Stargazing Vigil

The Stargazing Vigil is a loosely-organized coalition consisting of those who wish to collect their knowledge and expertise together for mutual benefit. Although many guild members are those who primarily wish to study the Weepshards and all of the bizarre and esoteric phenomena surrounding them, there is more to the world than this singular goal. All walks of life are welcome to offer their unique perspectives and expertise to contribute to the greater project.

The leadership of the guild takes a hands-off approach, allowing and encouraging its independent members the autonomy and resources they need to flourish in their chosen field. Members are free to operate at their own discretion so long as their eventual findings are presented to the guild for review and cataloguing. Few restrictions are kept save for those required to keep a productive and honest intellectual environment, and no ideas are thrown out without first being given due consideration.

Their name is a reference to the guild's first task, when members would take watches monitoring the skies day and night for the emergence of another Shardstorm so that they could be the first to observe the results. The group still has an interest in understanding the Shardstorms, at the very least enough so that they can be prepared for them as scholars and brave souls.

Edicts:
- Devise new solutions from research and innovate scientific and magical knowledge.
- Test your findings thoroughly and learn from your mistakes.
- Share important findings to build the Vigil's body of knowledge.
- Document and interpret data.
Anathema:
- Declare knowledge heretical or forbidden without concrete justification.
- Purposefully misinform your allies about important facts.
- Poison the Vigil's body of knowledge.

Organization:

As a self-organized coalition, the Stargazing Vigil does not have strict categories for its members to apply to. Instead, members group themselves according to their interests. Over time, a handful of broad goal-oriented groups have emerged.

Ambassadors know that fellow organizations will always exist in the world and seek to find and befriend them. These may be Pre-Collapse organizations such as the Order of the Palatine Eye or the Pathfinder Society, or they might be Post-Collapse groups that have yet to fully emerge. Ambassadors frequently cross over with Cartographers.

Bestiarists have found that, in the adventuring business, to be forewarned is to be well armed. The Mana Wastes harbor a dizzying variety of monsters, a menagerie that only expands the further out a party might travel. As such, it is imperative that they work together to collect and share potentially life-saving information on these creatures as they are encountered. Bestiarists frequently cross over with Shardreaders and Magicians.

Cartographers see more than just points on a map and recognize that each dot and line is far more significant in the real world than it is on paper. They embody the explorer's spirit of the Stargazing Vigil and seek to explore and experience what has been mapped for themselves and to ensure that the guild's records are rigorously checked against reality. The history of the world may have been written down once, but it is in dire need of updating. Cartographers frequently cross over with Ambassadors and Bestiarists.

Magicians are not all mages, but many spellcasters will find it practical to associate with this group. Magicians compile the spells available to the guild and explore possibilities for rediscovering old magic or inventing something new. They study curses and magical afflictions in order to untangle their mysteries so that they might be cured or, in some cases, used against our shared enemies. Sometimes this involves seeking out powerful rituals or uncovering bizarre traditions. Magicians frequently cross over with Cartographers and Shardreaders.

Shardreaders delve into the mystery looming large over every member of the guild: the Curse of the Shardbound. The nature of these Weepshards of the Worldweep is still greatly obfuscated, but through their work the Shardreaders might tease out clarity and understanding. The guild and the Harbor of Hearts as a whole has only begun to scratch the surface of the Weepshards, and already wonders and terrors have been witnessed. Shardreaders frequently cross over with Magicians and Ambassadors.