The Houses of Darmon

The churches of Darmon are called houses, and his faithful are Darmonites (DAR-muhn-ites). Houses litter the landscape, and few of them are particularly grand. Many are banks, since banking was invented by the houses, though many banks not affiliated with the Darmonite faith. No central authority oversees the houses, and even their spiritual leaders are rarely ordained, or even formally educated. Instead, the church keeps a vast oral history of the faith, including secrets passed through rote memory, along with books of aphorisms and tales. The houses serve as meeting points for any interested in the teachings of Darmon. They sponsor fairs, teach languages and other skills, offer counsel and advice, sell items both wondrous and mundane, and resolve disputes among those who cannot, for whatever reason, seek resolution through legal channels. Houses often wind up as havens for thieves, which brings them into conflict with legal authorities, especially the courts of Maal. A house’s most common function is to provide a communication network. Not much is required to found a house. One must simply get a community of dedicated Darmonites together, erect a structure, and elect a high wayfarer. Houses crisscross the civilized world. For a modest fee, Darmonite houses will send a message from one house to the next, and from that house to another, until it reaches its destination. Runners might carry the messages, but houses also train carrier pigeons and other suitable birds to carry small notes. Some houses use magic to send messages. A message might be passed using several methods before it reaches its destination. Generally, Darmon is not terribly interested in religions, and among the gods, he has the least need to be. He is celebrated in every culture, and prayed to by all those who travel. The houses manage only a fraction of the worship he receives from the mortal races, as even those who are steadfast worshipers of other gods pay him respect and homage. That said, he does help those who worship him, here and there. Whenever he walks among mortals, he is sure to talk with one of his worshipers, and even goes to houses to join debates over things he said in ages past. He is fond of his worshipers, and wishes to see them succeed, but he rarely, if ever, issues edicts sending them on great quests or holy wars. If ever some pressing threat came up against the general happiness and health of the mortal races, though, Darmon would not hesitate to use his worshipers to stem the tide of such evil. He only recently started supporting clerics, providing them with great power, at the urging of his beloved sister, Aymara, who reminded him Asmodeus threatens all joy. Thus he supports his servants, keeping in mind he might need to call upon them in the future, to commit great deeds for the good of all mortals.

Tenets of Faith

“Each one of us is as different as the many faces that adorn the coins of countless nations. To judge one man by the actions of another is as foolish as valuing one coin by the weight of another.”
—High Wayfarer Vexx Dragonsaddler’s interpretation of Darmon the Traveler’s oft-recited statement, “I am not gold; I am more valuable yet.”

When someone seeks advice from a high wayfarer, the response is often, “That is a very good question. What do you think is the right thing to do?” The Darmonites encourage free thought, self-reliance, and wit. Darmonites who are serious about the teachings of their god understand that life is too short to be miserable. Joy and laughter should fill one’s days; mutual understanding and friendly debate are infinitely preferable to violence. They think of trade, diplomacy and the many other teachings of Darmon as the best ways to encounter as many cultures and people as possible. They crave new experiences, knowledge, and awareness. Slavish devotion to dogma is unheard of, and any who cling to doctrine would be subjects of scorn and ridicule. All of them agree: Darmon wants them to be free, happy, and prosperous. Beyond that, the faith is as varied as the houses that observe it. If one were to try to categorize a universal Darmonite doctrine, it could best be described with four principles: debate, aphorisms, names, and freedom of organization.

Debate

The Darmonite faith is a constant quest for self-discovery and insights into the secrets of the spirit. On the surface, and as practiced by most casual participants, it is a simple religion that teaches mutual respect, love, joy, and freedom. Beneath that lies endless debates between its elder practitioners, in a quest to understand the countless teachings of Darmon of the Many Faces. Sometimes, learned members of the faith seem to enjoy thorny questions more than they do good answers, and one can commonly find a group of Darmonite elders debating some particularly obscure issue well into the night over many, many goblets of wine.

Aphorisms

The Master of the Road had thousands of encounters with mortals before the Compact, and in each of them he offered mortals tidbits of advice meant to enlighten them on matters of trade, love, happiness, career, and piety. Many of these sayings were captured in writing, but serious Darmonites might debate their meaning for hours upon hours, endlessly discussing why the Lord of the Ways chose this word over that, this phrase instead of the other. It is this principle of the faith that most easily transfers from house to house. All Darmonites delight in learning a new saying of Darmon’s, and discussing its meaning.

