Even the name is not known with any degree of confidence. Gossipmongers and varied reports ascribe a number of monikers to this organization including League of Adventurers, The Preservationist League, The Archaeological League of Davidson and the significantly more insulting – League for No Known Reason. Hence to most, it is simply called the League.
Even in current times when organizations attempting to maintain any degree of secrecy are under assault, mystery surrounds the organization. Membership roles are not publicly available. Tax records appear non existent. Few will admit to being associated with the League. It operates in secrecy – dedicated to a mission with only scattered hints available as to its true purpose.
Born from days of secret societies, the League appears to have borrowed a page from the Illuminati playbook. On what can be ascertained from a surface level perspective, the League is a group dedicated to preserving ancient knowledge from rare and disparate cultures around the world. But why did it come into existence – and why does it still exist?
Abs. — Last known photo of the head of the League of Adventurers (also known as The Preservationist League, The Archaeological League of Davidson and the significantly more insulting – League for No Known Reason.)
With the advent of the steam engine, the airplane and eventually the mass production of the automobile, the world became a bit smaller. Areas previously too remote for exploration became significantly more accessible.
Starting around the early 1900’s, explorers spread across the globe – seeking to explore the yet dark areas of the map. Competition arose to locate items of historical significance, rarity, or of immense monetary value. As we view it today, looting of indigenous cultural artifacts became the norm. Some of the finds made their way to museums, others to private collections, yet others simply disappeared.
While many societies came into existence to collect and study history, nature, and the other sciences - their aim was advancement of the human knowledge and awareness of their specific science. The League arrived on the scene at this point in time. Early documents suggest it was simply a collection of likeminded individuals who sought to preserve not only historical artifacts - but also the stories behind them - and to do so in a responsible manner.
But other groups had similar aims. In major metropolitan areas across North America and Europe as well as in major universities around the globe, the spirit of exploration and discovery – the lure of fame and wealth precipitated populations dedicated to staking their claim. With well-heeled benefactors and governments eager to expand their reach, military and scientific expeditions assaulted the unknown from every direction.
While speculative, reports suggest that many of the early members of the League were active supporters and participants on these expeditions. Somewhere along the lines, whispers of concern were heard. The stories spoke told of indigenous cultures exterminated by disease and warfare. They spoke of precious artifacts disappearing into private collections. And they spoke of the great loss of knowledge collected over thousands of years only to be destroyed or secreted away. At some point, the voices were heard and a splinter organization formed behind the scenes in a small town in the United States.
Using their secrecy as an advantage, the League concocted a strategy to infiltrate the organizations and expeditions whom through their actions destroyed and profited from the mysteries of the ancient world. The goal was simple – preserve what you could and document what you couldn’t.
The mission was expansive and impossible to achieve in its early years, but the League recruited like-minded individuals and continuously plodded ahead. With a seeming disdain for acclaim - the League worked behind the scenes, gradually making progress recording the world’s mysteries and saving what remnants it could.
Over decades, the league silently collected and catalogued a vast collection of unique items, artifacts, official papers, ships logs, field manuals, maps, and other documents of importance from around the world.
Archived somewhere in a hidden location, resident archivists continuously comb through the material, forge connections, and as opportunities present themselves launch plans for the recover of knowledge and artifacts of worldwide significance.
Leveraging a network of agents from across the sciences, the League brings energy and passion to the ongoing search to recover the past. Always in need of assistance, the concept of Puzzles From The Past was created to engage potential recruits and see if they had the mental stamina and personal integrity to aid the League in its mission.
