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The Lore Masters"Put away your sword, your plow, your tankard for there is
nothing quite so pleasing to the hand as a book - firm weight, worn
cover, gilded page. Books are the souls of the ages, the wisdom of those
before. Like a ghost in the pages .. they speak to us, if we but listen." |
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Type of Organization |
Academic |
Type of Members |
Sages, scholars, historians, librarians, scribes |
| Number of Members | 142 |
| Demographics | Elven 55%, Human 35%, Avarian 5%, Other 5% |
Primary Location(s) |
Ithell |
Leader |
Master Seulat Ruel, elven male sage |
| Year Founded | 2198 CY |
| Symbol | A scroll and quill. |
| Group Wealth | Average |
| Group Stability | Very Stable |
The Lore Masters are quite often called the Brotherhood of Knowledge, for it is knowledge that is there quest and their commodity. Based in Ithell and one hundred and forty two members strong, this academic group has a single goal : to collect, preserve and make available to the world... all knowledge. All the knowledge that they have accumulated is referred to in abstract terms as "lore".
Their endless search for knowledge takes many forms: the Lord Masters are always willing to purchase books and pay for accurate accounts from travelers. However, the Lore Masters often go to greater lengths to acquire their lore. They commonly employ powerful divination magic to answer questions to which the answers are not easily obtained. They attend seminars and debates in other cities to garner the latest views and theories on the great mysteries of the world. Often, the Lore Masters will send out representatives on long journeys in order to obtain specific information or verify questionable knowledge. On rare occasions, the Lore Masters will plan major quests and several of the Masters themselves will go.
In organizing information, all knowledge is either obtained in the form of books or converted to book form by the Lore Masters. All information pertaining to these books are catalogued and the books are organized according to subject.
Originally, this was a single, private library that belonged to an Ithellian nobleman named Karl Graemer. This book collection containing some of the rarest titles had been passed down from father to son for six generations. In his later years, Karl became obsessed with expanding and protecting this truly impressive collection of books. Wishing to share the lore of his literature, he formed a club of intellectuals who gathered to read, study and discuss. Karl's best friend, an elven minstrel named Ellnidar, promised to keep the collection safe and the group together after his death. The promise was kept and the ranks of the group swelled for many years. Later, the collection was moved to a safer location, a fortified keep. Members of the group added their own books to the main collection. Over the last three centuries, this group has garnered much respect from the Ithellian community. It has become more formal as the years have passed. It is something of a public institution now.
The primary goal of this group is threefold: to gather all knowledge, to organize and categorize all knowledge and finally to make that knowledge available to the world. The Lore Masters believe that only through knowledge can the world be made a better place.
Parallel goals include research, magical experimentation and collaboration with other groups.
Often scholars from other lands will travel to Ithell to petition the Lore Masters to research some cryptic bit of lore for them. Only Lore Masters and Patrons are allowed within the walls of the keep. However, the Lore Masters will gladly research information for anyone who requests it. The price varies depending on the amount of time spent. Typically, this will be ten gold piece per Lore Master involved per day.
The Lore Masters are on excellent terms with most groups in Kalimura and Ithell. The elven community supports the Lore Masters, possibly due to the Master Ruel's influence. Finally, the Lore Masters have a formal relationship of collaborative research and financial aid with the University.
Members of this brotherhood are mostly scholars and scribes. Some are also priests, wizards, translators and historians. Intelligence and a willingness to work are required along with a one year probation period. Many spend their entire lives working toward the Brotherhood’s goal. Many members join simply to have unlimited access to the Lore Masters’ archives and the opportunity for intellectual advancement in every field imaginable.
It is possible to become a "Patron" of the Lore Masters without actually joining their ranks. Patrons gain certain privileges. For a yearly fee of 100 gold pieces, patrons have unlimited access to the Library and may conduct personal research. They may also participate in special research projects. Becoming a patron involves a long application process, numerous fees and an interview. One petitioning to become a Patron must be sponsored by an existing patron. After all this, there is a probationary period of three months. All of this is to ensure that the only people who have access to the library are sincerely interested in research and knowledge. On occasion, patrons are asked to join as the brotherhood as full Lore Masters.
None.
There is no formal rank structure within this group. All members who work here are informally referred to as "Brothers".
To house this voluminous mass of lore, the Lore Masters have constructed a massive multi-level stone fortress. This fortress is considered almost impregnable by most of Ithell. Since several of the Lore Masters are high level spell casters, no one ever bothers them.
This building resembles both a temple and a fortress. Within its walls are millions of scrolls and books. Copies of everything are made. Approximately two million separate works are stored here although only half that have been categorized and filed. The Brotherhood of Knowledge was founded a century and a quarter ago. All books, scrolls, etc. are translated, indexed, filed and referenced.
While in the keep of the Lore Masters, visitors may see vaporous ghostlike figures reading scrolls and pouring over ancient grimoires. These beings are the spirits of various Lore Rings conducting research for their masters (see below).
Fire Precautions
The greatest threat to the fortress and its precious contents is not thievery or siege, but fire. There is an amazing amount of paper and liquid preservative (which helps retard aging in the paper, but is itself flammable) which could easily turn into an inferno. Therefore, redundant fire suppression systems exist. Every chamber holds at least one Flame Slayer Orb (a glass orb filled with an alchemical powder which bonds with oxygen and extinguishes flame). Also, several chambers which house irreplaceable books are protected by powerful spells that retard chemical processes (such as burning, rotting, etc). Finally, those Lore Masters who can cast spells share and study spells which could prove invaluable during a fire or other catastrophe.
The Lore Masters occasionally give away lore rings to those who have done them some great service or if the eventual payoff in knowledge is deemed worthwhile. A Lore Ring is a simple silver band with a single green gem inset. When a Lore Master dies, all of his knowledge is integrated into the accumulated lore of the library. His mind, soul and memories are placed within the gem of the lore ring. All Lore Masters accept this fate willingly. From within the lore ring, the Lore Master's soul is free to wander the library unfettered by a physical form. In essence, all the accumulated knowledge of the Lore Masters is available to him. A lore ring's only function is to answer questions. Anyone wearing the ring can communicate with the Lore Master's soul and ask questions. The Lore Master will then search the library to find the answer. The Lore Master retains his "personality" and memories. It is not uncommon for a lore ring to regale the wearer of the ring with long stories, jokes, endless trivia and fatherly advice above and beyond questions that are asked.
A Lore Ring is designed to function for 100 years at which time the Lore Master's soul is freed to move onto the next plane of existence and the Ring becomes non-functioning.
This page last updated Monday, October 08, 2007. Copyright 1990-2008 David M. Roomes.