"I, [plebe's name], pledge to uphold the ideals of the Argent Rose Society,
To embrace new knowledge and ideas without prejudice,
To observe and analyze critically and accurately,
To create, experiment, and push imagination beyond the limits,
To dispel ignorance and falsehoods,
To record, preserve, and pass on all that I have learned,
For the foundation from which future generations will grow.
—pledge of the Argent Rose Society
The Argent Rose Society is a world-spanning organization of scholars and researchers. Their stated goal is to preserve lore, record history, and advance all knowledge for the benefit for all.
The Society has a lengthy history that spans over twenty thousand years. It originally started out as a social club for several prominent scholars and mages during the height of Xiankai, the First Empire of humanity during the Age of Starlight. When a cataclysm destroyed Xiankai and sank it to the bottom of the Xianluan-hai, the surviving members of the Argent Rose Society dedicated their organization in preserving the knowledge of the Empire. Over time, the Society expanded their goals to encompass supporting the whole world.
The Society is organized into regional chapters, each headquartered in establishment known as lodges, and overseen by a senior agent known as the Chapter-Sage. The Chapter-Sage oversees all Argent Rose activity in their assigned region. The lodges themselves usually provides other services in addition to supporting those of Argent Rose. They may be libraries, universities, bardic colleges, or caster's towers.
Although each chapter is fairly independent of each other, they all report to the Society's highest authority: the Circle of Argent Sages, otherwise known as "the Argent Circle". The Circle is somewhat mysterious; except for two of them, their identities are hidden from the public and to the rest of the organization. All that is really known for sure is that they number nine in total. The only two Argent Sages whose identities are known are those of the Rose-Speaker and the Knight-Marshal.
The Society is divided into three main branches. The first, and largest, is the Archival Branch. The Archivist catalogue and curate the Society's vast store of collected lore. They also research and analyze their collection, providing new insights. The clues and leads that aid the teams in the field are thanks to this branch of scribes and researchers.
The second branch is the Bursary Branch, and they oversee the finances of the Society. Despite their altruistic pursuit of knowledge, the Argent Rose is well aware of its earthly needs, and that steps need to be taken to support themselves, lest they be tempted to comprise their ideals in times of dire need. More than just keeping track of coin, the Bursary Branch's most significant activities is the production of goods sold to the public. The Society believes that knowledge is useless when hoarded away from sight, and leverages what they learn to produce quality items well ahead of of the curve. The Society is also financed by imposing fees to access their stores of knowledge (the Society believes that no knowledge is forbidden, but no one said it would be without cost). Sponsored performances and works of art also generate income for the Society.
Perhaps the most famous branch of the Society, and ironically its smallest, is the Operations Branch. Because the Society, in their pursuit of knowledge, often come across dangers or uncover sensitive information that ordinary scholars are ill-trained to deal with properly, the Argent Rose developed a branch of skilled field agents capable of dealing with danger and the unknown. These are the explorers across treacherous seas, the delvers into caves and ruins, the ones who risk life and sanity to uncover the secrets of reality.
Table: Fame with Argent Rose Society
| Event | Fame Modifier |
|---|---|
| Complete a mission for the Argent Rose with a CR appropriate for your APL | +3 |
| Craft a powerful magic item | +1 per 40,000 gp of the item's price |
| Earn a formal title (lady, lord, knight, and so on) | +3 |
| Major expertise | +1 per PC class level |
| Minor expertise | +1/2 per NPC class level |
| Skilled in Artistry, Craft, Knowledge, Linguistics, Lore, and Perform | +1 for every 5 ranks in each skill |
| Succeed at a DC 30 or higher Craft check to create a work of art or masterwork item1 | +2 |
| Succeed at a DC 30 or higher public Diplomacy check on behalf of the Argent Rose Society1 | +2 |
| Succeed at a DC 30 or higher public Perform check1 | +2 |
| 1 You may increase your Fame in this way no more than once per month. | |
The events listed below will earn you pretige points with the Argent Rose, but will not increase your fame with them.
Table: Earning Prestige Points
| Event | Prestige Point Earned |
|---|---|
| Donate building | +1 per 1,000 gp value |
| Donate funds | +1 per 1,000 gp |
| Donate magical items | +1 per 1,000 gp value |
Ranking
Initiate
Fame 1
Prestige Cost: 10 points.
Benefits:
- Research Access (1 PP): You may access without paying any fee the libraries of lore and knowledge stored within the facilities of the Argent Rose.
Duties:
You are a probationary member of the Society, under the tutelage of a Rose Adept or higher.
Rose Disciple
Fame 10
Prestige Cost: 25 points.
Benefits:
- Requisition Minor Potion (2 PP): Once per month, you may requisition a minor potion at no cost from the Society.
- Requisition Minor Scroll (3 PP): Once per month, you may requisition a minor scroll at no cost from the Society.
Duties:
You are a junior member of the Society, recognised as fully trained, but relegated to minor duties.
Rose Adept
Fame 25
Prestige Cost: 50 points.
Benefits:
- Requisition Least Minor Wondrous Item (4 PP): Once per month, you may requisition a least minor wondrous item at no cost from the Society.
- Requisition Major Potion (5 PP): Once per month, you may requisition a major potion at no cost from the Society.
- Requisition Medium Scroll (7 PP): Once per month, you may requisition a medium scroll at no cost from the Society.
Duties:
You are a full member of the Society, aware only of its public goal of cataloguing knowledge and teaching it to others.
Rose Journeyman
Fame 50
Prestige Cost: 100 points.
Benefits:
Duties:
You are a senior member of the Society, trusted to teach and mentor Initiates and Disciples.
Rose Scholar
Fame 75
Prestige Cost: 200 points.
Benefits:
Duties:
You are an agent of the Society, aware of its secret operations and goals, trusted enough to be assigned missions to further the Society's goals.
Silver Sage
Fame 100
Prestige Cost: 400 points.
Benefits:
Duties:
You are a senior agent of the Society. You train and lead lower rank agents, and are responsible for Society operations in an area.
Argent Savant
Fame 200
Prestige Cost: 1000 points.
Benefits:
Duties:
You are one of the secret leaders of the Society, and a potential candidate to succeed one of the Circle. You organize and task Argent Rose teams with missions reaching all over the world, and beyond.