Cambridge University Treasure Trap

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The Scouts' Guild

The full name of the Grantabrugge Scout's Guild is The Royal Order of Guardians of the King's Forest. Established in 1157, the guild has long protected the King's Forests on the lands of the Arundel and Carrington estates, routing poachers and other undesirables and managing the upkeep of the game. The routine patrols are often the first to detect trouble and the first line of defense against incursions by undead, bandits, rebelling villagers and even stranger things - as such their services are much in demand by most of the large estates. Their area of expertise has broadened to cover the vast fenlands and the gogs - it has been many years since the King last came to hunt, after all..

The Guild is one of the most ancient and respected in Grantabrugge. Scouting is regarded as a profession of note, although not quite honorable - the trade attracts many bastard children of the nobility, and is considered a reasonable choice amongst traders and artisan families - as long as you stick to the paperwork and don't go off 'adventuring' too much. Travellers and those who might be considered of peasant stock are welcome within the Guild, but will tend to find themselves assigned the more dangerous and less high profile missions. Survivors of several dangerous missions will become 'veterans', and can be charged out at higher rates.

The guild is based in a huge and ancient manorhouse on the edge of the city, leading out to the fens at the back. Newer, crude barracks have been built up around the left wing, with basic facilities - only the officers of the Guild and the specially favoured of the veterans (usually those with double barrelled names) are honoured with rooms in the Guildhouse itself. There is a smaller office kept within the city, where alchemists and others may go to buy herbs and scouts may check in for the latest mission status. It is not uncommon for scouts to supplement their income or merely save themselves some money by dabbling in alchemy, although at this point the Guild of Alchemists begins to get involved - traditionally the two Guilds are friendly, however, as before the current breakthroughs in the synthesis of alchemical ingredients the alchemists largely relied on a supply of herbs gathered by the Scouts.

Politically the institution is known to be a bastion of support for King Edmund of Wessex, although the views of each individual scout may vary. The Guild often works closely with the church of Humact, and more recently with the church of Morvana who came to prominence during the Norscan invasion.