers are being actively recruited or part of various extremely powerful organizations. The goals and reasons for recruitment vary, but most are for training or research purposes. A few are more combative in nature, but they are usually rarer. Orichalcum adventurers only assemble in parties on demand, and only for a single mission. It is usually the rank at which adventurers start systematically retiring or planning for their retirement. A lot of guildmasters (and not necessarily of the adventurers guild) are orichalcum rank as a result.

Material explanation : Orichalcum is absurdly tough. That's it. It's not atrocious at conducting mana or electricity, but it isn't good either, and it doesn't have much capacity for spells. It is, however, capable of absorbing ridiculous amounts of punishment, to such a degree as to surpass anything ever produced by 2160 Earth.

Notable adventurers : King Elker the Third (former), Queen Elais the First (former), Dominic (former).

Adamantium - The twelfth rank. Virtually every adamantium ranked adventurer is a member or leader of a powerful organization on the side of the guild, and rarely, if ever, take up quests, and only on demand. Most adventurers that reach this rank retire at it, and do not seek to advance further, at least not in the adventurers guild.

Material explanation : Adamantium is an excellent, multi-use material. While technically a bit less tough than orichalcum, it makes up for it in sheer versatility. It is effectively a perfect room temperature electrical supra conductor and an extremely high efficiency magical conductor, as well as being capable of housing massively powerful spells. It is a jack of all trades, not quite the master of anything. It is slightly worst in resilience than orichalcum, slightly worst at magic conductivity than silvarium or mythril, and can house less powerful spells than malachite, but its sheer versatility is what makes it so precious. It is in high demand for enchanting, very high-level armor and weapon making, as well as an essential component for many advanced magitech systems, albeit in trace amount. It is usually safe to assume that adamantium is ALWAYS in short-supply.

Notable adventurers : Starvak (guildmaster), Eriksen Dragonslayer (guildmaster).

Eternium - The thirteenth rank. The first 'transcendental' rank, there are so few eternium ranked adventurers that no precise rule of thumb can be applied to them. Each is a highly eccentric, insanely powerful individual that has transcended their mortal bodies and become archons. Their combat power compares favorably to Earth 2160 light space going warships. As in, the ones with nuclear warheads on their missiles and firing relativistic speed railgun rounds whose kinetic energy is measured in kilotons of TNT (assuming relative movement is virtually null between the firing platform and the target). Needless to say, they are very rarely called upon, and almost never form parties, with one notable exception. A single eternium ranked adventurer is a one person army in the most literal sense, and more or less a mobile Weapon of Mass Destruction.

Material explanation : Eternium is...still being researched. Some of its properties still defy the understanding of even the people using it as a rank. What is known is that its tensile strength is close to that of the strong atomic force, and thus effectively acts like a mono-atomic material like neutronium. Damaging it without resorting to high energy (read : nuke level of energy concentration) weapons is literally impossible, but that is far from its most interesting property. The most interesting property it possesses is its ability to manipulate gravity and time. Those properties were accidentally discovered when an Old World nano-singularity bomb was detonated by mistake, and a stasis field was triggered in an experiment respectively. Reverse engineering the effect that Old World technology was able to wriggle out of the material has proven difficult, but feasible, albeit with limited success. There are persistent rumors that the material itself is not a natural occurrence, and that all deposits found so far were military installations of the Old World reduced to slag during the Great Night. No one knows for sure however, except for the Custodians of the Flame, and they aren't telling.

Notable adventurers : N/A.

Divinium - The fourteenth and final rank. Divinium ranked adventurers are...few, and most of them don't consider themselves part of the guild. They just answer the call when the payment is good enough or when an old friend asks for a favor. There are very few people at this level of power worldwide, period. One notable member is Rook the Sunderer, leader of the Free City of New Raleigh, and leader of The Seven, the single party of archons and Eternium/Divinium ranked adventurers in existence currently, alongside the Eternal Watchers, which have been reformed briefly to take out a spirit incursion into the Eris Empire, but will dissolve again as soon as the threat is dealt with. Divinium ranked adventurers' combat power cannot be truly measured, as it varies too widely, and is too specific to begin with. Anyone too powerful to be classified as Eternium is shoved into this rank, and it can encompass someone that has barely made the cut to Rook, who is very nearly a demi-god at this point.

Material explanation : Divinium is computronium and unobtainium. Literally, it is a programmable material that can take any properties, within certain constraints. First, the more properties it takes, the more mediocre they all become. For example, make it tough, and it'll become virtually invulnerable to anything short of a direct hit from an antimatter bomb. But make it tough, conductive in magic and electricity, as well as a great receptacle for spells, and you have better adamantium. Sure, it's much better than adamantium, but not to the ridiculous level it does when it only has one property. It also takes absurd levels of mana to change the properties of even a few grams of it, and it is worth noting that separating lumps of divinium doesn't work very well. Below a certain mass, the material becomes inert and unusable until it is reintegrated into a larger group. However, that critical mass isn't consistent between different sources of divinium. It is also worth noting that divinium is one of the very few materials that cannot be duplicated by dungeons or any other means, and is rare beyond belief. There is no question that this material was created by the Gods themselves (hence the name), and thus only available in ruins or old battle sites, and securing more of it is an extremely high priority for every major research organization on the planet.

Notable adventurers : Rook the Sunderer.