Religious Organizations
Organizations that may have religious ties (from Faiths of Balance)
The Companies of the Red Standard
It is unsurprising that a knightly order sworn to Gorum would be mercenaries—both then, Gorum is hardly subtle. What is surprising is that this order would last more than 100 years to become one of the most feared mercenary companies in Avistan. Formed by a half-elf, the Company of the Red Standard quickly grew to include as many as 15 subsidiary groups before collapsing back into 5. Each of these units ranges far abroad, selling its services to armies or mercenary units that need dedicated and brutal shock troops. The men and women of the Company never stay for longer than a few battles, no matter how heavy their losses.
The Reborn House
The twin urges of Nethys, creation and destruction, find a marriage in The Reborn House. They are an order of adventuring spellcasters who seek to purify the reputation and role of magic in society by healing those wounded through the injudicious use of magic and destroying the uncontrollable abominations created by wizards whose reaches exceeded their grasps. The groups come from all walks of the magical world, but all have suffered some tragedy born of magic. When they have cured the ills of those affected by magic not their own, they ready their war-magics and don their destructive masks to seek out those responsible. They fight in defense of cities of innocents, raising great shields and issuing sorties against those spellcasters who would ravage the defenseless.
The Sacred Order of Archivists
To an Iroran, there is no greater crime than the willful destruction of history, and it is for this reason that the Sacred Order of Archivists was formed. Based out of the cosmopolitan city of Kintargo in Cheliax, the secret society was originally created by a group of like-minded scholars in response to the revisionist tendencies of the House of Thrune, which was busy making sweeping changes to the official history of the nation and destroying any documents that contradicted their revisions. While not interested in direct confrontation, the Iroran scholars began seeking out those documents and relics crucial to maintaining an accurate picture of the past, safeguarding them for those who might legitimately seek out their secrets.
Not all of Abadar’s faithful travel the roads. Among their number are those who recognize that the seas are vital to trade and the creation of wealth and plenty. Yet the seas themselves are watched over by entities like Gozreh and Besmar, forces who are frequently the scourge of sea-going merchants. For this reason, the Sea Dragons, sworn to Abadar’s name have built an impressive fleet to provide protection, carriage and escort services for merchants who wish to ensure that their wares to reach the farthest markets of the Inner Sea. They are available for rent to those who can afford their services, and though they will often aid others to distress, they always present a bill when the action is over.
The Voices of the Spire are a militant wing of the Pharasmin priesthood devoted exclusively to the total destruction of undead and those wo harbor them. Composed primarily of inquisitors, rangers with favored enemy (undead) and clerics, the group does not bother with other Pharasmin concerns such as ministering to the dead or acting as midwives, believing that the greatest thing one can do in Pharasma’s name is remove those creatures that defy her authority. The group has chapter houses in many countries, but is strongest in Ustalav, Osirion and Quantium, with the chapter house in the latter being a huge fortress from which the group plans raids against the undead nation of Geb. These sanctuaries hide texts about the most effective defenses and weapons against various forms of undead in the area and their habits. They pay well for information on new undead or changes in existing patterns, but the locations of their strongholds are well-kept secrets. Their undead enemies are powerful and dangerous, and so to find members, you must know where to look and how to ask. Many of the Voices, as they call themselves, carry badges to protect against their souls being torn away by the undead should they be abducted by their foes.
Few of the groups that gather under the banner of a god do so with less organization or order than those who come to Calistria. The Wasp Queens are an elite society of female thieves—exclusively elves and half-elves—who follow the teachings of Calistria, particularly those related to trickery and revenge. They are for hire for any number of activities, and revenge. They are for hire for any number of activities, and revenge. They are for hire for any number of activities, but the ones that excite them the most are the jobs that people say are impossible. They have broken into the most secure vaults of Abadar’s temples, have lifted enormous amounts of coin from the banks of Absalom, and are even said to have stolen the scepter of Queen Abrogail of Cheliax herself and sold it back to her for an exorbitant sum (though this last may be one of the many grandiose fictions surrounding the group). They are enormous braggarts, exaggerating their trophies and their conquests, and always willing to lead a perfectly shaped ear to a good pitch for a job or a potentially lucrative sob story.
