The Imperial Archaeological Society
This organisation take great pride in discovering and preserving the history of the lands of Arthea. They painstakingly unearth and record the past, and their work has helped piece together stories of pre-disaster times and the early formative years of the kingdoms that eventually became modern Arthea.
The Society works closely with The Imperial Library and The Pale Flame to ensure that what they learn is recorded and made available to the widest audience. Their work is funded by Imperial grants and by profits made from the sale of antiquities to museums and private collectors. Over the last ten years there has been a rise in demand for such historic treasures; the Society has done well from this increase in demand.
Foundations
Originally established by educated practical historians in the formative years of the Empire. Under Emperor Dominus' early Imperial reign, it became clear that old sites of antiquity were turning up items of historic importance and, more importantly for his newly established nobility, high value. While the educated few were keen to seek out pre-disaster knowledge, they also wanted to secure magical artefacts and items of art that would pay a dividend, and provide an income from this field. In 922 they successfully petitioned the Emperor to create their organisation by Imperial Charter. Initially their base was at Nareth in Tholain.
Over five hundred years there has been a constant supply of sites to discover and expose. Their expertise has been called upon widely across the whole of the lands, especially in Ticetia, where some special sites have been discovered. Really big, high paying sites arise rarely, but the effects of the Disaster have seen ruins exposed and new magic and treasures discovered each year. Against this backdrop their experts have flourished, and a succession of Emperors saw them bring money into the coffers. There always seemed to be a nett profit from each of their discoveries.
The organisation became wealthy. It documented its work in The Imperial Library, and shared their magical discoveries with both The Imperial Academy of Magic in the south and with the The Pale Flame in the north. Within thirty years of being founded, they became the biggest source of knowledge in the Empire, and moved the fields of science and history forward in huge leaps.
During these first decades they expanded rapidly. There was an attempt to bring their bases out to the places closest to where the main discoveries were being made - this meant having them close to the northern edges of the Empire. The unoccupied wilderness was where most of their work was done, and yet their success was also meant establishing major bases in the both Mercunum and Malberina. These stations paid them well over the long years to follow, especially the base in Jorlinum which became a hub for their Ticetian adventure, which was fronted by the Pale Flame's library network as it had become difficult to use the 'Imperial' marker in the fiercely independent north.
Funding Changes
While they retained their Charter, the organisation reflected the sufferings of the Empire. Imperial sponsorship fluctuated until the end of the unfortunate reign of Emperor Gravus, whose poisoning threw politics into turmoil. Imperial funding ended with his death, and never really began again. The organisation had deep pockets, though, and its members were both smart and resourceful, and they turned over sponsorship to individual missions. The wealthy were allowed to invest in individual sites, taking a share of the profits by doing so. This now transformed the IAS's work, as they no longer needed senior approval to investigate sites. Now they were free to go where the profits could be best exploited.
Since those times there has never been any call to return to any kind of centralised sponsorship and control. While they continue with their Imperial name, they have not had to pander to the whims of any political rulers for nearly four hundred years.
The Modern Organisation
In recent times the discovery of new, high-value sites seems to have slowed significantly. Many sites these days simply do not return the high value rewards for the organisation that they once did. Of course there have been exceptions to this over the last century, but the lions share of rewards seem to end up with their investors more than their own coffers these days. In no way does this mean that the organisation is running out of money. Far from it. But it has meant that serious attention has been paid since unification about how the organisation is operated, and their administration model is extremely efficient.
There are still major markets, too. The central base of the organisation is now at Mercunum, where it has been since the time of Emperor Clarius. It was finally moved to be closer to the seat of the Empire when it became clear that the House of Sundus would not be returning the Imperial seat to Nareth. The organisation has remained distributed despite this - it needs to if it wants to remain profitable. It tries to keep site decisions (and sponsorship/investment) as close to the sites as it can to speed up the decision making process.
In modern times each of the former Imperial Kingdoms run their own IAS ventures, and sadly these are on a much smaller scale than in its heyday. If each can operate more than two sites in a year, then they are considered successful. This is driven by the slow rate of discovery of new sites, and also by a lack of enthusiasm from investors who do not want to be involved in archaeology to the degree needed to watch and fund an archaeological site. And this is in contrast to the market for antiquities which, as the wealth of the rich expands, seems to grow larger all the time.
Fashions come and go in antiquities, but there are many collectors among the nobility of Arthea. These nobles would pay well for good condition antiques. This cycle of demand influences heavily on the way the group is organised. The trade in pre-disaster artworks, especially statues, engravings and fine metalworks, is centred in Mercunum, where the wealthy still congregate at the seat of the former Empire. Magical items tend to head to Nareth where the public acceptance of such items is much warmer than in other Imperial nations. Jorlinum, it seems, has become the centre of investment where the majority of sites are organised and paid for, as it is here that is closest to both the wilderness and to the Jorlinum Mountains, where most prospective sites are found.