Healing Halls of Morwyn
The healing halls of Morwyn, as her churches are called, are run by her followers, the Morwynites. Morwynites are enormously popular wherever their healing halls are found, for they cure diseases and heal their hurts. All people love Morwynite healing, but not everyone loves the Morwynites themselves. Many people see them as impossibly holy, even self-righteous. For this reason, healing halls are not as common as they could be. Morwynites receive many donations from their patients and fill massive coffers but lack common people to staff a healing hall in every major population center. Add to this the somewhat peculiar structure of the healing halls (see below), and you have a church which, despite its popularity, has difficulty spreading its faith. The principal temporal goal of the Morwynite faith is to increase its lay membership, so it can build and staff more healing halls. This goal places Morwynites in direct conflict with the Great Church, which offers healing as well (though as one service of many), and like the Morwynites, wishes to attract devout laity and expand its reach. This yields the strange result of two lawful good churches, which eye each other suspiciously. Yet the churches are quite similar. It is no coincidence that the head of both faiths is called the Supreme Matriarch (or sometimes Patriarch, in the case of the Great Church Hefasten modeled the Great Church after his native Morwynite faith. The Great Church exists to add members, and the Morwynites fear that if they don’t do the same, they will cease to exist. And it is possible. The Morwynite message is one of peace, harmony, charity and love for all; the average person is entirely unprepared to commit his life to the doctrine. Few believe they can live up to the standards of the church and its deity. More importantly, it is a difficult life. Morwynites constantly give of themselves, in spirit and earthly labor. Morwynites hold only those possessions they must have to survive, giving everything else to the healing halls for charitable distribution. While most are happy to give to the Morwynites in return for healing, or when attending a service in thanks for a newborn child or cured illness, that is the extent of their involvement with the healing halls. Since the Morwynites never refuse healing to anyone, there is no real incentive for its beneficiaries do more. Thus, only the purest, most caring souls end up among the Morwynites. There aren’t many such folk. Quite often, the healing halls neighbor or adjoin a foundation of Rontra, as the goddesses are considered to be intrinsically linked. Morwyn looks upon her followers with great affection. As the instigator of the Compact, Morwyn commits to its terms. She sees the healing halls as her best and strongest hope for opposing evil and making an impact on the mortal world. However, she also sees how the Compact has bound her hands in those same efforts and is sometimes frustrated by her inability to take direct action in the world. Morwyn’s primary concern with her church is its apparent inability to draw new people to the faith. The entire purpose of the Compact is to promote the works of the gods through mortal agents, yet other gods enjoy greater benefits under its terms, even though it was her initiative. Morwyn finds this profoundly disappointing, yet also believes her worshipers properly represent her beliefs as they work in the healing halls. Morwyn is in direct contact with the Morwynite Supreme Matriarch and gives her guidance on spiritual matters. The entire faith was founded by a priestess named Tyngelle, in whom Morwyn put her faith long ago to build a lasting church in her honor. The order established by Tyngelle lasts to this day, and Morwyn sees each Supreme Matriarch as a direct descendent of the first, in whom she put her faith. Morwyn never tells her representative exactly how to behave, nor does she dictate the direction the healing halls should take. Morwyn lets her children make their own decisions but does provide the Supreme Matriarch with advice to pass on to spiritually troubled seekers who come to the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand. For this reason, these inquisitive, disturbed souls often find what they seek in the Supreme Matriarch’s presence. The head of the Morwynites is incredibly wise, and sometimes speaks with the Queen of Heaven’s voice.
Tenets of Faith
The healing halls are homes to those of truly decent and merciful dispositions. Their residents are neither politically motivated nor cunning plotters who hoard secrets. The faithful of Morwyn are exactly what they appear to be: the most loving, kind people in the world. They value hope and joy over victory and dogmatism. They purge themselves of pride and self-importance, and live to protect, serve, aid, teach, and heal a wounded world. In this they try to live out the mystery of Morwyn, who purged herself of the power of fire, given to all the gods, to heal her family. It is easy to see why the Morwynites grow scarce. Most people do not attend their services or join their numbers because they feel they simply are not up to a lifetime of service and personal perfection.
