The Order of the Broken Tome
The Order of the Broken Tome was formed in 392 P.U., in the wealthy city of Jarham, on the orders of reigning Queen of Otril, Viola Woadreth. Scholars and elders from throughout Otril were gathered to begin the order, and workers were instructed to begin construction of The Great Archive of Jarham that would hold the Order's work. In the years following the formation of the order, the Broken Tome has spread across Beregan constructing scriptoriums and schools in the major cities of the continent. Members of the Order act as scribes in most towns and villages on the continent. The only country to ever refuse the request of the Order to construct a scriptorium or school within it's lands is the Divine Republic of Aspua.
The Order of the Broken Tome's directives are firstly to discover the cause of the Great Unshackling and to prevent something of that nature occurring again, secondly to educate the people of Devorn and improve their standards of living, and thirdly to recover magical artefacts from the Shackled Years and to discover the lost history of the Darkened Years. These directives have lead to members of the Order becoming everything from exacting librarians to adventurous explorers seeking out the lost ruins of Devorn. Indeed the Order itself funds many expeditions into ruins left over from both the Shackled Years and Darkened Years.
The Order of the Broken Tome accepts both men and women into their ranks and the prospective members are either chosen at a young age from the students at the Order schools, or sent to the Order by a wealthy family along with a generous donation. The Order prides itself on the competence of those within its ranks, the Initiates who show little promise or ability are quickly weeded out and either banished or left to custodial duties in insignificant institutions. Those who do succeed within the Order find themselves in positions of high importance and influence across Beregan.
Students discovered by the Broken Tome to have magical ability are immediately banished from the Order and sent to either the Trion Sorcerer College in Alcombey or to the Guild of Enchanters. The Order of the Broken Tome finds the potential risk to their archives from untrained Mages to be too great, regardless of any potential benefits the Order may have gained from their talents.
While the Order of the Broken Tome tries to perform their duties without outside interference, the Order does make an exception in hiring mercenaries to act as bodyguards and assistants for Scribes who are leaving the safety of the Scriptoriums. These mercenaries are generally paid a monthly stipend and may be gifted room and board at a boarding house affiliated with the Order while performing their hired roles. The length of these protection contracts vary greatly depending on the tasks the Scribes are attempting to complete and the variety of research they may have to undertake.
Structure
The leader of the Order is the Master Archivist who oversees both The Great Archive of Jarham and the direction of the Order as a whole. Seen as the curator of knowledge by the outside world it is imperative that the Master Archivist be both intelligent and well spoken as to not harm the reputation of the Order. There is only one Master Archivist at a time serving for life and they are elected from among the Chief Archivists by their peers. In the rare occurrence of a tie the entire Order casts a single vote each to decide the new Master Archivist.
Beneath the Master Archivist are the Chief Archivists who oversee each of the major scriptoriums across Beregan. There are twenty Chief Archivists, one for each of the major scriptoriums located across Beregan. Chief Archivists oversee the region surrounding their scriptorium and must ensure that all necessary materials are sent to The Great Archive of Jarham for archiving.
Beneath the Chief Archivists are the Master Scribes some of whom oversee the schools and smaller scriptoriums across Beregan, and others who assist and advise rulers that have requested Order assistance. Master Scribes often have a specialist field of study that they have completed a master work in, this work may be practical or more theoretical depending on the discipline in question.
Beneath the Master Scribes are the Senior Scribes who work in the schools and scriptoriums across the continent and act as town record keepers. Senior Scribes seeking to advance within the order are expected to begin work on a master work on a subject of their choice. When the project is completed they must present it to a Chief Archivist of the Order for approval, if approved they are granted the title of Master Scribe.
Beneath the Senior Scribes are the Junior Scribes who work as town record keepers in smaller towns or as assistants in one of the larger institutes of the Order. Junior Scribes are often tasked with performing field work away from the relative comfort of the scriptoriums. Excavating and exploring ruins from the Shackled Years or working as attachés with other organizations in the field.
Beneath the Junior Scribes are the Initiates are those who have recently joined the ranks of the Order and are in training. They are either in one of the major scriptoriums under the supervision of a Chief Archivist or under the supervision of a Master Scribe or Senior Scribe who is acting as a town record keeper.
Insight Returns
Founding Date
392 P.U.
Type
Guild, Professional
Alternative Names
The Scribes, Letter Scratchers
Demonym
of the Broken Tome
Leader
Location
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments