THE EXQUISITE LODGE OF AUGURS AND DIVINERS
("the Diviners, the Lodge") |
| From |
Offshoot of the Unbroken Circle with the same monastic teaching tradition but no formal ties to the Church. The Diviners split from the Circle 234 years ago to pursue more specialized knowledge than the Order (and its Church handlers) were willing to explore. Knowing too much about the outer planes is...discouraged, after all. Clever manoeuvring (it's almost as if the Lodge knew the time was ripe) resulted in backing from the Royal Court to specialize in magical information gathering. How could it be wrong to make the right knowledge available to the right people?
Early generations of Lodge students always had a tie to the nobility, in blood or in close relations with the local court. Nowadays merchants also send their sons to the Exquisite Lodge of Augurs and Diviners. Peasants are admitted if they pass a general knowledge test or are sponsored by a noble, but the Lodge does not train those who do not have the contacts to make the most of its teachings. It has close ties to guilds of navigation, cartography, glassblowing and lens grinding.
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In addition to focused divination knowledge, students also study worldly knowledge such as investigation, trade, and geography. The Lodge does contract work as translators and bounty hunters for both merchant and noble houses. Lodge members are expected to share information freely with each other, but do not divulge who contributed such insights. In practice, many graduates' allegiance is to their noble master or merchant house - they find themselves subtly excluded from core Lodge business.
Of late, the Lodge has been sponsoring long distance trade with very good results. This is also an excellent cover for its search for higher circle wizard spells. The Master Library already holds Symbol, Mind Blank and Telepathy. This quest is only known to the College of Deans, but lower professors and lecturers wouldn't be worth their salt (prices about to rise due to a shipwreck, buy now before word hits the market) if they couldn't guess what the Lodge was up to.
Relations and views
- Ancient and Orthodox Order of the Unbroken Circle: our former brethren are so stuck to the old ways, so scared of innovation. Play the pious sage for them and their priestly masters.
- Fraternity of the Comet: admirable dedication and good to have on board when trading.
- Enlightened Order of the Silver Rose: as specialized in molding base elements as we are in uncovering what is hidden.
- Brotherhood of the Violet Cloud: it is not wise to so openly seek for proscribed spells.
- Hollow Tree: vile warlocks and heretics. Do you ever wonder what they learn from the dead?
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Typical gear
Formal wear after graduation for the Diviners is simple grey robes with a star or moon motif embroidery. Their arcane implement is an orb. In practice, the Lodge likes to show its wealth with beautiful trophies, quality clothes and excellent food and amusements.
Benefits: specialties, spell access and lore
- The Augurs and Diviners exclusively train as Divination specialists.
- Students may take proficiency in one extra wizard skill or one of these toolkits: Cartographer, Glassblower, Lens Grinder, Navigator
- A member in good standing (and not behind on their payments) receives access to all divinations they can cast. The library of the Lodge contains levels 1-6 of Divination and spells from the schools of Abjuration (levels 1-6), Illusion (levels 1-4) and Enchantment (levels 1-4). Transmutation and Evocation spells can be sourced at 50% markup through contacts in the Order of the Unbroken Circle.
Favors for the Lodge
The Lodge can teach wizards how to cast Cantrip spells without expending magical energy, and can provide training as a Divination specialist. In return, the Lodge requires a service from you.
- get initial training as a specialty wizard at level 2: roll 1d6
- perform the rite to cast Cantrips without spending spell slots: roll 2d6
- learn specialty school features at (level 6,10,14): roll 3d6
- Spend 1d3 weeks as a teaching assistant in an introductory class
- Collect the spellbook of a deceased Lodge member
- Provide spellcasting support to the Lodge: spend 5*your available spell slots over 1 week time
- Find out how smugglers are getting their wares across the border
- Investigate an act of (d8): 1 swindle, 2 vandalism, 3 robbery, 4 burglary, 5 smuggling, 6 assault, 7 arson, 8 murder
- Find a runaway (d6): 1 serf, 2 guild apprentice, 3 guard, 4 squire, 5 noble's heir
- A [guild] is negotiating a large shipment of their [prize product] - find out the bulk price
- A shipment of [prize product] is held up by tax inspectors - make them release the cargo without inspecting it
- A minstrel is telling surprisingly accurate stories about the Far Lands. Find out how they got this information
- A spy has been relaying information from privy council - find out who and how
- We see a trade opportunity opening up, but do not want to tip our hand to the [guild] - find middlemen to buy the cargo for us
- What on earth are the Dwarfs buying all that food and fuel for? Investigate.
- Our friends in the lens grinders's guild want to test a new contraption. Go with them on a field trip (d4) 1 out to sea, 2 to the hills 3 to an abandoned watch tower 4 to the castle.
- The Order of St Gustau wants to know how a village wizard learned advanced conjuration
- A demon plagues a noble house. Find it, excorcise it - and see if you can't keep in touch with it for valuable information down the line
- One of our trade ships has not made it to its destination port. Find out what happened.
- The Olmadicians have a cloister where sleeping priests pray to sleeping godlings. Infiltrate such a dream prison to recover precious information
- There is a tower with a door no-one can open and a room no-one can enter. It holds a book that holds a map to a fragment of higher level magic. Find it.
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