The I.W. Society is spread across Khorvaire. Its outposts are taverns and inns, and its ‘Socialites’ are a loose alliance of artists, storytellers, and sometimes vigilantes. As clandestine as some of the elven houses, one might know a member for decades but only realize this is the case when an invitation is extended as a sponsor. The meaning of the society’s I.W. abbreviation is known only to its members and some outsiders believe it to be a form of password linked to its founders. The organization seeks to use its talents to make the world a better place through the power gained in celebration and collaboration of story. In the past, this largely abstract goal has urged its membership to primarily seize the opportunity to collaborate with peers, to compare techniques, and afford bookings or haven to struggling artists. Today, the I.W. Society takes it mission more seriously as a whole in the wake of the Mourning, and a member might be given tasks that counter the despair and ennui following the aftermath of the war.
Society members can almost always find food and shelter from fellow Socialites, though they’ll be expected to sing for their supper, or provide other discrete services for the good of the local populous. Socialites can be a useful source of information, even to non-members, and might be willing to exchange a favor in the present for a promise of future aid. Transactions of this sort one might usually expect to see in dramas recounting wartime espionage, where a hopeful client makes a request through a network of barkeeps or tavern workers and hopes for an agent to make contact. Socialites come from all walks of life, and many of its bards aren’t refined enough to find a place in the Five Demesnes but teach each other the techniques of any college they’ve learned along their travels. However, the organization as a whole tends to be suspicious of those who employ techniques from the College of Whispers, with rare exception.