User:SunderedShor/sandbox

Name: Ancient and Revered Order of Merrymakers (Issue 6, page 21)

They are a branch of the Council of Musicians, Instrument-Makers and Choristers (Issue 6, page 21; Issue 7, page 17)

Membership: includes clowns, comedians, and jesters (Issue 6, page 20). Bazzle was their guildmaster (Issue 7, page 18)

Magic users have always formed the core elite of their organization. They altered the verbal components of their spells into joke lines. (Issue 6, page 23)

Myyrth was an infamous jester that had died sometime in the 1200's DR (Issue 5, page 5). Through Doofut, the Council of Musicians, Instrument-Makers and Choristers had the idea of reanimating Myyrth's remains proposed to the Ancient and Revered Order of Merrymakers, using it as an opportunity to either discredit the guild if they failed or enact their own bid for power over the city if they succeeded. (Issue 7, pages 15-17)

Sensing that someone was planning to rob his grave, Myyrth's ghost went in search of adventurers at Selune's Smile, where he encountered the group of Kyriani Agrivar, Onyx the Invincible, and Vajra Valmeyjar. (Issue 5, pages 2-4) They headed to the City of the Dead in search of his grave, only to find that they had been too late to prevent the graverobbing. (Issue 5, pages 10,14)

The order robbed the grave of Myyrth. (Issue 6, page 22)

Through a combination of spells they reanimated his skeleton and increased it to a gargantuan size, (Issue 6, pages 23-25) and imbued it with a number of spells including flame breath, frost breath, and withering gaze. (Issue 7, page 8 ) Each spell having been memorized by one of the members. (Issue 7, page 18)

The order set the skeleton loose to wreck havoc across the city until the Lords of Waterdeep yielded to their demand of being recognized as an official guild, (Issue 6, pages 21-25; Issue 7, page 9) particularly directing its ire towards Castle Waterdeep, (Issue 7, page 9) but the order quickly lost control of their undead creation and their guildmaster died trying to stop it. (Issue 7, pages 13-14,18). Many futilely tried to stop the skeleton, but ultimately the remaining members of the order put an end to the creature by reciting the memorized counters for each spell in a precise order (Issue 7, pages 18-22).

Onyx and Vajra lunged for the creature's shrunken skull, but were knocked unconscious by members of the Council of Musicians, Instrument-Makers and Choristers, who fled with the skull in hand (Issue 7, pages 22-25). Planning to use a cleric of Milil to cast speak with the dead on it to learn the secret of his killing joke (Issue 8, pages 4-5)

Gondar must practice experimentation and innovation in the making of tools and implementation of processes and encourage these virtues in others through direct aid, sponsorship, and diplomatic support. They should strive to make farmers, hunters, and others think of new tools, improved ways of crafting and using their existing gear, and new ways of doing things. The Consecrated must keep records of their strivings, ideas, and attempts, so that others can continue where they leave off when gathered at death to the Holy Maker of All Things. They are to discuss ideas and spread them so that all may see the divine light that is Gond.

The Church of Gond, also known as Gondarism, was the primary religious organization dedicated to the worship and service of Gond, the Wonderbringer and Holy Maker of All Things.

Dogma
The Church of Gond actions matter above all else, including intentions and thought, and to always challenge and question the unknown with new inventions. To this end one must strive to become skilled in one or more fields of creation &mdash; such as casting, forging, or tempering &mdash; and to practice various means of joining and fastening things. Doing so would not only make a Gondar fit to bring new wonders into the world, but prepared to make things that can fit any situation or space they are confronted with. However, it was also considered pivotal that any invention of a Gondar should display both a utility and an elegance.

Organization
The clerics of this faith were called "Krii," a word in the Lantanese language that meant disadvantaged. Clerics also referred to themselves as the "Consecrated of Gond" and sometimes referred to other Gondar priests as "fellow Consecrates."

Specialty priests of this faith were known as Gondsmen, the majority of which were Lantanna in origin and often had jobs as merchants. On the island nation of Lantan there was about 20 Gondsmen for every cleric, but throughout most of Faerun the proportion of clerics to Gondsmen was 15 to 1.

Titles
The Church of Gond had a very ordered religious hierarchy, one where obedience to a superior was unquestioning.
 * High Artificer, the highest position within the church hierarchy.
 * Artificier, the title of a priest who has been personally rewarded and named by Gond for special service.
 * Master, the title of a priest of tends a holy site or leads a religious community.
 * High Seeker, the title held by all senior members of the clergy.
 * Seeker of the, a title ranging from Twelfth to First Order.
 * Greater Seeker.
 * Seeker after Small Things, the title of a confirmed priest.
 * Seeker Postulant, the title for a priest in training.
 * Wonderer, the title of a novice priest within the church.

Orders
The Church of Gond had no affiliated knightly orders, though it did have a great deal of honory orders and societies. Such groups were usually founded to recognize the works of Gond within a particular fields and ease the exchange of ideas among the members of said fields, whilst also preventing any church or trade secrets from becoming public knowledge.
 * Armorers of the Wonderbringer
 * The Holy Order of the Most Skilled Architects and Bridgemakers
 * The Industrious Brothers and Sisters of Carpentry, Cabinetry, Puppetry, and Toymaking
 * Order of Puissant Stonemasons and Stonecarvers
 * The Most Arcane Order of Gearmakers, Clockmakers, and Automationists
 * The Society of Creative Castle Design and Construction

Activities
The clergy of Gond were often known for being traveling across Faerûn and establishing alliances, caches, and investmestments as they went. Due to the nomadic nature of Gondar clergy, it was frowned upon for priests to settle in one place. Though superiors would allow this if a priest were to show that the locale was a place where innovation occured and therefore required the watchful eyes of the Church.