The Wind Callers
Not all followers of Gozreh despise the agents of civilization. While societal expansion can wreak destruction on land, the ocean is in no danger of being overwhelmed by the ocean is in no danger of being overwhelmed by the handful of ships that date brave its swells, and the sea in more than capable of defending itself. Given these facts, some priests and other spellcasters devoted to Gozzeh chose to work with sailors and captains than choose to work against them, signing on to ships and using their powers to help ensure smooth and safe voyages, summoning the wind during doldrums and protecting the delicate crafts from the sea’s savage storms. These are the Wind Callers, less an organized group than a tradition, and though not common, their services are extremely prized by savvy captains. While often eccentric, the wind caller’s ability to read the sea—and sometimes control it—makes them well worth the hassle for many seafarers.
Other Organizations (from Faiths of Purity)
Banner of the Stag: Although Erastil does not generally encourage long journeys and adventures, he and his worshipers make exceptions for a few rare cases. One of these cases is going to be battle to protect one’s home community—the Stag God understands that sometimes this means protecting the communities of others as well. In the northern parts of the Inner Sea, especially around Lake Encarthan, the Banner of the Stag has formalized an agreement to mobilize militias and provide aid to towns and hamlets in need. The traditional home of the Banner of the Stag is Nirmathas, where smaller settlements are under constant threat from the monsters of Nidal, the orcs of Belkzen, and military raids from imperialistic Molthune. Led by retired Chelish general Francis Alterrax. The Banner of the Stag keeps lines of communication open between Erastil’s more militant worshipers and can mobilize a defense force within a day. Veteran soldiers who had retired to their homes strap on their armor, grab their bows, double-time to the rallying point, and from there engage in guerilla warfare to protect their brethren. When the trouble’s over they go home—until the next time they’re called to serve. Despite the inconvenience, they know it could be their own homes on the line next, and so they do their job without complaint.
Deepdelvers: Torag has a reputation as a peerless warrior and cunning strategist. His people are stubborn, strong, and able to work wonders with stone. Thus, it only makes sense that one of his holy orders, the Deepdelvers, should combine these traits to restore the glory of the dwarves. The Deepdelvers are the dwarven equivalent of scouts and rangers—they’re the light infantry, the sappers, the ones who ferret out the enemies of their people and lay destructive traps for monsters. Their insignia is a gray banner with a silvered axe on a black sash in the middle. Its’ said they know ever cave and tunnel complex within 300 miles of the Five Kings Mountains, and they keep careful maps of every place they’ve been. The Deepdelvers may provide maps and guidance to outsiders, provided they pay a suitable tithe to the church and guarantee that they’ll use the knowledge to eliminate evil creatures in those caves. The Deepdelvers travel light and hit hard. They mostly wear magical leather armor and carry pickaxes and shovels along with their battleaxes, using all three as both tools, and weapons. They feed on the local flora and fauna, sometimes including the monsters they kill, and are the bane of the evil Darklands races.
Glory of the Risen Robe: While most of the best-known worshipers of the other deities are primarily martial orders. Shelyn’s Glory of the Risen Robe is concerned first and foremost with creation and beauty, and only secondarily with weapons and magic. This group of itinerant artists make it their mission to beautify the world, and so they journey in caravans to create traveling art shows. As they travel, they periodically stop outside a town or city to create a new installation. It might be an enormous painting on canvas stretched across a hillside, or a series of wooden silhouette carvings that cast strange and delightful shadows that tell a story across the day as the sun’s position changes. Even Erastil’s conservative adherents are delighted to see the Glory of the Risen Robe, for the travelers bring money and create their art with locally bought materials, showing people how creativity arises from everyday functionality. Members of the Glory never produce the same work of art twice, and they never intend for their work to be permanent: the joy of beauty is in its transience, and in learning to produce new art from within. The Glory of the Risen Robe travel in gaudily painted wagons, with the banner of the rose flying proudly above. Though they are peaceful, many are also competent warriors, and if attacked, they move in fluid and beautiful forms to strike down their enemies.