For those who are members of the healing halls, either as congregants, clergy, holy warriors, or white hands, the principles of the faith surround a four-word maxim: Charitable, Merciful, Gentle, and Wise. Following this maxim, the Morwynites lend aid to all people and seek out those who are good, or who might be good if lent a hand, to help them spread the four virtues.
Charitable
If it is in your power to aid another, why would you not? In her grace, Morwyn has given a limitless bounty to the children of the earth. If we can aid others, what could dissuade us? Morwyn gave up her fire, the very power of the soul, so the other gods might live; what might the faithful give that could match this, the ultimate act of charity? For this reason, Morwynites do not demand money for their healing unless there is a good reason (see Wisdom, below) and they gravitate toward areas where the needy congregate. This doctrine stymies the church’s recruitment efforts, as there is nothing to be gained for oneself by joining, except a sense of peace. One does not attend a healing hall to make political connections or business deals.Merciful
If you are wronged, you must forgive. If you have an enemy in your power who is redeemable, you must seek to redeem him, even though your heart tells you it is folly. Redemption is always better than punishment, and sometimes the mere example of mercy is enough to redeem even the hardest heart. For this reason, Morwynites never kill people of one of the five mortal races if they can avoid it. Instead, they work tirelessly to redeem the person in question, offering them chance after chance to better themselves.Gentle
War is never the first resort or second resort, and not even the third resort. Morwynites believe violence against kin—meaning the mortal races—should be avoided at all costs unless self-defense requires it. Morwynites are not pacifists; they take up arms against evil races, undead, dangerous beasts, and fiends. However, against the redeemable (which they tend to define as any person of one of the five mortal races, though individual Morwynites may believe in redemption for other beings—or rarely, that a group within one of the mortal races, such as dark elves, can’t be redeemed), Morwynites do not raise hands in anger. They fight only if attacked.Wisdom
It should be obvious that the first three parts of the Morwynite maxim could result in a group of people who are easily exploited, but Morwyn is the goddess of wisdom, and her followers are no fools. They are not being taken advantage of when they give freely. For example, a Sister of Beneficence might regularly heal a man who has money, but pretends he does not, and who does not donate to the church. She does not do so naively, and eventually makes it clear to the man, when he least expects it, she knows exactly what he is up to. It is this doctrine that keeps the faithful from doing things that are clearly foolish. A Morwynite shopkeeper does not give up his shop simply because someone else needs it, but believes he does the most good by owning a successful business and donating his surplus to the healing halls. While the Morwynites are thought foolish by those who would exploit them, they in fact hold to the hope they can save such people through good deeds.Worship
The life of a Morwynite is understandably difficult. People disappoint them all the time, and their hopes are often shattered by the petty wickedness of common folk. In their most trying times, the Morwynites utter the following invocation.
“Holy Mother, heed my prayer. Lend me your wisdom, So that I might see clearly; Give me your patience, That I might bear what I see.”
“Holy Mother, heed my prayer. Lend me your wisdom, So that I might see clearly; Give me your patience, That I might bear what I see.”
Priesthood
Saints
The Supreme Matriarch of the Morwynites delivers the roll of saints and martyrs every seven years from the great healing hall where she resides. Those named are henceforth referred to as “Saint,” regardless of whether they are included on the roll for having been beatified or martyred. A saint is someone who has done great work in the name of Morwyn, such as retrieving an artifact, saving an entire people, standing in the way of some profoundly evil plot. It must be a work of enormous importance and must be done in Morwyn’s name. It is possible to be sainted in one’s lifetime, and some of the most powerful adventuring Morwynites have been named saints. A saint is introduced as “Saint” and his name, so Amno would be introduced as “Saint Amno,” overriding all other church titles. A martyr is someone who has been killed specifically for her faith by forces opposed to Morwyn. A Morwynite matriarch murdered by Asmodean cultists, her body desecrated, would be declared a martyr if her sad tale reached the ears of the Supreme Matriarch. An adventuring faithful son killed by an ooze would not be martyred, even if he was on a very important quest for the healing halls.
