Royal Explorer's Society
 | This article is about a topic found primarily or only in the RPGA's Living Greyhawk campaign (2000-2008). While it is officially sanctioned and is frequently based on officially published material, it may be considered unofficial or non-canonical to the setting. |
| Royal Explorer's Society | |
|---|---|
 The crest of the R.E.S.[1] | |
| Alignment: | Any |
| Type: | Academic guide/adventurer |
| Founded: | 288 CY |
| Members: | Rogues, bards, rangers |
| Symbol: | Lion rampant of Keoland on a compass rose[1] |
| Headquarters: | Royal Library of Keoland[2] |
The Royal Explorer's Society is a group of historians, academics, and sages who explore the world. They have a renowned journal in which they publish reports of the places they explore.
Description
"Known for their reckless curiosity, these intrepid explorers travel far and wide to bring back strange exotic items, interesting wild creatures, and chronicles of the natives of far-off uncivilized lands. Their activities tend to be noticed by the Silent Ones, mostly due to unintentional consequences rather than deliberate acts."[3]
"Keoland monarchs enjoy learning of other lands and cultures but pressing matters of state often keep them tied to their throne rooms. So, for years, they have sponsored crack teams of explorers who travel the length and breadth of the world, then return to deliver reports on faraway wonders. Accordingly, the royal library of Keoland has the best selection of maps in the world, as well as a fascinating series of journals known as the Minutes of the Royal Explorers Society."[2]
"Because the Minutes are often used in geography lessons, many a noble’s child lies awake at night, dreaming of climbing mountains along with Ahn Balic or hunting albino dire wolves with Istai Sunblessed".[2]
History
"Formally chartered by Tavish I in 288 CY, the Royal Explorers Society's official lineage traces back through cartographers and scouts of the Kingdom allegedly all the way to the Great Migration."[1]
Members
"... the entrance examinations for the Royal Explorers Society are rigorous indeed. To be accepted, an applicant must not only demonstrate a thorough knowledge of geography and possess impeccable cartographic skills, but also impress the society’s admissions committee with verifiable tales of a particularly noteworthy exploration."[2]
"Academic geographers tend not to survive explorations in the wild, so most royal explorers are former bards or rogues. Adventurers in the midst of their own explorations sometimes encounter NPC royal explorers, who may either seek advice or offer it. In addition, many of them hire bands of adventurers to deal with the more dangerous denizens of the areas they're exploring. Royal explorers also pay top coin for copies of any maps adventurers may have made of previously unexplored regions."[2]
"Noble patrons and supporters of the Royal Explorers’ Society usually benefit from their investment into the organization; in educational value or monetary benefits or both. Every member must send in a report once a year in order to maintain their good standing."[1]
Notable individuals
- Ahn Balic
- Istai Sunblessed
Structure
There are three levels within the Society. Each has its own requirement, with higher and higher requirements of the Explorers to meet the standards of the Society.[1]
These statistics are from the Living Greyhawk campaign.
Ranks
| Discoverer | Explorer | Fellow/Foreign Member |
|---|---|---|
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Alignment
There are Royal Explorers of all different alignments.
Heraldry
The royal crest of the Society (shown in the infobox above) depicts a rampant royal lion of Keoland in gold (yellow), set within the circle of a compass rose, upon a green field with a gold (yellow) border.[1]
Resources
Minutes of the Royal Explorer's Society
"Because they're map-intensive and hand-scribed, copies of the Minutes of the Royal Explorers Society are rare. Each bimonthly issue contains at least one lengthy report on a far-off land, typically written as a series of journal entries. Relevant maps are included, as is other data collected during the exploration. Shorter reports on explorations in progress appear in a separate "Correspondence from Afield" section.
The most interesting parts of the Minutes, however, are near the back of each issue. The "Annotations" section offers lively debate as explorers query, dispute, or praise reports from previous issues. The "Order of the Cautionary Tale" section always offers a firsthand account of some misadventure, comic or tragic, suffered by a royal explorer. The Order of the Cautionary Tale is not a real knightly order, of course, but many royal explorers take a curious pride in attaining membership. After all, an explorer has to survive to tell a cautionary tale."[2]
"Volumes of the Society’s Minutes grace the stacks of the Great Library of Greyhawk, the Keoland Royal Library in Niole Dra, as well as other investors in the Royal Explorers."[1]
Rumors and legends
Publishing History
The Royal Explorer's Society only officially appeared once in print, in Song and Silence (2001). The Living Greyhawk region for Keoland (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania) used the Prestige Class and the information in the book for a Meta-Campaign organization. The only real specific data added to the R.E.S. was the founding date (288 CY) and sponsor (Tavish I).
External links
Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Noonan, David and John D. Rateliff. Song and Silence. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001. Item code 11857.
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
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