The World Enders

Despite their ominous title, the World Enders are a secret but relatively benign organization of explorers and naturalists. Based on the idea that a member should have the ambition to go "even to the edge of the world," full membership requires a candidate to map, visit or catalogue a location that's unknown to the guild. This creates a great deal of pressure on junior members to seek out new areas despite the intense danger of the wilds.   Junior members must be nominated by a full member in good standing, and they remain junior members until at least one Senior member verifys that the candidate has completed their exploration and returned with sufficiently valuable, interesting or thorough information (the society understands that not every new place will be remarkable, so thorough documentation can make up for an exploration that lacks other types of appeal).   Junior members can largely look forward to fetching drinks for those above them in the guild, but they do have the right to consult more senior members about any expeditions they plan and have limited access to the society's vast archives of information on distant and obscure locations. Junior members will often accompany full members on expeditions, but in order to qualify for membership they must be the only Ender candidate in the group. While taking a few companions is allowed, even expected, parties that are too large will generally disqualify a journey as being the candidates ticket to membership, though the society is always eager to hear what they've learned.   Full members gain access to a much wider collection of maps and rumors, as well as the ability to socialize with other members in a few lodges that are either too remote or well hidden to be concerned with members of the public. This ability to rub elbows with famous explorers can be even more useful than the guild's official resources, as veteran members often know the best places to acquire exotic explorers gear, excavate rare materials from sites or who to consult concerning obscure lore and trivia. Most full members have class levels by necessity, as most of the places they go are at least moderately dangerous, but there are a significant minority who plumb the edges of the world with little but their equipment and their wits.   It's customary for juniors or those seeking to become juniors to allow full members to stay with them when traveling to their next site of exploration. This custom makes the guild very difficult for outsiders to keep track of, since their members can easily blend into the local population of almost any area with a significant population. It also means that members have little difficulty finding a few young candidates to assist in their journeys, though there's no guarantee that those candidates have the skills necessary to survive in the wilds. Evaluating potential candidates is taken very seriously in the guild, and losing junior members of an expedition reflects poorly upon the explorer, particularly if there's any hint that they chose to leave their companion behind.   Informal awards and titles are sometimes issued by the guild for especially noteworthy expeditions or accomplishments. A candidate receiving such an award is notified by receiving a map inscribed with their name and new title as the author. Some members seek out these acknowledgments passionately, while others consider them at best a waste of time and at worst a temptation to get in over one's head. Despite it being gauche to gossip about the number and nature of one's titles, the titles and accomplishments of various explorers spread through the guild rapidly, and accomplished Enders are much sought after by their fellows to assist with more dangerous outings.   Rumor has it that a small group of very senior explorers constitute the guild's unofficial "leadership," but who these individuals are and how they make decisions is opaque even to most of the veteran members.