Holy Orders Because the Morwynites emulate Morwyn in all things, the heads of the healing halls are those most like Morwyn, starting with gender. The Morwynite faith is the only one of the great churches divided along gender lines. Women shape the direction of the faith from its central church, the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand. There the Supreme Matriarch, the ultimate authority on all matters Morwynite, watches over the faith and sets religious law. There are three holy orders of the healing halls, as with most churches, and two are limited to certain genders. The matriarchs (clergy), heads of the healing halls, are all women and have four levels of status: the sisters of beneficence, the holy mothers, the high matriarchs, and the Supreme Matriarch. The faithful sons (holy warriors) are all men, live to serve the matriarchs, and have three levels of status: the brothers, the masters, and the fathers. The white hands, now the most numerous of the three holy orders, are educated in eight circles of healing and are divided by the level of education they have completed. Morwynites of any gender may join the white hands. The average healing hall has three to four sisters of beneficence in residence and one holy mother. There will be as many faithful sons as there are matriarchs, and sometimes one or two extra. Most healing halls have two or three white hands who have achieved a high circle of learning; they reside there to teach others the secrets of the order. The White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand holds the Supreme Matriarch, six high matriarchs, twelve holy mothers, and twenty-four sisters of beneficence in residence at any one time. At least forty-eight faithful sons, including ten fathers, serve as the Supreme Matriarch’s personal guard. The nearby Tower of the White Hands houses the heads of that holy order, and has at least sixty white hands in residence at any time, including the white hands of the eighth circle, who head their order.
Matriarchs of Morwyn The matriarchs are an order of profound goodness, compassion, and love. Made up only of women, they are a part of an ancient tradition, as the healing halls of Morwyn have maintained their structure for more generations than even the longest-lived elves can count. The matriarchs hold only those possessions they need to perform their duties, giving everything else to the healing halls, or to the needy they meet on their travels, and they swear oaths of charity, gentleness, mercy, and wisdom. They follow the doctrines exactly—but unlike common members of the faith, they do not waver in their adherence to these strictures. If they do, they must atone. A faithful son always accompanies a traveling matriarch unless something peculiar is going on.
Sister of Beneficence New matriarchs are called sisters of beneficence. It falls to them to perform those duties assigned to them by their superiors, who are any matriarchs with greater experience and standing, but most take orders directly from the holy mother of their healing hall. Superiors regularly order sisters of beneficence to travel and spread the good works of Morwyn around the world. Sisters of beneficence are healers and avoid conflict. They depend on their faithful son companions to shield them from violence. Sisters of beneficence are often referred to as the “beneficent sisters” and are addressed as “sister.” They are introduced with their order title first, so Nimmeril would be introduced as “Sister of Beneficence Nimmeril, a matriarch of the healing halls of Morwyn.”
Holy Mother A sister of beneficence can go on a three-month spiritual retreat into a remote area in an act that follows in the footsteps of Tyngelle, who spent three months in the desert and saw there a vision of the White Lady touching a rock, and witnessed a fountain of light springing forth from it. Standing in the fountain of light, Morwyn asked Tyngelle four questions, which all those who follow in her footsteps are still asked. Afterwards, Tyngelle searched for and found the rock, and upon it built the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand. The great seat of the Supreme Matriarch rests atop the rock to this day. Thus, each sister of beneficence follows in Tyngelle’s footsteps, hoping to be visited by the White Lady in a vision that will lead her for the rest of her life. When these matriarchs return from the retreat, they tell a holy mother all they experienced. The returning matriarch is then clothed in white, brought before all the faithful of her healing hall, and named a holy mother. She is addressed as “mother” and introduced with her order title first.
High Matriarch An experienced holy mother eventually goes on a pilgrimage to the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand, where the Supreme Matriarch sits. Upon reaching it, she speaks to the Supreme Matriarch herself, telling of her long-ago vision and all she has learned in her life. The Supreme Matriarch then asks her the four questions that Morwyn asked Tyngelle so many years before: What is the nature of compassion? What is the greatest gentleness you have witnessed? Where can the hopeless find mercy? Who is wiser than the wise? Assuming the holy mother answers these questions to the Supreme Matriarch’s satisfaction (and often the answers, and their discussions, take a full day), she is elevated to the rank of high matriarch the next morning.. She is clothed in rich robes of white, gold, and red, anointed with holy ointments, and brought before the faithful after a morning of prayer. Once so named, she is given a great task to undertake by the Supreme Matriarch. This task often takes up the rest of her life. High matriarchs are addressed as “reverend mother” and are introduced by full title.
