Orders

To be counted among the wise
Is a crime in a wise one's eyes.
- Saying of the Invisible College

This is a listing of some of the orders (religious or otherwise) in the world.

The Brotherhood/Sisterhood

"Believe in magic and it will believe in you."
- Ugram, half-orc sorcerer

Dress: Brown robes
Symbol: A necklace (often silver) with a small circle broken in half as a symbol on it. The circle is split down the middle evenly and a small distance apart, enough that it seems whole if no one looks closely.

The brotherhood and sisterhood are an ancient order of sorcerers that is largely non-existent in this day and age. Most of their lore was lost in the anti-mage riots during and following the Wizard War and what they knew of magic and the OtherWorld has likely been lost to history. A few sorcerers claim to serve this order, but most believe it died out during the war and was formed again by sorcerers afterwards despite the claims of current members. As they don't make spell books like wizards and seldom keep written records no one is sure what this order really knows about the OtherWorld and magic and they tend to be almost as tight-lipped as Holders of Truth when asked.

The Healers

"To help others you must be part of their lives, of the world. A wound can be judged from outside, but only healed from within, from being part of the wound you mean to mend."
- Kyrisil, elven healer

Dress: Green and white clothing, clean hands (they always wash them).
Symbols: Wooden staff, amulet with a snake eating it's own tail, a small red cross embroidered somewhere on their clothing.

The order of healers is one of the oldest and most respected orders around. Most of them tend to remain in one place and heal those who come to them. (In game terms, they're clerics with the healing domain.) Healers never kill and only use a staff for defence (though any weapon that can do subdual damage could suffice). They won't ever kill someone else for any reason save to defend their own life and even then they would rather do subdual damage and beat someone unconscious than kill them. The exception to this would be undead, but only because you can't beat them unconscious. Most healers know a lot of herbs as well and many of them can help with birthing and also know many of the funerary rites of different lands and peoples. Few people would ever assault a healer.

That's what everyone knows. What isn't public knowledge is that the Order was actually founded by lizardfolk clerics in the southern jungles, probably evolving out of sharing herbs and their cures among like-minded clerics. The order moved north to Bakar eventually (to help heal those wounded by the various wars) and, being impartial, the clerics healed humans as well. One of them asked about the order and eventually built a chapter house to it in Bakar (the only one in the world) which is basically the only medical school in the northern continent. Most healers train their apprentices on the go or at their homes but in general most healers - even those not of the order - find their way to the School in Bakar. There are also some gnomish alchemists whose experiments with essence (quintessence) and chemicals have led to a lot of revolutions in healing and many of them are considered honourary members of the order.

The Holders of Truth

"The truth can hurt. We just keep it from hurting others."
- Motto of the Holders of Truth

Dress: None
Symbol: An open, all seeing eye.

The holders of truth are a clerical order that accept secular members as well. The goal of this order is to learn truths and keep them known - if only to the holders. They try and gather as much truth about people and events as possible but are generally very stingy about sharing truths with others, unless given something in return. However, they are welcomed solely because if they invoke truth no one is capable of lying to them and often serve to mediate disputes in villages when the king (or whoever's) justice isn't around. They have been known to submit to horrible tortures while refusing to give out truths they know or fighting foes to the death to preserve knowledge that would be lost otherwise. Most people respect them even if they don't trust them, which is ironic.

They are often thought to be a splinter group of the Invisible College.

The Invisible College

"Wisdom is knowledge applied: and knowledge of something is not the capacity to choose between them."
- A member of the college.

Dress: None. Formal wear consists of a sword (or other weapon of choice) and scroll somewhere on their person.
Symbols: Air elementals, an open hand, the moon.

It doesn't exist. I mean, a college with no location at all and members trained or offered memberships on the fly ... it's a joke, a mockery, not a real order of any kind. At least, that's what everyone believes. And they're right, largely. The college isn't so much a joke as a refusal to agree with set opinions and beliefs. Each member makes their own path, finds their own way to knowledge and learns whatever they want to learn. There is no central location or storage, just the minds of the members. Heck, the college itself exists simply wherever two or more members meet, nothing more. No one knows if it really exists (since little stops someone from claiming to be a member) nor what it's goals are.

The Order of Reh

"For the glory of Reh!"
- Battle cry of the Order

Dress: Armour & a Big Weapon.
Symbol:

The order of Reh is a well funded order of clerics that for the most part only serve Reh since they don't feel they need the other gods (though the goddess can be very nasty at times, which they respect). They're warriors and are among the few clerics to learn the really damaging offensive spells, learning healing only so they can stop their own wounds and continue on with a fight. Most clerics worry that this order could cause people to view clerics as they do wizards and sorcerers but so far it' wrath has been reserved for those who unquestionably do evil, and often can't be punished by law due to their status. most cities outlaw them. They tend to accept quests a lot and never shy away from battle.