Seekers of Sagacity

Clerics of The Lord of Intuition are respected as the wise men and women of the lands. However, they are not devoted exclusively to the study of books; wisdom comes from experience. Unlike most scholars, with their noses are buried in tomes, clerics of the Wise One are active in the world and give counsel to those who need it. Often, the price for a Seeker’s advice is a riddle, a bit of arcane knowledge or some other useful information.

After acceptance into the Seekers of Sagacity, an uninitiated adept spends five years within the temple learning the wisdom of the ways of the Eye Opener. A Seeker spends her next five years traveling the world. During these years, known as the Seeking, the cleric carefully observes all that she encounters.

The cleric then returns to the temple where she chooses the way she will serve the Wise One. She may choose to become counselor to a lord or king who has requested a new adviser. She may choose to remain at the temple and give advice. Alternatively, she may choose to continue traveling the world to impart the wisdom of the Lord of Intuition.

Seekers of Sagacity tend to avoid combat unless necessary. They prefer a battle of wits, and always have an arsenal of riddles prepared for such a competition. Nevertheless, they train themselves in the ways of armed combat; not all opponents have the capacity to clash in ways other than force.

Seekers often solicit Sphinxes to share riddles and arcane lore.

Adventures: The constant quest for new pieces of knowledge and riddles drives many Seekers, and many adventure to solve mysteries or explore the vast unknown. Seekers of Sagacity find equal challenge in exploring an ancient lost city as in unraveling a mysterious theft in a teeming metropolis.

Characteristics: Seekers of Sagacity often display an air of indifference to physical danger. They reserve their energies for the confronting the truly worst source of doom: ignorance. Seekers, while capable of defending themselves and bringing stability and knowledge to the land by defeating the forces of chaos and violence, know that the greatest enemies cannot always be defeated through magic and force of arms.

A Seeker typically believes he can talk his way through any challenge involving an intelligent opponent, and prefers a diplomatic solution whenever possible. Seekers of Sagacity are open and friendly towards all reasonable beings regardless of social class, for they know wealth and class is rarely an indicator of wisdom.

Background: Most Seekers of Sagacity are from the middle to upper class of society, where they can more readily pursue intellectual avenues, while the hard physical demands of the professions of the lower classes often leave little time for contemplation and study. Nevertheless, anyone with the aptitude can find the calling of the Seeker appealing. While the Seekers of Sagacity travel far and wide to spread wisdom and counsel, most members of the church and members of this class initially come from metropolitan and “civilized” regions, where a greater percentage of the population can more readily devote themselves to the quest for wisdom and knowledge.Races: The longer-lived races such as elves and dwarves are heavily represented among the Seekers of Sagacity. Halflings rarely have the drive and seriousness necessary to follow this path, and half-orcs and other races more inclined towards violence find little appeal in the class.

Relations With Other Classes: Seekers of Sagacity work well with wizards and most other clerics, as these classes tend towards knowledge and learning. Rogues and bards have their own brand of world experiences, and can become a Seeker’s fast friend. They see barbarians and fighters who swing first and ask questions later (if ever) as uncouth, intemperate boors. The typical Seeker does not hold any person in high regard if he refuses to examine the situation or explore alternatives, but continually seeks a physical and violent solution to problems.

Relations With Undead: Clerics must destroy undead that threaten the faith or its worshippers, but can animate, create or associate with undead in life-threatening situations, or if the association furthers the faith’s goals and will do no harm later. If the church decrees the cleric has committed an offense against the faith, he may be subject to penance or (for major offenses) even banned from increasing in temple rank.

Role: Seekers of Sagacity see themselves as guides in a broader sense than the figurative application of most clerics. They point out the obvious to those around them, cutting through distraction and the unimportant to arrive at wisdom. In an adventuring party, they keep the party focused on its current objective and weigh courses of action to give the party the wisest path to success.