Supreme Matriarch When a Supreme Matriarch dies, the matriarchs residing at the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand follow the exact rules of succession as handed down by Tyngelle. They paint the names of all the world’s high matriarchs on stones and place them in a great barrel, though there are few enough high matriarchs now that the barrel is rarely filled even halfway. They then go and find a young and innocent shepherdess who is usually around thirteen years old. They bring the child to the barrel, tell her there is one stone in it more valuable than all the others, and ask her to find it by whatever method she might choose. The woman named on the selected stone becomes the new Supreme Matriarch. A contingent of faithful sons is sent out to find her, for she might be doing great works on the other side of the world, and the high matriarchs of the White Hall act as a council in her absence. The Supreme Matriarch is addressed as “Your Holiness,” “Your Eminence,” “Your Grace,” or “Most Hallowed Mother.” She is introduced without her name and, indeed, her name is never spoken on formal occasions; she is called “The Supreme Matriarch of the Healing Halls of Morwyn.”
Joining the Order Any woman who shows an aptitude for learning the rites, strength of character, and a sense of goodness, can become a matriarch relatively quickly. Matriarchs are all clerics devoted to Morwyn. Morwyn is never shown wielding a weapon, and there are no legends in which she lifts a weapon in anger. Her clergy have adopted the quarterstaff as a preferred weapon, since a few legends refer to the White Lady carrying a walking staff.
The Supreme Matriarch of the Morwynites delivers the roll of saints and martyrs every seven years from the great healing hall where she resides. Those named are henceforth referred to as “Saint,” regardless of whether they are included on the roll for having been beatified or martyred. A saint is someone who has done great work in the name of Morwyn, such as retrieving an artifact, saving an entire people, standing in the way of some profoundly evil plot. It must be a work of enormous importance and must be done in Morwyn’s name. It is possible to be sainted in one’s lifetime, and some of the most powerful adventuring Morwynites have been named saints. A saint is introduced as “Saint” and his name, so Amno would be introduced as “Saint Amno,” overriding all other church titles. A martyr is someone who has been killed specifically for her faith by forces opposed to Morwyn. A Morwynite matriarch murdered by Asmodean cultists, her body desecrated, would be declared a martyr if her sad tale reached the ears of the Supreme Matriarch. An adventuring faithful son killed by an ooze would not be martyred, even if he was on a very important quest for the healing halls.
Holy Orders Because the Morwynites emulate Morwyn in all things, the heads of the healing halls are those most like Morwyn, starting with gender. The Morwynite faith is the only one of the great churches divided along gender lines. Women shape the direction of the faith from its central church, the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand. There the Supreme Matriarch, the ultimate authority on all matters Morwynite, watches over the faith and sets religious law. There are three holy orders of the healing halls, as with most churches, and two are limited to certain genders. The matriarchs (clergy), heads of the healing halls, are all women and have four levels of status: the sisters of beneficence, the holy mothers, the high matriarchs, and the Supreme Matriarch. The faithful sons (holy warriors) are all men, live to serve the matriarchs, and have three levels of status: the brothers, the masters, and the fathers. The white hands, now the most numerous of the three holy orders, are educated in eight circles of healing and are divided by the level of education they have completed. Morwynites of any gender may join the white hands. The average healing hall has three to four sisters of beneficence in residence and one holy mother. There will be as many faithful sons as there are matriarchs, and sometimes one or two extra. Most healing halls have two or three white hands who have achieved a high circle of learning; they reside there to teach others the secrets of the order. The White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand holds the Supreme Matriarch, six high matriarchs, twelve holy mothers, and twenty-four sisters of beneficence in residence at any one time. At least forty-eight faithful sons, including ten fathers, serve as the Supreme Matriarch’s personal guard. The nearby Tower of the White Hands houses the heads of that holy order, and has at least sixty white hands in residence at any time, including the white hands of the eighth circle, who head their order.
Matriarchs of Morwyn The matriarchs are an order of profound goodness, compassion, and love. Made up only of women, they are a part of an ancient tradition, as the healing halls of Morwyn have maintained their structure for more generations than even the longest-lived elves can count. The matriarchs hold only those possessions they need to perform their duties, giving everything else to the healing halls, or to the needy they meet on their travels, and they swear oaths of charity, gentleness, mercy, and wisdom. They follow the doctrines exactly—but unlike common members of the faith, they do not waver in their adherence to these strictures. If they do, they must atone. A faithful son always accompanies a traveling matriarch unless something peculiar is going on.
