The Scholar's Guild

"Knowledge and power go hand-in-hand." -Gaius Morell, Scholar's Guild Headmaster.

The Scholar’s Guild is the most ancient and far-reaching organization across modern Gaiatia, its influence unrivaled in both breadth and subtlety. Established before the Civil Age even began, it began as a humble gathering of truth-seekers within The Grandgleam Forest, historians, adventurers, philosophers, and scribes who believed in documenting what others ignored as the fires of the Schism raged around them; In time, that forest gathering became the core of Gaiatia’s first bastion of recorded knowledge and most-every one since, after they would finally burn out. Today, the Guild operates out of sprawling colleges, funds nearly every educational institution across the Three Lands, and employs tens of thousands of educators, cartographers, scribes, mathematicians, and court advisors. They are the keepers of truth, or at least, the versions they deem palatable. Publicly, the Scholar’s Guild exists to spread knowledge, preserve wisdom, and uplift civilization through education. They are beloved in Everwealth and beyond for their libraries, their teachers, and their tireless documentation of history. But knowledge is never without consequence. Behind their layers of respectability lies a centuries-old doctrine: that society is not ready to wield the full potential of the old world. The Scholar’s Guild has the schematics. They have the fuel. They have the blueprints for gas engines, replicable gunpowder formulas, and prototype ‘horseless carriages.’ They even understand the function of chemical-based communication technologies, the precursors to what the Elfese called "far-voice." But they choose silence. Because the world, as they see it, is too bitter, too splintered, too tribal to handle that power again. They would rather support the war effort through calculated taxation on horse markets, mapping patents, and educational gatekeeping than risk another Schism. So long as kingdoms bicker and blood is spilled over scraps, the Guild will tighten its grip, and wait. They are not malevolent. They are careful. Which is far more dangerous.

Career

Qualifications

The Guild welcomes all who seek to further their or other's education, also simply to pursue a career within its ranks. Prospective members must submit a resume detailing their merits and purpose for application at one of the Guild's many Colleges. While the process isn't overtly competitive, those lacking passion or intellect are often declined, as the Guild maintains a profound respect for knowledge.

Career Progression

• Student: New members, primarily unpaid learners, responsible for their own intellectual development under the guidance of Masters. They may assist instructors or serve as couriers.

• Master: Members who have mastered specific fields through 2-10 years of study, taking on roles such as teachers, researchers, or political advisors, either assigned by the Guild or through external contracts.

• Savant: Esteemed members recognized for exceptional intellectual achievements or beneficial research. They hold significant authority, overseeing individual College operations, managing staff, allocating funds, and reporting findings to their district's Lorekeeper.

• Lorekeeper: Senior leaders overseeing multiple Colleges within a district. They allocate resources, assign personnel, and convene annually at the Theatre of the Minds in Opulence to address Guild-wide matters, including electing a new Headmaster or proposing internal legislation.

• Headmaster: The highest authority within the Guild, responsible for all decisions and legislation. The Headmaster also commands the Knights of Campus, the Guild's security force. Appointment requires a 75% majority vote from the Council of Lorekeepers, a process that can be prolonged to prevent corruption and infighting.

Payment & Reimbursement

Scholars receive modest but steady stipends, subsidized housing within Guild Colleges, and unrestricted access to guild records. Savants and Lorekeepers receive elevated stipends and travel allowances. The Headmaster is one of the highest-paid civilians in Everwealth.

Other Benefits

Guild members gain social prestige, diplomatic immunity in most kingdoms, and access to restricted knowledge, maps, ancient texts, lost languages, and forbidden sciences. Long-term service includes pensioned retirement in any College of their choosing.

Perception

Purpose

To disseminate knowledge, preserve history, and promote intellectual growth across Gaiatia. While their public mission focuses on education and enlightenment, some believe they also serve as gatekeepers, controlling access to certain information and technologies. During war, demand rises. During famine, plague, and chaos, it skyrockets. But knowledge is a commodity, and the Guild controls the price. Towns without Colleges are often left in informational darkness, forced to rely on smugglers or outdated books.

Social Status

Guild members are generally respected and admired for their intellect and contributions to society. However, rumors about internal factions and the potential misuse of privileged information have led to a degree of wariness among the populace.

Demographics

The Guild comprises a diverse membership, including Humans, Dwarfish, Gnomish, Elfese, and Lizard-Kin. Their inclusive approach has enriched their collective knowledge and cultural understanding.

History

Founded in the final century before the Lost Age, the Scholar’s Guild began as a forest conclave of self-taught sages and adventurers documenting ruins, stars, and language. They became the first mapmakers, the first archivists, and the first mathematicians of Gaiatia. During the Fall, they went underground, some literally, and re-emerged as essential architects of the post-Schism world. Their rise in the Civil Age was meteoric. As other institutions burned, they rebuilt schools, archived relics, and tutored leaders. By the time Everwealth was founded, nearly all of its nobility had received at least one Guild-appointed tutor. Though they claim neutrality, many historians suggest the Guild ensured its influence by leaking just enough knowledge, while keeping the more dangerous truths hidden away in vaults beneath Opulence. Tales of internal coups and vanished whistleblowers have grown louder in recent decades, though evidence remains elusive.

Operations

Tools

The Guild utilizes a vast array of scholarly instruments, including ancient texts, magical artifacts, and advanced technologies. Their emblem, a silver dagger used as a bookmark, symbolizes the duality of knowledge and power.

Materials

Their resources encompass extensive libraries, rare manuscripts, alchemical substances, and relics from bygone eras. They also possess knowledge of 'lost' technologies, such as gunpowder and combustion engines, which they choose to withhold from the public, believing society isn't prepared for their widespread use.

Workplace

The Guild operates from Colleges located throughout the Three Lands, serving as centers for learning, research, and administration. Their central hub, the Sanctum of Knowledge in Opulence, is a grand library rumored to house all known information. This facility includes offices, research labs, museums, and libraries, reflecting their dedication to the pursuit of knowledge.

Provided Services

• Education in various disciplines.

• Consultation and advisory roles for political figures.

• Preservation and archiving of historical records.

• Research and development in magical and technological fields.

• Maintenance of libraries and museums accessible to the public.

Dangers & Hazards

While the Guild publicly promotes the spread of knowledge, they are also believed to suppress certain information they deem too dangerous for general dissemination though this has never been proven.

Alternative Names

'The Learned Lords ', 'Whisperers of the Quill', 'The Other Crown'.

Demand

The Scholar’s Guild is indispensable. Every kingdom requires its scribes, mapmakers, teachers, and intellectuals. Every lord needs a lorekeeper to verify ancestral claims, track taxes, or decode ancient writs.

Legality

Fully legal and protected under the Grand Compact of Knowledge, an Everwealthian law passed in 77 CA that grants the Guild autonomy from all kingdoms and militaries unless it is found violating its own doctrines. The Compact also criminalizes impersonating a Guild Savant, destroying Guild texts, or attempting to coerce a Guild member into revealing restricted lore.