I've been thinking about Ivran a bit
In the Sornieth parallel universe of Titan's Bane being an Imperial comes with additional dangers. Yes, when they die near each other they become an Emperor, but in this universe Emperors are a fairly minor threat. The true danger comes from the Titans and their insatiable hunger for elemental energy.
Imperials suffer from a condition known as 'Elemental Overflow' due to the manner of their creation. It causes their magic to be extremely unstable and 'leak' around them. This usually isn't much of an issue and is easily managed with practice, but it does attract the attention of things that feed off magic. This condition is why they turn into Emperors, and why Titans actively hunt them.
When a Titan consumes an Imperial (or worse, an Emperor) all that unstable magic causes the creatures to twist and merge, creating a beast commonly referred to as a Pharaoh. These are the most dangerous class of Titan, there have only been 2 instances of a Pharaoh in recorded history, one was killed during its transformation, the other fled to the oceans after nearly wiping out the entirety of the Starfall Isles. It was pushed back eventually with the help of the Plague army and is believed to be slumbering somewhere deep and unseen. This was hundreds of years ago, but you can still see the scars on the land. However, Arcane and Plague's alliance has been unshakable ever since.
Now on to Titan Hunter Guilds and their relationship with Imperials:
Most guilds bar Imperials from enlisting for the above reasons. The risk is too great, and most guilds only see Imps as a liability rather than an asset.
Like many Imperials before, Ivran found this decision to be unfair, and though the reasoning may be sound, the execution of said rules is often used as an excuse for discrimination. He spent most of his young adult life training and applying to guilds over, and over, and over again, each time to only be rejected. He had seen the destruction Titans cause first hand, he watched his home burn in Kragranar's fires. Friends, family, gone forever. He was determined to fight back.
Then one day, after a particularly harsh rejection, he made the decision to start his own guild. He gathered what little coin he had to his name and went to the only people who would help him, old partners from a past life, other survivors. Ones who could help him gather the funds to pay the guild licensing fee quickly, though through less than legal means: Magni and Mortas, who became the first members of the newly formed Titan's Bane. Ivran himself became the first ever Imperial guildmaster and has made a point of ensuring no one who asks to join is denied from doing so, so long as they contribute. Whether that means being a hunter in the field, or a researcher working to give the hunters an advantage against the Titans they face.
Titan's Bane has a reputation for being a loose cannon in the various Hunter Guild circles. They get results, no one can argue that, but they make the more reputable guilds nervous with their apparent recklessness. This is very much on purpose of course. Ivran and many of his guildmates were rejected from other guilds and most feel they have something to prove, so they do things that get attention and as a result they are one of the most recognizable guilds in Sornieth. They make people question if the strict rules of the other guilds are really necessary, and they challenge expectations. Today they are one of the highest ranked guilds on the continent and find great joy in shoving that fact in the faces of their fellow, much stricter, guilds.
