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The Legacy of the Lorekeepers:
A History of the Order of Lorekeepers
 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.
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