Seekers of The Scarlet Rose

Like its unconventional umbrella organization, the Red Order of The Flame, the Seekers of The Scarlet Rose seem to exist only to play games and hold contests. One particular contest holds most of the group’s attention: to find and acquire the most sensational magical artifact of the year. The winner of this contest is judged by another magical artifact called The Scarlet Rose, which was created by a forgotten member of the Yellow Order from the old Fold of Nine long ago. This artifact has several properties, but the most restrictive one is that it will only function for the winner of the contest, to whom it attaches itself after judging is complete. The attachment lasts for one year, until it is time to judge the next contest.

Basing the Seekers of The Scarlet Rose on a curious artifact and the resulting contest created by it makes some interesting dynamics for its members’ behavior. Unlike typical Red Order mages who wander aimlessly or purposely do nothing, the mages belonging to the Seekers of The Scarlet Rose are continually searching for new and different magical items. Their quests can sometimes inspire great planning and teamwork, for they often include other adventurers in their gambits with the lure of untold riches. There is usually less consideration for the magical properties of their targets, except to ensure that the coveted item does something wonderful and unusual which gives it a chance of winning the contest.

Through many cycles of the contest taken place over many decades and centuries, the Seekers of The Scarlet Rose have inadvertently built up one of the largest stores of recovered magical artifacts known. Naturally, this puts the group in a potentially dangerous position, depending on what artifacts are in its possession and who covets them. The mage orders of Neutrality keep an eye on the magical vaults and storage of the Seekers, and conflicts between them and the other orders have occasionally broken out over certain items, or over the location of the storage vault which is thought to be mobile. Legions of the Underdark, such as Demon Lords and their lesser vassals find the Seekers of The Scarlet Rose particularly annoying. Most of the exceedingly exotic and forgotten artifacts in existence rest within the confines of caves and lairs below the surface. This requires members of the group to make expeditions down that way to attempt recovery, and often those attempts wind up thwarting or delaying similar attempts by the denizens of the Underdark. Due to the nature of the contest, no self-respecting Seeker would join forces with an Underdark proprietor unless that Seeker could keep the artifact in the end, and this generally runs at cross purposes to the greed and ambition of said proprietor which creates conflict.

Most agree that if the Seekers of The Scarlet Rose had any ambitions of glory or power, it would be no trouble for them to dip into their vast store of treasures and wreak havoc. Luckily, the contest consumes most of their time for its own sake without any ulterior motives. The members simply enjoy the thrill of their games and the sweet taste of victory and prestige that come with being a winner. Nevertheless, this does not present great reason for outsiders to trust them, especially sages that deal with artifacts who prefer that most of them remain unfound. They argue that it would only take one battle against the Seekers to claim their stores and unleash their trove which could spell doom for many. Certain adventurers have shared this same notion and risen to guard the Seekers and their items from theft, while making a good living plundering dungeons and lairs along the way. Others have pursued knowledge of where they can find this legendary hoard.