Devout followers of Lykekro, members of the Order of the Ever-Wandering dedicate themselves to traveling the world and collecting as much information as possible about the places and people they encounter. Many adventurers in unfamiliar places have come to rely heavily on the notes of the Wanderers.
Location
Wanderers can be found across the world, in locations both frequently traveled and very remote. The singular location in which one can guarantee the presence of the Order of the Ever-Wandering is at Lykekro's sole permanent temple in Oralia.
History
The Order of the Ever-Wandering has existed in some form since at least Y9850*, though no official date exists. From its formation the Order has been less of a formal religious institution and more of a loose association of like-minded followers of Lykekro. Despite the Wanderers’ almost obsessive note-taking about the locations they see and people they meet, their seeming disregard for their own history makes the reconstruction of their past difficult. Regardless, there remains some basic information that is commonly considered to be correct - that the Order first began in Asteria around a century and a half ago, and that the god Lykekro was not directly connected to the formation of the Order.
After Lykekro’s disappearance into the chaotic outer planes in Y9942*, the Order of the Ever-Wandering began to grow. In the aftermath of their demigod’s departure, some of his followers began to believe the duty to help others know and understand the world had fallen to them. In Y9945*, the Order set up a permanent base of operations in the temple to Lykekro in Oralia, from which Wanderers began to regularly come and go, bringing with them the results of their explorations.
Interests and activities
The primary aim of the Order of the Ever-Wandering is to maintain an up to date, accurate account of the world. While best known for their maps, the Order also compiles and stores collections of notes regarding the individuals and cultures that Wanderers have encountered in their travels.
The world map and atlases created by the Order are their most visible legacy. The Wanderers copy, print, and distribute the maps themselves, as well as make their data freely available to anyone else who would wish to do so. Though usable world maps have existed for centuries, those developed by the Order have a reputation as being extremely reliable. Perhaps their single most impactful contribution, however, has been ensuring maps and atlases are accessible and widely available to all - previously, such a work could be expensive to produce and disseminate.
Wanderers are, broadly speaking, bound to the Order only only by the tenets of their god. The Order itself imposes essentially no extra limitations as to their actions, and members are free to journey to wherever piques their interest, or leave and rejoin the service of the Order as desired. Of course, Wanderers are expected to respect and obey the local laws wherever they go.
Although most Wanderers are primarily concerned with the people and places of the Material Plane, a small handful devote their lives to the exploration of other planes. Commonly known as the Planar Nomads, these travelers regularly journey through some of the most hostile places to mortal life.
Notable individuals
Though the efforts of the Order are highly collaborative, there are a number of current Wanderers who have become particularly prominent.
Ende, a tiefling originally hailing from the Arrajan Wilds, is one of the preeminent cartographers and illustrators within the Order. In addition to her work drawing many of the Order’s early maps, she has mentored a great number of other Wanderers in this role. Ende was also influential in the mass-production of cartographic material for which the Order has become so well known, as she developed a type of printing plate that could be easily produced and adjusted for map-making purposes.
In addition to being a prodigious polymath, Shenko, a Vothanite elf, has also developed advanced techno-magical methods to store three-dimensional relief maps in a normal, fold-able two-dimensional piece of paper. These maps are widely used by Wanderers in their journeys, as they can prove far more useful at times than a standard mundane map.
The tengu Garka prefers to remain quiet about their past, and little is known about their background. Regardless, they have become one of the preeminent explorers within the Order of the Ever Wandering, having voyaged far in every direction. They are one of the most respected members of the order for their wisdom and experience.
Relations
Members of the Order of the Ever-Wandering often travel alongside the the Curator's Archivists, as their respective continuing searches for information often involve the same routes. Most of the Order's collections of notes are copied and given to the Curator as well.
While some Wanderers prefer to go alone, most prefer to join adventuring parties. As such, they tend to associate with the disparate types of people drawn to that profession