Sister of Beneficence New matriarchs are called sisters of beneficence. It falls to them to perform those duties assigned to them by their superiors, who are any matriarchs with greater experience and standing, but most take orders directly from the holy mother of their healing hall. Superiors regularly order sisters of beneficence to travel and spread the good works of Morwyn around the world. Sisters of beneficence are healers and avoid conflict. They depend on their faithful son companions to shield them from violence. Sisters of beneficence are often referred to as the “beneficent sisters” and are addressed as “sister.” They are introduced with their order title first, so Nimmeril would be introduced as “Sister of Beneficence Nimmeril, a matriarch of the healing halls of Morwyn.”
Holy Mother A sister of beneficence can go on a three-month spiritual retreat into a remote area in an act that follows in the footsteps of Tyngelle, who spent three months in the desert and saw there a vision of the White Lady touching a rock, and witnessed a fountain of light springing forth from it. Standing in the fountain of light, Morwyn asked Tyngelle four questions, which all those who follow in her footsteps are still asked. Afterwards, Tyngelle searched for and found the rock, and upon it built the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand. The great seat of the Supreme Matriarch rests atop the rock to this day. Thus, each sister of beneficence follows in Tyngelle’s footsteps, hoping to be visited by the White Lady in a vision that will lead her for the rest of her life. When these matriarchs return from the retreat, they tell a holy mother all they experienced. The returning matriarch is then clothed in white, brought before all the faithful of her healing hall, and named a holy mother. She is addressed as “mother” and introduced with her order title first.
High Matriarch An experienced holy mother eventually goes on a pilgrimage to the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand, where the Supreme Matriarch sits. Upon reaching it, she speaks to the Supreme Matriarch herself, telling of her long-ago vision and all she has learned in her life. The Supreme Matriarch then asks her the four questions that Morwyn asked Tyngelle so many years before: What is the nature of compassion? What is the greatest gentleness you have witnessed? Where can the hopeless find mercy? Who is wiser than the wise? Assuming the holy mother answers these questions to the Supreme Matriarch’s satisfaction (and often the answers, and their discussions, take a full day), she is elevated to the rank of high matriarch the next morning.. She is clothed in rich robes of white, gold, and red, anointed with holy ointments, and brought before the faithful after a morning of prayer. Once so named, she is given a great task to undertake by the Supreme Matriarch. This task often takes up the rest of her life. High matriarchs are addressed as “reverend mother” and are introduced by full title.
Supreme Matriarch When a Supreme Matriarch dies, the matriarchs residing at the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand follow the exact rules of succession as handed down by Tyngelle. They paint the names of all the world’s high matriarchs on stones and place them in a great barrel, though there are few enough high matriarchs now that the barrel is rarely filled even halfway. They then go and find a young and innocent shepherdess who is usually around thirteen years old. They bring the child to the barrel, tell her there is one stone in it more valuable than all the others, and ask her to find it by whatever method she might choose. The woman named on the selected stone becomes the new Supreme Matriarch. A contingent of faithful sons is sent out to find her, for she might be doing great works on the other side of the world, and the high matriarchs of the White Hall act as a council in her absence. The Supreme Matriarch is addressed as “Your Holiness,” “Your Eminence,” “Your Grace,” or “Most Hallowed Mother.” She is introduced without her name and, indeed, her name is never spoken on formal occasions; she is called “The Supreme Matriarch of the Healing Halls of Morwyn.”
Joining the Order Any woman who shows an aptitude for learning the rites, strength of character, and a sense of goodness, can become a matriarch relatively quickly. Matriarchs are all clerics devoted to Morwyn. Morwyn is never shown wielding a weapon, and there are no legends in which she lifts a weapon in anger. Her clergy have adopted the quarterstaff as a preferred weapon, since a few legends refer to the White Lady carrying a walking staff.
Sects
Faithful Sons
The faithful sons of Morwyn are the gentlest of all holy warriors. They strive to resolve disputes rather than raise blades in anger. They are peacemakers and diplomats, careful men who are always on the lookout for danger, and seek to defuse volatile situations. This is because their primary role is to protect the matriarchs, who are constantly going into the gravest dangers—battlefields, plague-ridden settlements, evil lands—in their efforts to do Morwyn’s works. The faithful sons see themselves as men striving to make the world safer for goodness, starting with the deeply good women they are sworn to protect. They are unafraid to fight if they must, but they always try to avoid conflict with a person of the five mortal races, if possible. Most faithful sons come off as profoundly wise, happy, resolute, and cautious. Less civilized folks think them cowardly for their unceasing efforts to avoid violence.
