Consortium for Regional Announcements, Information, Grievances & Scribes

C.R.A.I.G.S.

Full Name: Consortium for Regional Announcements, Information, Grievances & Scribes
Commonly Known As: The Craigs
Type: Transnational organization of scribes and information-keepers
Headquarters: Decentralized; major enclaves in Bhurnfaldur, Crankwall, and Lama Taesi
Motto: “From Stone to Sky, Ink Binds All.”
Symbol: An open scroll overlaid with four elemental runes (fire, water, earth, wind)

Overview

C.R.A.I.G.S. is a wide-reaching, semi-formal guild of scribes who serve as record-keepers, calligraphy instructors, loremasters, town criers, and civil communicators across the world of Primordia. Founded in the wake of The Rending, the Consortium emerged from the ruins of lost kingdoms to preserve what knowledge remained and rebuild systems of communication and civic record.

While their roles vary from region to region, members of C.R.A.I.G.S. are unified by a devotion to literacy, clarity, and neutrality. They operate independently from any singular government but are welcomed in nearly every major settlement.

Primary Functions

• Public Information Boards ("Craigslists")
  The most visible work of the Consortium, these lists are maintained in taverns, civic halls, and marketplaces. They display local news, public announcements, neighborhood happenings, personal messages, lost-and-found items, and—most notably—adventuring jobs. These postings make them an indispensable tool for mercenaries, explorers, and civic officials alike.
• Record Keeping
  Craigs are responsible for town ledgers, tax rolls, census records, birth and death certificates, and civil disputes where scribal documentation is needed.
• Education
  The Consortium operates scribeschools in many cities and towns, where children and adults alike can learn the arts of writing, history, and rhetoric. Their curriculum often includes lessons in ancient Primordial and regional dialects.
• Mediation and Grievance Logging
  In areas lacking robust legal systems, a local Craig may act as a neutral third party to record grievances or disputes, ensuring at least a written record exists for later resolution.

Structure and Membership

The Craigs are organized into regional chapters, each with its own senior scribe known as a Master of Ink. While there is no singular Grand Master or centralized authority, the various chapters correspond frequently and maintain shared codices to ensure consistency.

To join, one must pass an initiation known as the Quill Trial, which includes tasks such as calligraphy under pressure, transcription of spoken languages, and diplomatic messaging. Many apprentices train for years before earning the title of Craig.

Philosophy

The Consortium’s motto, “From Stone to Sky, Ink Binds All,” reflects their belief that written word transcends chaos, geography, and even time. While kingdoms rise and fall, the record endures. Many Craigs consider their calling sacred—writing not merely to document, but to unify.

They are known for strict neutrality in political matters, though individual members occasionally walk the line when the truth is in danger of being buried or rewritten.

Notable Lore

• The very first Craiglist is believed to have been posted in the ruins of Ashborne mere weeks after The Rending, listing missing persons and open hearths.
• A legendary Craig named Sibra of the Cracked Quill once mediated a truce between two warring noble houses using only a single parchment and seven words.
• In Windrift, a secretive underground Craig enclave is said to maintain forbidden tomes salvaged from the Orb Wars.