Asamaline Research Consortium for Historical Expeditions
The Asamaline Research Consortium for Historical Expeditions, known more commonly as ARCHES, is a group of scholars interested in the exploration of the ancient ruins in the Asamaline Expanse, with a special focus on the now-extinct Vulux people.
Structure
ARCHES is divided into four basic roles: Archaeologists, who excavate and investigate ruins around the Expanse, analysts, who study the information and artifacts brought back by the archaeologists to develop theories, debaters, who deliberate over whether or not the analyst's theories are true, and archivists, who categorize and organize the information that the debaters present to them.
Archaeologists don't follow a strict hierarchy, but rather work as individual teams or units that travel around to the various ruins. If you run into a member of ARCHES outside of their bases on Reishi and the Wakague Islands then they are most probably an archaeologist. In general, each archaeological team is composed of at least one mage, someone capable of deciphering the language of relevant cultures, an infixor capable of analyzing and, if needed, disabling any still-functioning mechanics in the ruins, and plenty of manual labor to help with the actual excavation. Who exactly is the leader (if there is one at all) is determined internally by the team.
Many teams of archaeologists in ARCHES are rivals to one another. This is, of course, a scholarly kind of rivalry, and rarely escalates into anything more hostile than a heated debate, but some of the more unscrupulous teams - especially those after the reward for bringing artifacts to an analyst - can and have resorted to thievery. How reprehensible this is within ARCHES depends on who you ask. Some adhere to Veilee's Law of the Sea, wherein any who are not able to protect their possessions while on the waters should have been more careful; they should have known the dangers of the sea. Others are more harsh, subscribing to the Amahitzan ideals of an eye for an eye - sometimes literally.
Analysts generally work as teams out of a location, either in one of ARCHES bases or on-site at an established dig like Lunenshire or Dollem's. They, like archaeologists, work in teams or units, but unlike their more rough-and-tumble counterparts, analysts do adhere to a more strict hierarchy based on their rank within ARCHES (which is, in turn, dependent on experience and results).
There is some overlap between debaters and analysts; many Kathi and Epikefalis who are in a position to debate (that is, working out of the ARCHES headquarters on the Wakague Islands) do so each time that a prominent theory emerges, and almost all debaters are analysts who have stepped away from actual research in order to become a debater. Although what rank one is has little bearing on the merit of their argument, debaters follow the same rank structure as analysts, and the word of an Epike is considered much more carefully than that of a Syntro.
A proper, recognized debate can only take place at the ARCHES headquarters, where it is recorded by archivists. During any such debate, many of the local Wakaguian aquatic elves come to observe or partake. The perspective of a Wakaguian - or any aquatic elf, for that matter - is highly respected, as they are believed to be the descendants of the Vulux, ARCHES primary research subject.
Archivists record and catalog the theories that are generally accepted. They are sometimes looked down on by other members of ARCHES since they "aren't really researchers," but archivists are often have the greatest breadth of knowledge about any given topic that ARCHES cares to explore. Internally, they frequently test one another, assigning numerical ranks based on who can answer the most questions with the greatest accuracy. Because of their nature as librarians, archivists only work out of the ARCHES headquarters or one of their more established bases (such as the one in Korosa).
Archaeologists
Analysts
- Epikefalis: At the top of the chain is the Epikefalis, or head professor. An Epikefalis is one who has presented ARCHES with a substantial find, or one whos theory has been highly acclaimed. Only an Epikefalis is allowed to lead their own team of analysts.
- Kathifalis: Below them is the Kathifalis, or full professor. A Kathifalis is one who has distinguished themselves to an Epikefalis, and so are generally tasked with more difficult analysis and with the writing of disserations. There many be multiple Kathifalis in a team of analysts.
- Syntrofalis: Below the Kathifalis is the Syntrofalis, or associate professor. A Syntrofalis has completed their apprenticeship, but has not yet proven themselves. Syntrofalis are usually specialists of some kind, as they usually throw themselves fully into a specific field of study that they believe will produce results enough for them to be recognized and promoted. Syntrofalis handle most of the routine work in a team.
- Voitfalis: At the bottom of the hierarchy is the Voitfalis, or apprentice, who are apprenticed beneath a Kathifalis or Epikefalis so that they can learn the trade. It is rare for a Voitfalis to be allowed to analyze something without special supervision. Generally, they observe the higher ranks and receive instruction until they can pass the exam required for their elevation to Syntrofalis.
Debaters
Archivists
Public Agenda
ARCHES goal is simple: they want to discover as much as physically possible about the dead cultures and civilizations of the Asamaline Expanse. They focus mainly on the Vulux, as they believe that the information they learn is more relevant, especially to the aquatic elves on the Wakague Islands.
Assets
ARCHES is funded by the Wakague Academy, the Vulux Culture Museum, and various patrons. As a non-profit, they would normally not be considered incredibly wealthy, but the extreme wealth of the Wakague Kingdom has bankrolled almost all of the consortium's expenses and then some, giving them a comfortable fund to fall back on should their money flow dry up. Beyond the monetary, ARCHES also has quite a few artifacts, both mundane and magical, collected by their archaeologists.
Type
Consortium, Research
Alternative Names
ARCHES
Controlled Territories