Faithful sons are assigned to the protection of matriarchs for most of their lives; it is considered a disaster if one of them allows his charge to be killed. Essentially, it is assumed faithful sons will die to protect their matriarchs, and it is hard to imagine how one could still live if his charge was killed. A faithful son returning to a healing hall after the death of his charge must go through years of atonement and contemplation before being assigned the protection of another matriarch. If the matriarch died because he was negligent, or did not wish to risk his own life to protect her, the order casts him out. Atonement for such men is quite difficult, but Morwyn is the goddess of mercy, so it is possible.
Other than their unwavering devotion to their matriarchs, the faithful sons are dedicated to the protection of the innocent and the preservation of the ideals of Morwyn. They do not attack people without provocation. They do not steal, take vengeance, or act out of pettiness. They show mercy and compassion in all things. They are charitable and kind, thoughtful and peaceful. Because they are so tied to the matriarchs, faithful sons usually associate with whoever their charge finds appropriate, though they object strenuously to traveling with obviously evil companions. The Morwynites believe all mortals are redeemable, though, so a faithful son might find himself with unsavory companions in hopes of turning them to the good path. He never participates in or abides the commission of evil, however, so if his companions start behaving in an evil manner, he will oppose them.
Brother A new faithful son is called a brother, and is addressed and introduced by that title. He is usually assigned to a sister of beneficence for her protection for when she travels outside the healing halls. These relationships are complex, with the two adventuring together for years. Love sometimes blossoms between a faithful son and a matriarch, and marriages born of such relationships are considered quite fortuitous. While it is rare for a brother to be given a task that does not involve accompanying a matriarch, it does happen from time to time.
Master After adventuring far and wide, and keeping his assigned matriarch (or matriarchs) alive and healthy, an experience brother is sent on his own, to do some great deed for goodness and the Morwynite faith. His superiors within the order of the faithful sons give him this task. When he returns from the quest, he is named a master, and begins to oversee the training and command of the brothers of the order. He is addressed and introduced as “master.”
Father A master eventually makes a pilgrimage to see the Supreme Matriarch of the healing halls. When he reaches her, she asks him the same four questions that all high matriarchs are asked at their elevation. After the questions are answered, the master is dressed in white robes and anointed with holy ointments. He is presented with the shield of the fathers, which bears a snow-white field with the argent tear of Morwyn at its center. The carriers of these shields are called the fathers of the faithful sons, and are addressed and introduced as “father.” They are the greatest and wisest men of the Morwynite faith. Many fathers serve the Supreme Matriarch directly, but even more reside in healing halls on the borders of dangerous areas, where they might ride forth, do the greatest good, and accompany matriarchs doing likewise. Fathers are considered to have no superiors in their order, and can only be given orders by the Supreme Matriarch herself.
Joining the Faithful Sons Men who become faithful sons receive the call when they are young. They go to a healing hall, where they receive training that usually takes three to four years. Sometimes, though, an established adventurer will suddenly receive the call to become a faithful son; such men are considered blessed additions to the order and are welcomed with open arms. Faithful sons are all Champions.
White Hand of Morwyn Long ago, one of the Supreme Matriarchs determined the Morwynites could do great good if they educated others in the arts of healing, charging them with the spreading of those arts. Called the White Hands, these healers were formed into a third holy order of the healing halls, and given a formal education in the ways of healing—and of Morwyn. Across the lands, the White Hands of Morwyn are revered for their amazing powers of healing. Skilled in healing disease, madness, and other afflictions of the body and soul, the white hands are not ceremonial clergy but dedicated healers who serve in all walks of life. Some are attached to large military groups; others have shops in great cities where they offer their healing for a mere pittance. They are trained and educated by the Morwynites for the express purpose of spreading healing and comfort throughout the land. Most of them are not religious zealots, but highly skilled individuals with a desire to help. Over the years, the Morwynites stressed Morwyn’s teachings less and less in the education of the White Hands. To spread healing, the healing halls now embrace the White Hands as an almost secular order, existing more for healing than spreading faith. Because of this, the order has boomed in size and its numbers now outstrip the rest of the church’s. Their education is superb and nearly free, and members of the order are considered part of the healing halls. White Hands are usually people with other responsibilities. They might be soldiers, nobles, officials, or even barmaids. All of them are driven to learn the ways of healing for any number of reasons, and because the education is readily available and inexpensive, it is widespread— at least in the lower circles. Upper-circle White Hands are rarer and are usually serene, dedicated practitioners, kind and gentle. Either way, it is not particularly common for them to travel in groups, or even to perform specific duties for their order. They go about their lives, helping people whenever they can.
