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The Literati (Part 1 of 3) By Amber E. Scott
Where there is knowledge to be gleaned, there is the Literai. They work in secrecy, in the shadows, or hide brazenly in the light. Their thirst is not merely for knowledge, but for control. The cartel knows that true power is to be found in information, and letting information just lie around, waiting to be discovered by any old loutish farmer or bloodthirsty adventurer is dangerous: to the world, to society, and to the people of whatever nation the cartel is currently supporting. Information must be hidden away, then evaluated, and strictly regulated. Any means may be used to accomplish this noble goal. The cartel has no qualms about using all available tools: thievery, bribery, blackmail, and murder. Of course, each member of the cartel knows in his heart that he is the one person who can be trusted with all knowledge. The hierarchy of the group is both rigid and fluid. On the surface, each member has a clearly delineated position and function within the cartel; under the surface, everyone jockies for position, making and breaking secret alliances, plotting against each other, and bargaining favors for bits of esoteric knowledge to add to their power base.
Brief History
Credit for founding the Literati is given to a bard from centuries past, a half-elf named Cesario Treadwell. Cesario was an average minstrel, wandering from town to town, singing his songs and telling tales, occasionally delving into an ancient dungeon or ruined keep with like-minded fools for pocket change. On one such excursion, he found a worn pack of playing cards on a less-fortunate adventurer who had gone before them. “Hey, cards!” Cesario exclaimed, scooping up the deck. “I know this great trick. I’m going to draw a card, and I want you all to look at it carefully…” The card seemed to slip into his hand of its own accord. Cesario only had a brief glimpse of the full moon pictured when the card went blank, and a smoky figure materialized before him. “What do you wish?” the figure demanded. Cesario’s companions stood motionless, shocked. Cesario himself thought frantically. He knew wishes were tricky things. He had to word it exactly right. The figure continued to glare, and Cesario began to shake, trying to decide what to say. Finally, in desperation, he blurted, “I wish I was smarter. A lot smarter.” His brain was instantly flooded with information. Of above-average intelligence before, the half-elf was now a genius. His companions had to lead him out of the dungeon while he gaped at nothing, trying to sort out the amazingly complex processes of his new brain. Understanding the dangers involved in continuing to use the deck – he’d heard a legend of it, once – he gave the cards to his companions and left them behind. Cesario had bigger plans now than dungeon-delving. As a bard, Cesario had access to thousands of legends, folktales and histories of the world. With his new, powerful mind, he was able to draw connections between them, seeing how the simple peasant stories revealed information that influenced everything in the land, from trade to morale to wars. He realized that if he could learn a nation’s history, he could learn everything about it, and could use that information to further any goal he might have. Cesario became obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge. As time went on, he found the need to seek out other like-minded individuals, to use as informants and spies in other lands. He could only learn so much on his own. He became more suspicious and paranoid as he aged, believing that if others stumbled on the knowledge he had, they could wield it as he did, changing the fates and fortunes of the world. He formed the Literati, an organization dedicated to gathering and protecting knowledge from those not fit to use it, using any means necessary to do so. He died several decades later, and a succession of leaders have lead to the present-day cartel lord, a quick-witted human man named Daunte Moncrief.
The Organization Headquarters: A secret vault built centuries ago by Cesario Treadwell. Its location is known only to the head of the cartel and his two lieutenants. Some say it was constructed by dwarves, as a favor to Cesario after he returned some lost historical tablets to them. As such, it is full of the most deadly traps and construct guardians. Members: No one knows exactly how many people belong to the cartel. Certainly they make use of many people who don’t even know of the group’s existance. Rumor places the count of aware members at close to two hundred, scattered all over the land, plus those minions (willing and otherwise) whose strings they pull. Religion: Each member has his or her own religious leaning; the organization as a whole has no religious bent. Most members tend to worship gods of knowledge or secrecy. Alignment: NE Symbol: The Literati does not openly use symbols, as they wish to hide knowledge of their existance. In private, members sometimes use the symbol of a padlocked scrollcase to mark important documents. Hierarchy: The true scope of the cartel is known only to Daunte Moncrief (NE male human Rog18) and his two lieutenants, Carel Flightingale (N female half-elf bard 14) and a man known only as Hexalore (LE male human diviner 14). In a sense, the cartel is a meritocracy; those who prove themselves useful, and who consistently deliver important information to the organization, are rewarded with greater knowledge of the cartel’s structure, and more important tasks. One must be aggressive and unscrupulous to rise through the ranks, however; the most common way of earning a promotion is to either assassinate one’s superior, or gain enough “dirt” on a higher-up to force a promotion. The cartel is divided into branches, which are largely unaware of each other, and may even inadvertently work at cross-purposes. Orders are handed down through the ranks, but members are encouraged to take initiative and do their own research as well. Productivity is rewarded; failure and indiscretion is severely, usually fatally, punished. Daunte Moncrief has held his position by being alert, ruthless, and uncompromising. He enjoys the power the cartel gives him, and is determined to hold onto leadership until his death. Carel Flightingale wishes to move the cartel in a more benevolent direction, but she is content to wait and outlive Moncrief. Hexalore is somewhat of an enigma, but what is certain is that he disdains Moncreif’s loose attitude towards structure and order, and wishes to take over and make the cartel almost militaristic in its hierarchy. Carel knows Hexalore is a threat to her, should Moncreif’s position become available; she is plotting ways to get rid of him. Hexalore bears her no love in return, and is conscious of her plots, but amuses himself at the moment by toying with her and thwarting these plots in minor, creative ways. The layers of the Literati are as follows: The All-Knowing are the current leader of the group and his two lieutenants, currently Daunte Moncrief, Carel Flightingale, and Hexalore. Below them are the Upper Echelon, the leaders of the various branches of the organization. The branches are divided into smaller cells, each led my members of the Lower Echelon. Anyone working below that level is dubbed a Member, and anyone the organization uses but who holds no rank is termed a Pawn.