The Halo of Blades: The Everlight Oasis is a common pilgrimage site for the devotees of Sarenrare, and its popularity draws brigands and cutthroats to prey on weary travelers. As the mercenaries that pilgrims hire for protection are frequently in league with the highwaymen, the faithful of the Dawnflower have long since decided to take matters into their own hands. Thus was born the Halo of Blades, paladins and clerics who see the protection of their flock as their primary mission. Indeed, they have become so serious about their oaths that they have expanded their operation well beyond the Everlight Oasis and across the continent. Their mission is to eliminate all those who prey on honest travelers, and it is not uncommon to see their red pennants snapping high above their scimitars as they destroy ambuscades on the roads between the cities. They do not venture deep into the wilderness unless they are chasing their quarry; they are protectors of the roads and byways of civilized lands. The only exceptions they make to this rule are to hunt the minions of Rovagug, and to aid those in obivious distress. They’re no fools, and they rarely fall for ambushes themselves, thanks in large part to their incredibly efficient scouting and communications.
Knights of Ozem: While Iomedae’s followers have formed any number of military orders devoted to spreading her word, perhaps none is better known than the Knights of Ozem, in whose number Iomedae herself served when she was mortal. Formed long ago to battle the Whispering Tyrant in the Shining Crusade, they saw their first patron, the goddess Arazni, destroyed by the lich-king Tar-Baphon, and stolen and defiled by the sorcerer-king Geb. The knights have never forgiven or forgotten this. The knights call Iomedae the “Light of the Sword,” and they take this name seriously. Their commanders carry flame tongues and continual flame or permanent light spells cast on their blades. Their mission is to monitor Gallowspire and guard against any possible return of Tar-Baphon, to seek out and destroy undead, and to cast back the demons of the Worldwound. Smaller squadrons of the sect have made it their first priority to reclaim or destroy the Harlot-Queen, their former goddess, and have set up camps around Geb to spy on the country of the unliving—though to date all who have attempted to actively redeem Arazni have met with terrible fates.
Starstone Brewers: The Starstone Brewers are a loose organization of Cayden Cailean’s worshipers, coming from all walks of life and united under the guise of teaching people how to make excellent ale. It just so happens that they’re also problem-solvers, detectives, and—when need demands—competent muscle in the service of good. They’re an itinerant group, banding together and disbanding across the roadways of the Inner Sea, with an ad hoc membership any of the faithful can join if they’re willing to put in some work. Their talk of farming for the proper crops and the secret tips for brewing—and occasional combat assistance for those fighting the good fight—is secondary to its main mission however. The primary work of the organization is helping find homes for orphans, children especially beloved of their god. They follow along behind battles, sweeping through and past the battlefields, looking for children who have lost their homes and their parents, planting placards that name the children they have found and where they have been taken, and then taking them to established orphanages of Cayden Cailean. If no parents come to claim the children, the Starstone Brewers look for loving homes for them; some even raise orphans as their own teaching them swordcrfat or magic, and instilling in them the virtues praised by their god. While fostering children is admirable, the group’s tendency to rescue orphaned children from slavery and indentured servitude as well as simple abandonment means they frequently find themselves on the wrong side of the law in countries where such exploitation is legal. They carry the banner of the foaming mug, and treat those vultures who seek to take advantage of such children with absolutely no mercy.
Whispered Song: The Whispered Song is a hidden group of Desnan worshipers in the darkest reaches of shadow—haunted Nidal, center of the cult of the insane god Zon-Kuthon. Even in the black evil of this blasted country, these devotees of the Song of the Spheres maintain hope, nourishing the remnant aspirations and dreams of the cowed populace. The worship they espouse is banned, but the cause they champion is just. Their lives are forfeit should they ever be captured, and so they work in disguise and undercover with the faithful of Milani to build a resistance with the veneration of the goddess of luck and dreams at its head. Members of the Whispered Song dare not identify themselves for fear of losing everything—lives, families, and souls—but it is said that they have tried to burrow into the Umbral Court itself, and they wait and watch newcomers to Nidal, judging them and possibly inviting those they deem worthy of help. Their numbers remain few, but their agents maintain contact with places where Desna’s worship is stronger, and they are absolutely dedicated to their cause. Through their community, they grow stronger, and their song grows louder, and they say that Desna herself protects them from the agents of the twisted god of agony.