Joining the White Hands A character must be proficient in medicine to join the White Hands and take the Healer feat at the first opportunity. As the skills of the White Hands are so useful among those who often find themselves in battle, many fighters, rangers, and monks become White Hands so they can better tend the wounds of their fallen brethren. Anyone desiring to become a White Hand must swear the following oath.
I am the White Hand against the Red Wound, I am the hope for the hopeless, the help for the helpless. I swear to provide healing to any child of the tree in need, If it is within my power to do so and if that person is not an enemy of goodness.
Within the confines of the oath, White Hands can ask to be remunerated for their aid, but cannot demand it. Few patients take unfair advantage of this, but some do cheat the healers. The “enemy of goodness” portion of the oath allows White Hands not to heal evil cultists, but soldiers in wars with other mortal soldiers must tend to their enemies’ wounds if it is within their power to do so. Triage and the care of prisoners beyond just healing them are matters left to White Hand’s discretion, but must follow the Morwynite ethos. If a White Hand violates her oath, her palms turn blood red until she atones for her violation. The greatest among the White Hands are former matriarchs who dedicate themselves to teaching of others, though one need not have been a matriarch to become a member of this order, and it is open to men and women. The heads of the order reside in the Tower of the White Hands. These women (for the heads of the order are all former matriarchs) are powerful healers, able to repair the damage done to armies. Their students are perhaps less formidable, but are great healers too, sought for the excellent addition they make to expeditionary forces and other groups.
The education of the White Hands is an eight-step process. As one progresses, one moves on to greater circles of healing until certified in the eighth and final circle. A White Hand tells people her circle whenever she introduces herself—“I am Idri, a White Hand of the fourth circle,” for instance—but gains no other honorifics. In formal introductions, their circle of learning is added to whatever other titles they might hold in the format, “a White Hand of the (individual’s) circle.” It is important to let people know how competent a healer the White Hand is, so they do not expect results she is not capable of delivering. A White Hand moves up a circle by being educated and trained by a White Hand at least one circle above her. To become a white hand of the eighth circle, she must travel to the Tower of the White Hands and meet with the heads of the order. They will administer a test that takes several days, making sure she knows every nuance of the healing art. Once she passes, the White Hand is admitted to the eighth and final circle.
Brother A new faithful son is called a brother, and is addressed and introduced by that title. He is usually assigned to a sister of beneficence for her protection for when she travels outside the healing halls. These relationships are complex, with the two adventuring together for years. Love sometimes blossoms between a faithful son and a matriarch, and marriages born of such relationships are considered quite fortuitous. While it is rare for a brother to be given a task that does not involve accompanying a matriarch, it does happen from time to time.
Master After adventuring far and wide, and keeping his assigned matriarch (or matriarchs) alive and healthy, an experience brother is sent on his own, to do some great deed for goodness and the Morwynite faith. His superiors within the order of the faithful sons give him this task. When he returns from the quest, he is named a master, and begins to oversee the training and command of the brothers of the order. He is addressed and introduced as “master.”
Father A master eventually makes a pilgrimage to see the Supreme Matriarch of the healing halls. When he reaches her, she asks him the same four questions that all high matriarchs are asked at their elevation. After the questions are answered, the master is dressed in white robes and anointed with holy ointments. He is presented with the shield of the fathers, which bears a snow-white field with the argent tear of Morwyn at its center. The carriers of these shields are called the fathers of the faithful sons, and are addressed and introduced as “father.” They are the greatest and wisest men of the Morwynite faith. Many fathers serve the Supreme Matriarch directly, but even more reside in healing halls on the borders of dangerous areas, where they might ride forth, do the greatest good, and accompany matriarchs doing likewise. Fathers are considered to have no superiors in their order, and can only be given orders by the Supreme Matriarch herself.
