THE SYRITHIANS:

They Syrithians (sih-RYE-thians) are named for their founder, Syrithe, an elf devoted to the accumulation of knowledge. The current head is Chaney, a human male whose sports activities bely his absolute passion for knowledge.

The Syrithians do not accumulate knowledge for a purpose; they are not gathered to save Telgard nor gathered to destroy it. They will give such aid as they can during the Scourge, of course; no normal person wants to come under the sway of the Dark, which is what would happen should the Dark win the next Scourge. It is simply not what they were created for; which was to find old knowledge lost since the Scourge and discover new things no one has ever known. Despite their relatively small membership, Syrithians seem to know everything, as if they had the largest, most extensive spy network in Telgard.

Perhaps they do.

Syrithians have two rules for their members; gather all the information you can and give it to us, and do what is necessary to protect such knowledge as cannot be gathered. There are sites over Telgard that hold knowledge in their very stones and which thus cannot be brought to a Syrithian Guild hall; those sites are protected and guarded against both good and evil, against anything that might destroy it. Sites like the Wizard's Conclave in the Ahrin Straights protect themselves, but Syrithians keep an eye on it anyways, just in case--or perhaps frustrated that they cannot get the knowledge stored within.

As a special note, most Syrithians do not look kindly on Taerlon, the legendary Mage of Telgard. Taerlon restricts their access to the Wizard's Isle, possesses knowledge he refuses to share, and interferes in their own knowledge-gathering lest they learn something--according to him--that is harmful to Telgard to even be known. Any of them who are involved in researching something dangers set wards against him, which usually fail--and which annoys the Syrithians to no end.

Tested Skills:

The Syrithians test in all magic skills and scholar.

Entrance into the Guild:

Entrance into the Guild is usually a magical test of some kind; a piece of history is awakened for them, and they live it exactly--not as the stories tell it, but as it truly happened. Thus, while the character may be familiar with the piece of history they are living, they do not know the details or knows some faulty details. Their duty is to ensure that things come about as they are supposed to--that is, that the right people die and that certain events occur. Depending on the historical event, this can entail quite some maneuvering.

Advancement within the Guild:

As an apprentice, the PC gains access to the Guild Libraries and begins his first and most important task--learning. And learning. And learning. Part of it must be done through teachers and the libraries, but other parts may be done by wandering, adventuring, and individual research.

Advancement within the guild generally depends on the level of contribution to the knowledge the guild holds. There is little need for a Guild Trial at this point as the PC has already proved their devotion to knowledge and further proofs are rarely needed. Advancing to the second level is thus a matter of achievement, not of testing.

The Third level, however, indicated that the PC has vast quantities of knowledge, much of it incredibly dangerous. The Guild Trial to advance to this point tests the PC's knowledge of what information to share and what information should never be revealed to outsiders. The test involves severe consequences should the 'wrong' information get out.