Motivation and Goals: Each member of the Literati has their own motivations for joining, but all desire an increase in knowledge and information. Some wish to control governments; some grow rich with investments; some want only to bury embarrassing family secrets. The subordinate members of the cartel usually have small, private goals that they pursue, and often drift away from the group once these goals have been met. Those who desire status in the organization usually have loftier goals, such as great personal power or national influence. The cartel sends its members to ancient ruins to bring back lost tomes and scrolls. They place spies in throne rooms to monitor the movements of kings, and they drink in taverns all over the world, eagerly hoping to find an undocumented bard’s tale or peasant story. Many agents of the cartel don’t even know of its existence; they are adventuring parties hired to clear out old dungeons, or castle servants paid a few coins for the latest gossip. The cartel makes judicious use of patsies and pawns, and will sometimes induct or kill those who bring particularly sensitive information to them, in order to keep the knowledge within the group. Once collected, all knowledge is sent to the upper echelon, where it is carefully filed away in secret rooms to be reviewed at a later date. Extremely important information is locked in the hidden vault. The sheer volume of information and the paranoid secrecy of the members guarantees that most of this information will be filed away, unread, forever, but the cartel does the best it can. At least if the knowledge is hidden, no one else can read it. The leader of the Literati drives all activity, and so the organization is often used to support whatever goal he or she desires. Cesario Treadwell craved knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Over the years, the Literati have been used to change political structures, wielding kingdoms like chess pieces, acquire material wealth, and unlock arcane secrets. Daunte Moncrief enjoys both the acquisition of wealth, and the ability to wield power over important political figures (though he does not necessarily use it. He just likes having it).
Recruiting: Unwitting agents of the cartel who prove their usefulness may be inducted into the ranks. Any member may make recruitment suggestions to his superiors. If a free agent is both useful and discreet, and is vouched for by a member of the organization, he may be approached and told something (usually half-truths or outright lies) about the Literati, and offered membership. If the new member is indiscreet or otherwise places the cartel at risk, both he and his sponser are severely punished, if not killed. The Literati make use of anyone and everyone. Wizards, particularly diviners, are drawn to the organization, as are clerics of gods of knowledge. Rogues, sorcerers and bards fit in well, and even fighters are useful as dungeon-delvers. Rangers, druids and barbarians usually don’t care for the intrigue-laden politics of the group (though they may be unwitting pawns); paladins and good-aligned folk shun the Literati if they are even aware of them. Some monks may appreciate the structure of the guild, others care nothing for the quest for knowledge. Members are allowed to leave the group if they wish, so long as they don’t know anything too important. Even then, they are watched for some time, to ensure they do not betray the organization. Members in more sensitive positions are never allowed to walk away.
Allies: The Literai make use of allies when it suits their purposes. Branches may ally with governments, religious organizations, or whole races in exchange for information and financial support. None of these alliances are considered to be permanent, though, and the deals the Literai makes are not sacrosanct. They will say whatever their “ally” wants to hear if it furthers their goals. This has little negative effect on their repuation, though, since most of these allies have no idea that they’re actually dealing with the Literati, or even that the Literati exist.
Enemies: The Literati has made many enemies over its centuries of activity. Kingdoms have fallen, men have been ruined, lineages destroyed, and behind it all are the invisible strings of the cartel. Due to the secret nature of the organization, few who oppose it truly know what they face. Investigations lead to dead end after dead end, and only through painstaking, unfaltering work could someone learn the true scope of the Literati, if they’re not killed for the knowledge they have first.
Sample Encounter
Retrieval Party (EL 5): The Literati often send out small parties of adventurers to retrieve old documents or investigate ruins for them. PCs may run into such a group while searching for the same item, or exploring the same ruins. Depending on the PCs’ attitudes and the nature of the mission, they may ally with the Literati retrieval party, or battle them. Tormek Thornthrower is the leader of one such party. He’s not wholly ignorant; he’s clever enough to realize that the old man in the tavern who gives them these quests is more interested in the information they bring back than the gold, and he has an inkling that there are larger forces at work here. He was recently inducted into the ranks of the Literati, but knows very little beyond his contact and the fact that there is some sort of organization behind this all. Tormek knows that failing his new master is a very bad thing. He won’t leave the area without whatever he came for. He usually travels with a few mercenaries, two fighters and a sorcerer. He prefers hiding and flicking daggers from concealment over melee combat.
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