Names

To better understand Darmon and his teachings, more mystically inclined Darmonites take new surnames at various times in their lives. These names are either based on or duplicates of the many names Darmon took while walking the earth. In her youth, Krys might be called Krys Boneblade because legends say Darmon called himself “the Blade of Bone” when he taught people how to fish. At some point in her life, Krys will learn why Darmon took that name—perhaps she sees a bone in an ancestor’s skeleton that looks like a blade, and understands Darmon was saying that all things die, and we shouldn’t fear the end. Perhaps she has some other epiphany, but whatever it is, she’s learned something from that name, and now takes another.

Freedom of Organization

Debate and taking on new names are important to most Darmonites, but not all. Many see the religion as a system by which to justify their poorly lived lives. Thieves often understand Darmon’s teachings as “Have a good time, live out your passions, and die young.” This completely misunderstands of the Champion of Heaven, but without any centralized authority, there is no one to crack down on such errors. Indeed, the freedom of the houses to determine their own structures and beliefs is the very heart of the faith, but it means one is just as likely to find a high wayfarer who preaches, “The rich have had too much for too long, and it’s time they get what’s comin’ to ‘em,” as one who says, “We are all of us brothers, and should strive for joy and mutual benefit.” The former is common in more chaotic locales (in the city of Freeport, for instance, Darmon’s house worships him as the god of pirates), making the Darmonite faith unpopular with authority figures.

Worship

The worshipers of Darmon do not engage in common prayers as most religions do. As the religion is based on the nearly limitless aphorisms of Darmon, their version of prayer usually involves the recitation of one such aphorism followed by vigorous debate—with one’s self or others—about its meaning. Here are some sample sayings of Darmon:
“Do not use three words when you need only one: ‘Yes.’”
“We paint our houses different colors for a good reason.”
“No number is the best. Three builds better than two, two loves better than one, one thinks better than three.”
“Wait for the good, seek out the bad.”
“A man is not a rocking horse.”
“Wheat is better than dust, but dust is better than nothing.”
“No matter what the wicked say, I always know my mother loves me.”
“Do not seek what you do not want.”
“There are twelve houses in the river. They will all sink in the end.”

Priesthood

Wayfarers of Darmon

Since Darmon only recently began giving powers to his followers, the wayfarers are relatively new. It is impossible to be a cleric of Darmon without being titled a wayfarer—if the high wayfarer of a cleric’s house decides to strip the status from him, he can simply leave and go to another house, where he’ll acknowledged as a wayfarer once again. Wise high wayfarers prize Darmonite clerics, who keep the more mystic traditions of Darmon. Any member of a community who studies the sayings and teachings of Darmon and has keen minds can become wayfarer, but only clerics know the special invocations Darmon taught his first empowered priests to use, to request divine magic. Clerics know and can recite the countless names of Darmon (a few clerics know them all, but any small group knows all the named between them). The quest to take on and understand one of those names is given to one of the faithful by a cleric, not by a normal wayfarer, and guidance is provided by a cleric on the way to interpret the name and its bearer’s experiences. This most mystical aspect of the faith is the province of clerics alone, not other wayfarers. The clergy believe that in all his many meetings with mortals, Darmon set out an elaborate code to understand the very nature of the universe—all the planes of existence, the Nameless One, and the purpose of the cosmos. They believe that were one to truly understand all the sayings of Darmon, she could then see the world with what they call “the Golden Sight.” With the Golden Sight, one could know all things, understand all tongues, travel anywhere, speak with the gods, and know the universe for what it really is. So clerics of Darmon quest for lost aphorisms of Darmon, and interpret them to unlock the Golden Sight. This work of the clergy of Darmon is a religious secret, known only to clerics—not even other members of the houses know they believe in a great, mystical combination of the sayings of Darmon. If everyone knew, the reasoning goes, then many would seek to stymie efforts to discover it. While it’s unlikely one would be killed over the secret, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Clerics of Darmon have the same titles as other members of the houses, and automatically become wayfarers, as noted previously. If a house’s faithful have the option, they’ll always make a cleric high wayfarer. No rules say the most powerful cleric of a house must be its high wayfarer, it is rare for it to happen any other way. If a novice cleric moves to a small community with an established high wayfarer who isn’t a member of the cleric class, however, there is no reason to believe the community will suddenly oust a perfectly good leader in favor of an unseasoned one.

Joining the Wayfarers

Only clerics devoted to Darmon can join the Wayfarers.