Joining the Faithful Sons Men who become faithful sons receive the call when they are young. They go to a healing hall, where they receive training that usually takes three to four years. Sometimes, though, an established adventurer will suddenly receive the call to become a faithful son; such men are considered blessed additions to the order and are welcomed with open arms. Faithful sons are all Champions.
White Hand of Morwyn Long ago, one of the Supreme Matriarchs determined the Morwynites could do great good if they educated others in the arts of healing, charging them with the spreading of those arts. Called the White Hands, these healers were formed into a third holy order of the healing halls, and given a formal education in the ways of healing—and of Morwyn. Across the lands, the White Hands of Morwyn are revered for their amazing powers of healing. Skilled in healing disease, madness, and other afflictions of the body and soul, the white hands are not ceremonial clergy but dedicated healers who serve in all walks of life. Some are attached to large military groups; others have shops in great cities where they offer their healing for a mere pittance. They are trained and educated by the Morwynites for the express purpose of spreading healing and comfort throughout the land. Most of them are not religious zealots, but highly skilled individuals with a desire to help. Over the years, the Morwynites stressed Morwyn’s teachings less and less in the education of the White Hands. To spread healing, the healing halls now embrace the White Hands as an almost secular order, existing more for healing than spreading faith. Because of this, the order has boomed in size and its numbers now outstrip the rest of the church’s. Their education is superb and nearly free, and members of the order are considered part of the healing halls. White Hands are usually people with other responsibilities. They might be soldiers, nobles, officials, or even barmaids. All of them are driven to learn the ways of healing for any number of reasons, and because the education is readily available and inexpensive, it is widespread— at least in the lower circles. Upper-circle White Hands are rarer and are usually serene, dedicated practitioners, kind and gentle. Either way, it is not particularly common for them to travel in groups, or even to perform specific duties for their order. They go about their lives, helping people whenever they can.
Joining the White Hands A character must be proficient in medicine to join the White Hands and take the Healer feat at the first opportunity. As the skills of the White Hands are so useful among those who often find themselves in battle, many fighters, rangers, and monks become White Hands so they can better tend the wounds of their fallen brethren. Anyone desiring to become a White Hand must swear the following oath.
I am the White Hand against the Red Wound, I am the hope for the hopeless, the help for the helpless. I swear to provide healing to any child of the tree in need, If it is within my power to do so and if that person is not an enemy of goodness.
Within the confines of the oath, White Hands can ask to be remunerated for their aid, but cannot demand it. Few patients take unfair advantage of this, but some do cheat the healers. The “enemy of goodness” portion of the oath allows White Hands not to heal evil cultists, but soldiers in wars with other mortal soldiers must tend to their enemies’ wounds if it is within their power to do so. Triage and the care of prisoners beyond just healing them are matters left to White Hand’s discretion, but must follow the Morwynite ethos. If a White Hand violates her oath, her palms turn blood red until she atones for her violation. The greatest among the White Hands are former matriarchs who dedicate themselves to teaching of others, though one need not have been a matriarch to become a member of this order, and it is open to men and women. The heads of the order reside in the Tower of the White Hands. These women (for the heads of the order are all former matriarchs) are powerful healers, able to repair the damage done to armies. Their students are perhaps less formidable, but are great healers too, sought for the excellent addition they make to expeditionary forces and other groups.
The education of the White Hands is an eight-step process. As one progresses, one moves on to greater circles of healing until certified in the eighth and final circle. A White Hand tells people her circle whenever she introduces herself—“I am Idri, a White Hand of the fourth circle,” for instance—but gains no other honorifics. In formal introductions, their circle of learning is added to whatever other titles they might hold in the format, “a White Hand of the (individual’s) circle.” It is important to let people know how competent a healer the White Hand is, so they do not expect results she is not capable of delivering. A White Hand moves up a circle by being educated and trained by a White Hand at least one circle above her. To become a white hand of the eighth circle, she must travel to the Tower of the White Hands and meet with the heads of the order. They will administer a test that takes several days, making sure she knows every nuance of the healing art. Once she passes, the White Hand is admitted to the eighth and final circle.
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