Church of Oghma

The Church of Oghma was the primary religious organization devoted to the worship and service of Oghma, the Lord of Knowledge.

Dogma
Knowledge was supreme, especially in its purest form—the idea. Though weightless, a simple idea could move mountains and cast aside empires. Knowledge was power, but must be used responsibly. Hiding knowledge was never a good thing. The voices of singers and bards was to be appreciated and always listened to. A follower of Oghma would not stand idly by while a singer or bard was attacked.

Organization
The entire organization recognized the Grand Patriarch of Oghma, who up until 1358 DR was Cullen Kordamant of Procampur. However, Cullen, along with most of his supporting clergy, vanished during the Time of Troubles. The Grand Patriarch's disappearance sparked a schism within Oghma's faithful, resulting in two branches of the Church and the formation of the Orthodox Church of Oghma who were based in the Domes of Reason in Procampur.

Titles
The common clergy within the Church of Oghma were referred to as loremasters. Acolytes were called seekers and senior seekers. A seeker would be recognized as a true servant of Oghma when two priests discerned their true loyalty to the god. Titles for venerated members of the clergy included Loremaster Amanuensis, Loremaster Venturer, Loremaster Bold, Lore Scribe of the God, Wise Anticipator, Inspirator, Inspirator High, Atlar, Higher Atlar, Loremaster High, Loremaster Most High, Eye of Oghma, and Divine Hand of Oghma. Titles specific to the Oghmanyte Church of Sembia and the Pursuers of Pure Knowledge in Mintar included, in ascending order, Advocate, Accomplished Advocate, Loremaster of the Twelfth, Loremaster of the Eleventh, etc., Loremaster High, Learned One, and Patriarch. Regardless of rank, followers of Oghma addressed each other as 'Brother' and 'Sister'.

Classes
It included clerics, monks, bards, sages, wizards, and specialty priests called lorekeepers.

Orders
The Church of Oghma did not officially sponsor any knighthoods or military orders, but they often worked closely with the Harpers. Some of Oghma's monastic orders included the Order of the Gilt Laurel, the Children of the Passive Voice, the Fellows of the Forest, and the Companions of the Silver Strings. The Companions of the Silver Strings were heroic bards who acted valiantly at risk of their own lives in the service of the church of Oghma.

Activities
Due to the split within the Church, many loremasters of Oghma were not welcome within regions of Faerûn where the Orthodox Church held sway.

Shrines & Temples
Much of the Church of Oghma's power was centered within Sembia. Candlekeep, being the center of lore in Faerûn, was also a sacred place for Oghma. Other temples and libraries devoted to Oghma and his church included the Tower of Thought in Selgaunt, Leaves of Learning in Highmoon, Library of Curna in the Shining Lands, and the Font of Knowledge in Waterdeep.

Relationships
The church had strong ties with New Olamn bardic college and the Scriveners', Scribes', and Clerks' Guild in Waterdeep, and was financially supported by the Estelmer and Majarra noble families in the City of Splendors.

Possessions
They often wore Oghma's symbol, a silver scroll on a chain, as a necklace.

History
During the Time of Troubles in the, the Grand Patriarch of Oghma Cullen Kordamant disappeared without a trace, and reports on his current whereabouts from Oghma were confused and conflicting. As a consequence, a schism formed in the faith. The main branch, the Orthodox Church of Oghma in Procampur, believed that Kordamant had ascended to the House of Knowledge to serve as Oghma's proxy, and he remained the only true Grand Patriarch of the church until Oghma named a successor. A rival group, the Church of Oghma in Sembia, went ahead and named a new Grand Patriarch anyway, which the Orthodox Church refused to accept. The church in Sembia also disagreed with the Orthodox Church on the dissemination of knowledge, teaching that knowledge must be tested and proven "worthy" before being released to the public. Later the Church of Oghma moved its base to Cormyr, renaming itself the Oghmanyte Church in Exile. This schism continued unabated for over a century, a fundamental sickness in the faith, or more likely an assault on it from some external entity.

Undryl Yannathar, a former Grand Patriarch of the Oghmanyte Church in Exile, retired from his position some time before 1455 DR. Advised by the rakshasa Kalkan, his followers traveled to the nation of Akanûl, gathering new followers in that land. After Yannathar's death, a former Orthodox priest of Oghma, the dwarf Landrew, helped found a new group that broke away even from the Church in Exile, calling it the Church of All Tomorrows. The Church of All Tomorrows taught that Oghma's knowledge was incomplete, for Oghma could never unerringly foretell the future. The Church of All Tomorrows offered Oghmanytes the "true power" of knowledge of the future, which Kalkan gained from an ancient Imaskari magic item known as the damos. The group planned on sacrificing a servant of Oghma's Orthodox Church in order to formally end its ties to Oghma and embrace the mysterious Voice of Tomorrow as its patron. They were nearly thwarted by the deva Demascus, but Demascus himself became the sacrifice.