Legacy of the Lorekeepers

Legacy of the Lorekeepers is an Official GemStone IV Document, and it is protected from editing.

During the time after the Drake / Ur-daemon war the Arkati walked the lands watching the mortal races develop and grow. The most highly developed of these races were the elves; a spiritual, long-lived race that were in touch with nature and possessed a strong affinity for self-enlightenment and knowledge. Some of the Arkati took a keen interest in the elves, and worked to help them. They taught the elven people and guided them along the path of evolution, sharing with them the knowledge and wisdom that was passed down to the Arkati from the drakes themselves.

As time passed the population of the elven people grew, and the Arkati spent less time among the mortals. Still, many Arkati viewed the elves as their children, and some spent a great deal of time teaching and instructing small groups of the elves whom they carefully selected for their initiative, wisdom, open-mindedness, and willingness to learn. It is here, within this small group of elves, that the Legacy of the Lorekeepers was born.

The Arkati passed on all manner of information down to this hand-picked group; agriculture, mathematics, science, history, and lore of the drakes and ur-deamon and Arkati lore were all taught. The elves were taught the importance of sharing knowledge, and they themselves became teachers, bringing back the lore to their own people, who in turn sent teachers to other lands in hopes to share this knowledge with others. The Arkati also taught these select elves the wisdom of knowledge, however. They were taught that knowledge is a tool, and that it in itself is a good and right thing, but that knowledge could be applied for the purposes of good, or evil, and that choice was in the hands of the holder of that knowledge. Knowing this, the elves were careful what they taught, and took great measures to be sure those that they taught were ready for the information they shared.

Centuries passed, and the Arkati presence all but faded from the mortal lands, left only as memories and worshiped as gods now. Still, the few groups of elves who were taught at the feet of the Arkati continued in their ways, always seeking out new lore and knowledge, and always striving to pass on what they had learned. They formed a pact and laid down a charter that began an eternal order of lorekeepers that has last to this day. They resolved to use the same guidelines the Arkati themselves had used when selecting members, and vowed that prejudice would have no part within this order. They selected those who possessed wisdom, determination, open-mindedness, and the selflessness and patience required to guide and teach others. They also categorized their knowledge into two separate schools, hereafter known as the Greater and Lesser Wisdom. Lesser Wisdom consists of such things as history, science, etiquette, and the lore of lands. Greater Wisdom is a much smaller category, containing that information which has been deemed too dangerous to pass on to the masses at the time, but is still kept intact and alive by a few select individuals in the upper echelons of the order known as the Council of Elders. The Council of Elders reside in the Orders headquarters and is responsible for maintaining unity within the Order. Those who sit on the Council are the only members of the Order who have access to the tomes of Greater Wisdom.

As time continued the order grew along with the population of Elanthia. Soon, other races including humans, dwarves, halfling, sylvan, and giantmen added members to the order. Great libraries, colleges, and other places of learning and sharing information were constructed and run by the order. The order sent out both teachers and lorekeepers to share and record information and bring it back to its growing stores of vast knowledge.

After a while, the greed of the mortal races became more apparent. Wars were fought and cities destroyed. Elvenkind and mankind destroyed each other for nothing but a piece of paper or stretch of land. The order saw this and deemed that they would keep apart from the politics of the world, striving only to protect and pass on the wisdom that was so dear to them. At times, their great libraries were the goal of an attack or invasion, and in such instances the invaders were met with absolutely no resistance, but instead found the libraries bare, the information within vanished without a trace. In some lands information and knowledge were deemed taboo by the local government, yet the order worked in secrecy to ensure that the wisdom was available to those who seek it. It is partly because of this that the order is viewed with mixed feelings, depending on the region. Many members of the order travel in secrecy in order to maintain a low profile while continuing to further the goals of the order.

Currently, the headquarters for the order is in the city of Ta'Illistim, and it currently works in close correlation with the Great University that is established there. The order also has many central locations throughout most major known cities and has agents spread throughout the lands. The purpose of these agents is foremost to teach and spread wisdom, knowledge, and etiquette, and secondly to gather and record information for the order and prosperity.

Notes on the Order of Lorekeepers:

The order is a neutral, non-political organization that goes through great lengths to remain so. There are several reasons for this, ranging from world balance to eliminating inner conflict from its wide range of races and nationalities within its ranks. While many of the more enlightened civilizations acknowledge the order and what it stands for, some more repressed societies have outlawed the existence of the order and its members are not allowed to walk freely in those lands. Still, many members of the order work in secret to maintain a low profile while continuing the goals of the order.