Sects

Heroes of Darmon

The heroes of Darmon detach themselves from politics and even their religious houses. Unlike wayfarers, heroes abandon attachment to any one place or people and instead seek out new places, new adventures, and new glories. The goal of a hero is to do great things in the name of the mortal races. It’s simple enough, and may lead to a life of terrific adventure, terrible danger, and fabulous wealth. While the hero embraces these things, they are not the objective—the hero strives to do good. The Darmonite faith is quite supportive of adventurers and the impulse to go forth and fight monsters, delve dungeons, win treasures, and conquer evil. The hero can be best understood as a perpetually blessed adventurer. Like all members of the faith, heroes love debate, and argue over the many sayings of Darmon as fiercely as anyone else. They have the gifts of Darmon, and are excellent speakers, diplomats, and wily traders. Rather than blessing travelers, as the clerics do, heroes are the travelers, and possess all the skills necessary to live on the road.
Heroes have no titles and they do not even like to be called such. The Lord of the Ways has not paid much attention to the holy orders of his houses, so heroes have no reason to think much about what Darmon wants from them specifically, or to ask him for guidance. Instead, they strive to live as Darmon would live, were he mortal. They travel, teach, seek knowledge, smooth over conflicts, slay beasts, trick bad people, make fun of the pompous, and so on. They are perhaps the least obviously “holy” of all the orders, though members of the joyous brotherhood are certainly the most vulgar, and yet they gain his favor for they live as he would live, devoted to him and his ways. They wear his symbol, speak his name in their private prayers, and live to serve him. They simply believe that service to Darmon does not involve much dogma or guidance from their god. Because they do not like to be called “heroes of Darmon,” a hero of Darmon goes by “Sir,” or “Dame,” followed by her name. This is not a knighthood bestowed by any temporal power, but in Darmon’s order of arms.
The hero must live a life worthy of the name. The code of heroic conduct is as follows.
• Valor: Fight the good fight against the darkness; protect your companions and strangers alike; take the vanguard into danger, and the rearguard from it.
• Joy: Live your life as completely as any life can be lived; sponsor beauty and laughter with your wealth; contemplate delight, not despair, and happiness, not horror.
• Unity: Build the congress of mortality, do not take from it; ease conflicts and act as mediator; form fastand lifelong friendships; lead others to live more for their friends and family than for themselves.
• Wealth: Protect the wealth of the good people ofthe world; take away the wealth of the dark things; celebrate the wonders of prosperity, but do not become obsessed with your own wealth, for you can lead a wealthy life, but your other duties are more important.
Heroes prefer a balanced party of companions. Although powerful heroes are often found riding alone with their squires, pursuing great adventures, younger heroes form fast friendships with other adventurers, particularly warriors, rogues, and arcane spellcasters.

Joining the Heroes of Darmon

Heroes are taught their skills by other heroes. Essentially, when one heeds the call to take up arms in Darmon’s name, one must find an established hero and ask her for training. These heroes take one such companion at a time. The companion is the hero’s squire, keeping the hero’s horse healthy, polishing their armor, and cleaning their weapons. Members of any class can join the heroes of Darmon, though most are fighters, rangers, and rogues.

Runners of Darmon

There are three orders blessed by Darmon, but only wayfarer clergy receive divine powers from him. The clerics and heroes are the obviously devout, and anyone looking at a member of either holy order would know immediately that they serve a god. Less obvious are the runners. Bruised and tattered from their travels, drinking in cheap alehouses on the way, and telling bawdy tales to dockworkers, the runners of Darmon hardly seem to be divine servants. Found wherever people worship Darmon, the runners are society’s most skilled messengers. Necessary for war, diplomacy, commerce, and any other mortal endeavor waged across a vast expanse, message carriers are viewed with suspicion in some places for bringing the evils of the outside into secluded areas, and revered as heroes in others. Runners of Darmon care little for how they are viewed and, instead, live to carry their messages wherever they must go. This fits well with a life of adventure, as many runners take messages off to faraway places, and go on side quests with their companions while they’re there. Runners are blessed by Darmon. As the Master of the Road is the messenger for the gods, so the runners are the messengers of mortals. They emulate their god in his many travels, in his constant jesting, in his lust for life, but most importantly, in his perfect record. In all recorded history, there is no tale or myth that shows Darmon failing to deliver a message. The Champion of the Gods has followed men to the depths of Hell to deliver messages from the gods, and so too will the most powerful runners travel to the worst places, if necessary, to do their duty. Runners are instantly identifiableby their common uniform, for all runners wear cloaks in the likeness of Darmon’s Cloak of the Heavens. These are usually midnight blue, with bright pieces of glass sewn on, or silver stars painted on them, but some runners affix gemstones to their cloaks to represent the stars.

Joining the Runners

Rangers and rogues are the best runners, but any class with a love of travel can take on the runner’s tasks. It requires a devotion to walking in Darmon’s footsteps, though, so it is highly unlikely that a cleric or champion of another faith, a druid, or a monk will assume the role. It is also not a terribly lawful profession, and lawful minded folk tend to stay away from it.