The Encyclopedia Britannia Foundation, known to
its members simply as the Foundation, is a not-for-gold research
group in the Britannian plane, headquartered in an isolated keep
deep in the Serpent's Spine. Founded by Lord Harold Seldon, the
Foundation's purpose is to archive all known Britannian historical
knowledge for safekeeping, and to produce a set of tomes containing
this knowledge for public consumption. Currently, the scribe
Saruman is acting as consultant for this author, providing essays
on historical matters currently being considered for the next
edition of the Encyclopedia Britannia.
 The history of the
Foundation began with the realization that history, being filled
with conflicts, is often rewritten in the image of the victors. In
the aftermath of the Gargoyle war and the geological and
sociological instability that characterized the next 100 years,
Lord Harold realized the need to safeguard Britannia's historical
heritage, in the case of an invasion, natural disaster, the advent
of another social crisis, or the simple deterioration over time of
the truth. In the course of doing his initial research, Lord Harold
realized that, as had happenned in the past, Britannia's social
situation at that time left the land open for conquest from
without. Raising his fears to the Royal Court, Lord British warned
Lord Harold that his protests were inflammatory, and asked him to
take his research to the periphery of the land where the populace
would not be unduly alarmed. And so in the year 0267, Lord Harold
and his assistant, the scribe Isaac, left to begin their efforts in
earnest in a remote mountain retreat. Collecting other researchers
from Minoc and Moonglow, the Foundation soon produced its first
volume in 0273, with the first full set of volumes being completed
in 0282.
Since then, the Foundation has continued to pursue research into
the historical nature and present-day trends of Britannia. One of
their most notable successes was their collaboration with the mage
Rudyom on the nature and permeability of Blackrock; without their
research notes from the Avatar's trip to the land of Eodon, the
mage might not have succeeded in producing a spell to affect the
substance, and the situation with the Black Gate might have turned
out very differently. The Foundation exists to serve Britannia in
its time of need. Rumors as to ulterior motives of the Foundation,
such as plans to establish a new form of republic after the
Guardian wipes the Virtues and Lord British from the face of
Sosaria, are completely without merit. |
