The Old Order was a prominent but mysterious monastic order in Faerûn in the early 1370s DR.[1]
Dogma[]
The Old Order was dedicated to the philosophy espoused by a certain deity, but they did not worship this deity, nor any other,[1][3] apparently preferring to leave them alone.[4] Their deity was either deceased or had never existed on Toril's Material Plane; the monks were contradictory about this.[1] Some outsiders doubted they'd ever even had a god.[4] The monks considered even the deity's identity unimportant, instead caring only about their message.[1] Their motives were unknown to outsiders.[5][6] They were generally neutral.[1][2]
Classes[]
Monks of the Old Order could cross-train as rogues, sorcerers, and shadowdancers, provided they focused on their monk training.[1][2][3]
History[]
Circa 1370 DR, an adventuring monk of the Old Order from Waterdeep named Teesha Than traveled through Deepingdale in the Dalelands. There she befriended the renowned wizard Rhauntides. In the Year of the Unstrung Harp, 1371 DR, Rhauntides died and, to the surprise of all, bequeathed his tower in Highmoon to Teesha. She established a small monastery there, the first of the Old Order in the Dalelands. It was in operation by the Year of the Wild Magic, 1372 DR. The Deepingdalesfolk were initially wary but soon warmed to them after learning the monks were good neighbors.[7]
Base of Operations[]
Although the Old Order could be found all over Faerûn, they never had any large monasteries.[1] From 1371 DR, they had a monastery in Rhauntides's Tower in Highmoon, Deepingdale.[7]
Monks of the Old Order were to be found in Waterdeep in the early 1370s,[7] but of course they did not worship at the all-faiths shrine of the Plinth.[4]
Tactics[]
The monks were keenly focused on defense and resilience. It was rumored that masters of the order achieved ranks by being able to survive a beating from an ogre while never raising a hand in defense.[5][6]
Activities[]
Members of the Old Order enjoyed philosophical debates and introspection.[3]
The monks manufactured and sold their enchanted, damage-resisting robes of the Old Order to fund their monasteries. These enabled monks of many faiths and orders to survive battles.[5][6]
Notable Members[]
- Silence-Before-Iron, a mysterious adventuring monk member of the Annals of Halgren circa 1310 DR.[8]
- Teesha Than
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
- Video Games
- Icewind Dale II
- Referenced only
- Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 25. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sean K. Reynolds (2002-05-04). Deity Do's and Don'ts (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for Faiths and Pantheons. Wizards of the Coast. p. 7. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2018-09-08.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Black Isle Studios (August 2002). Designed by J.E. Sawyer. Icewind Dale II. Interplay.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Rand Sharpsword (June 2002). More of Waterdeep and Lands of Intrigue! (HTML). Rand's Travelogue. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2015-09-20. Retrieved on 2010-10-31.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 BioWare (June 2002). Designed by Brent Knowles, James Ohlen. Neverwinter Nights. Atari.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Obsidian Entertainment (October 2006). Designed by Ferret Baudoin, J.E. Sawyer. Neverwinter Nights 2. Atari.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 129. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ Black Isle Studios (August 2002). Designed by J.E. Sawyer. Icewind Dale II. Interplay.