Prior to the debacle of the
Second Cambrian Invasion 'scouts and guides' referred to units
of the Reetland army resoponsible for military intelligence. King Hildefons II, however, decided that one of the
reasons for the failure of the invasion had been poor communication between his own spy network and the army
and he took responsibility for intelligence away from his generals and gave it to his personal spymaster.
The King's spy rings previously did not have an official name and the new service became known as the 'Scouts and
Guides' in popular discourse. The formation of the new service was controversial and although in many ways
a success it did raise the public's awareness of its activities. Further the events of 739 had strengthened the hand
of the already burgeoning 'peace' lobby in the Reetland Council who decided to keep a more active eye on what
the 'Scouts and Guides' were up to. Since it became apparent that one of the targets of the service was the peace lobby itself this did
nothing to improve the standing of the intelligent services with the Council and the population in general.
When the
Third Cambrian Invasion of 1056 also failed one of the chief
targets of the Council, in exchange for continued support for the Crown, was the 'Scouts and Guides'. Control of
genuine military intelligence was given back to the army but the Council set up a completely new service to provide
spying services which reported directly to themselves. The Crown was no longer allowed to engage in spying activity.
The military rump of the service is still known as the 'Scouts and Guides' and many suspect that it still (illegally)
engages in domestic espionage.
As an aside it should be noted that the military have for a long time run semi-militarised camps for young people
which are known as 'Scout Camps' for males and 'Guide Camps' for females. These are popular because they
teach many useful practical skills but they
also serve as a recruiting ground for the intelligence services.