As they traveled, Gondar observed, acquired, and safely stored samples of new inventions by others for later exhibition to other priests of the faith. They also supported themselves by selling various wares, including buckles, small brass bells, mortars and pestles, monocles, lenses, and the many substances that were closely guarded secrets of the Church. In the late 14 century DR, this included bullets and smokepowder.

Major Creations
There were a number of inventions by the Church whose methods of creation were closely guarded secrets. what they referred to as a "temple secret." These included the formulas for various cleansers, lubricants, and sealers, as well as the substance smokepowder. Gondar would never make such substances in front of outsiders or discuss their making with them. Only they knew the precise proportions for their ingredients and how to mix them. Though Gondsmen had their own special tricks for making smokepowder, which they often expedited with spells. One was a way of getting three dry ingredients to bond and another was a method of ensuring the final mixture stayed bonded.

The Church took whatever means were necessary to keep these "temple secrets" proprietory, covertly eliminating rival makers by means of diplomacy, financial influence, or sabotage. This was especially the case with smokepowder, as leaving that dangerous substance unchecked could endanger their faith's standing in many regions.

Rituals
The followers of Gond followed a daily routine of reciting prayers in the morning (often while getting dressed) for their spells, a longer prayer of thanks during their main meal, and the reciting of prayers as they retired for the night (often while disrobing). Before commencing any work on a new project, one was supposed to recite a special prayer of thanks and dedication.

Whenever a new tool or machine was either made or seen by a Gondar, they were charged to make two copies of the item, if it was possible to do so. One of these copies would be hidden away from thieves and vandals, awaiting later display to their fellow Gondar, while the other would be smashed (or more preferably, burned) while a prayer known as "Sacred Unmaking" was chanted. Altogether this ceremony was meant to reinforce the idea that Gond had dominion over not only cosntructive engineering, but destructive as well.

Holidays

 * Ippensheir, the sole calendar-based religious festival of the Gondar faith.

Temples & Monasteries
Many temples to Gond were not just ordinary places of worship, but within, machines such as internal combustion engines were displayed and vehicles such as gondrollers were sold. In addition, the major defensible holy houses of the faith were linked by a network of portals maintained by the priesthood.

Regions
Gondarism was prominent on the island nation of Lantan, where it was the state religion. There many clerics held senior positions within the faith.

North of Lantan, the Church of Gond was largely tolerated throughout the rest of Faerûn. Being found in many human-ruled lands, both those that were considered bastions of good and those of evil, as well as an increasing number of rock gnome communities.

Notable Locations

 * High Holy Crafthouse of Inspiration, the central temple of the Gondar faith. It was a large walled monastery located in the city of Illul on Lantan.
 * High House of Wonders, the major temple of Baldur's Gate.
 * House of the Wonderbringer, the major temple of Tilverton and the faith's most prominent temple in the Heartlands.

Dress
Members of this church's clergy, regardless of sex, often wore saffron vestments with enormous sun hats, large belts of linked together metal medallions, and a crimson collar and scarf. Over either one of their shoulders would be draped a leather sash ending a large pouch. These sashes would be adorned with various tools and equipment that could prove useful to a Gondar, such as small metal tools, buckles, cords, gears, hasps, hooks, locks, wires, and bits of steel, tin, or wood. Gondsmen often included lockpicks on theirs.

Adventuring Gondar generally preferred practical clothing, hung about with baldrics and pouches full of supplies, but in dangerous situations would resort to wearing armor along with their leather sash.

Equipment
In terms of weaponry a Gondar typically wore bulky rings that functioned like knuckledusters, carried a sap, and three to four knives of various sorts. A particular favorite of theirs were knives that were removable from the heel of a boot.

Following the Time of Troubles, many Gondar carried a small metal flask of smokepowder, for use as either ammunition or an explosive.

Relationships
Merchants often tried to cultivate relations with their local Gondar clergy, hopeful that they will be able to acquire and sell their latest inventions. But at times Gondar have created things that inadvertently upset existing markets and quickly earn them hostility from other faiths.

Some members of the Church of Mystra opposed Gondarism, as they mistakenly believed he held technology as being above magic.

History
During the Time of Troubles, which occured in the year 1358 DR, the mortal gnome avatar form of Gond washed up on the shores of Lantan. His nature was quickly discovered by the Lantanna, who sheltered and worshiped him until the crisis had passed. Later that year, he revealed the secrets of smokepowder to the Lantanna, including how to make reasonably safe and accurate firearms that utilized the substance. From that year onwards, the Lantanna priests of Gond (mainly the specialty priests) would work to spread the use of firearms, shipping them to Western ports.

Interest in and worship of Gond was on the rise following the Time of Troubles, but so too were attacks upon the Gondar clergy by rival faiths and those who feared their inventions. Rival makers of Lantan's special glass jars slowly emerged in the nations of Calimshan and Tashalar, while elsewhere there emerged rival makers of firearms, though they were inferior to that of the Gondar.

By, the Church had made firearms available all throughout Faerûn, and many rulers viewed the Church of Gond with ire for having introduced them to the continent, seeing the weapons as a threat to their authority.