Cartographers Guild
The Cartographers Guild is a globe-spanning organization based out of Kanmar , the City at the Center of the World. The membership consists primarily of Cartographers, adventurers who travel throughout Gradus —usually inconspicuously—and explore, delve, and otherwise experience the lesser-seen parts of the world. They send journals documenting their travels back to their Venture-Captain, who also assigns them new missions and suggests new places to explore. The most exciting and illuminating of these journals are compiled in the Carter Annals, an ongoing series of books that collect the history and mystery of Gradus for its membership and the general public.
Structure
Leadership
The day-to-day management of the Cartographers Guild is handled by its venture-captains . These are usually older, accomplished Pathfinders or long-time allies of the organization who have settled down and claimed a Cartographer lodge for themselves. They direct Cartographers in the field toward new and interesting locales, and receive the regular reports that will eventually become part of the Annals. Venture-captains are largely autonomous, but occasionally receive directions from the Tithe Council, the Guild's secret leadership council. The Tithe Council is composed of ten masked individuals who direct the Guild's overall strategies, but little is known about their ultimate goals, or what they do with all the information Cartographers collect all over the planes .Training
The Cartographers Guild is willing to accept members of all backgrounds, creeds, and morals. Any applicant who does well enough overall on the initial tests is allowed to take the oath and become a Guild Initiate. Training is overseen by three deans at the Sextant Lodge: the Master of Swords, the Master of Spells, and the Master of Scrolls. The final test, known as the Confirmation, is taken after three years as an initiate (although ambitious or gifted initiates may persuade the deans to allow them to take the test earlier). The test is effectively the initiate's first mission; those who pass become Cartographers, and those who fail are discharged from the Society (but often remain on good terms with it afterward)Schools of the Society
- School of Scibes- Karenthol Sageis the Master of Scrolls, who instructs his pupils in history, languages, sciences, and academic esoterica.
- School of Spells- Summer Obbakh (N female oread priest of Nethys) is the Master of Spells, who lectures on magical basics, overcoming supernatural hazards, and the proper handling of artifacts.
- School of Swords- Malgo Itarbellus (CG male human commander) is the Master of Swords, who guides initiates through endurance drills, teaches the finer arts of infiltration, and ensures each Pathfinder has enough combat training to stay safe in dangerous lands.
Field commissions
Every year, a few non-Cartographers who manage to uncover historical discoveries of great significance are offered full cartographer status by the Tithe Council; this is known as a "field commission". More commonly, anyone who makes a discovery and elects to report it to the Society can be offered the chance to join as an initiate and to have the initial discovery count towards his final Confirmation. Depending on the individual, the prospective Pathfinder may then be asked to report to the Sextant Lodge for further training or invited to attempt the remaining tasks required for Confirmation.Members
Members of the Guild are loosely affiliated adventurers who are not required to interact. They are, however, forbidden to attack or otherwise negatively influence one another. This does not stop the more unscrupulous from leading rival parties into dangerous situations and dead ends. Most Cartographers are issued a Wayfinder, a type of magical compass, and taught to recognize the signs indicating a lodge. Other than that, they are largely free to be and do what they please.Public Agenda
The Cartographers Guild generally takes a hands-off approach with its agents, leaving them to pursue their own leads, and chose their own priorities. Pathfinders are only expected to explore the mysteries of the multiverse, report what they find, and cooperate with one another in order to assure the success of the first two duties. Pathfinders are expected to report their findings to their venture-captain , who collect and review these records and pass on the best to be published in the Charter Annals .
Public Perception
The Cartographers Guild, in general, is too varied and loosely organized to have a single perception shared by all or most of the public. Most venture-captains live in their lodges and are members of their respective communities, and thus have a somewhat more stable and respectable air than the Guild as a whole. Individual Pathfinders often clash with the wishes of their venture-captains and with members of the public, but most try to not cause irreparable harm to the reputation of the Guild. Of course, the Guild takes in all kinds, and occasionally these "bad apples" harm the already precarious view of Cartographers as legitimate scholars and explorers. In societies where information is tightly controlled by the government or used as a commodity or weapon, the guild has a more negative reputation, and Pathfinders are greeted with suspicion or even outright hostility.Assets
Cartographer lodges
The Guild maintains a number of Cartographer lodges across the Gradus. These buildings are sometimes owned by the Guildand are typically run by a venture-captain. Cartographers may stay at a lodge for as long as they like, as long as they are on official Guild business, but most lodges offer little food and few free services in order to discourage freeloaders. Venture-captains also serve as information conduits upon request, passing on messages or requests to other Pathfinder lodges, or the Grand Lodge in Absalom. They also keep a small supply of inexpensive and single-use magic items and mundane gear in stock, and these are available for sale to any Pathfinder who has need of them. More money-hungry venture-captains have been known to greatly overcharge their agents for these supplies if they believe the Cartographers have come across a large hoard of treasure while exploring. Many lodges are also owned and maintained independently by members of the Guilds, who must show that they meet the basic qualifications of a lodge (rooms to house agents, copies of the Charter Annals on hand, etc.) to gain and maintain their status.The Sextant Lodge
The Sextant Lodge is a massive fortress complex located in Kanmar's Foreign Quarter, and is the center of all Cartographers Guild activity. It serves not only as a training facility for new Cartographers but is also designed to inspire its members. While during the day, its well-tended lawns and monument-strewn plazas are filled with Cartographers regaling each other with tales of their exploits, at night the paths are lit by witchlights, and the sound of stories and songs can be heard spilling from countless open windows.Explore, report, cooperate.
Founding Date
-352
Type
Guild, Adventuring
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Related Traditions
Related Ranks & Titles
Related Professions
Controlled Territories
Related Items
Notable Members
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