Darmons Holy Orders

Long ago, Darmon told the founder of the house system, “Never give one person absolute authority to control what is most important to you, for such control will someday deny you the freedom I wish for you.” From this simple phrase, the house system was created, whereby the faith is practiced and promoted without any central authority. The Darmonite tradition is one of debate and constant re-examination. The members of a house decide who serves as its high wayfarer. Once selected this leader is introduced by title and house—“High Wayfarer Vynald of the Wittenburg House of Darmon,” for example.
The high wayfarer inducts the most devoted members of her house as subordinate wayfarers (addressed as “wayfarer,” and introduced in the same fashion as the high wayfarer) and these people serve as spiritual leaders for those who come to the houses. If members of the house determine they are no longer satisfied with the high wayfarer’s leadership, they can vote to strip her of her title. No high wayfarer from one house is more important than any other, and no member of the faith, no matter how senior or powerful, can order another into service. Decisions are made on a broad scale when high wayfarers from various houses congregate to debate religious matters.
They do this often, as the Darmonite faith is not a finished thing, and is always expanding and changing its doctrines. The Darmonite faith is not evangelical, but those who practice it can’t help but offer others guidance through the teachings of Darmon. Darmonites believe all places of a reasonable size should host at least one house, preferably several, as the worship of Darmon, and debating his teachings, forms the most useful of religions. “What use is dogma to a person with a really thorny issue?” they ask. “Teach a person to think for themselves, and you’ve really improved their life.” Established houses help nearby communities build their own houses, and aid them through their first few years of operation with money, advice, and even by sending them spiritual leaders.
Other than this, the houses are not terribly active in politics, and really have no need to be. Travelers donating money and asking for Darmon’s blessings on road, and rich merchants tithing and donating property for the house’s upkeep and growth, all keep house coffers full. Houses also earn income from their message services.
The three holy orders of the Darmonite faith are the clerics, heroes, and runners. The clerics and the runners are often involved in local house politics and debates. The heroes wander, more concerned with adventure and travel into the unknown, than with the affairs of one town or another. The average house has about eighty members, ten of whom are wayfarers, and one high wayfarer. Many have no clerics present, but those that do have at least two, and often as many as twenty the largest houses of major urban areas. Houses on important roads have at least six runners in residence, though they are often out delivering messages.

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.
Most Darmonite clerics are chaotic good, and they roam the world or work with a particular house, seeking to advance the prosperity of all people, gain wisdom, share it, and further the quest for spiritual enlightenment through Darmon’s aphorisms.
Chaotic good clerics of Darmon are often adventurers, ministering to likeminded free spirits who seek travel, joy, and adventure over orderly doldrums. There are many neutral good clerics of Darmon in the world as well. They usually serve as wayfarers and high wayfarers in houses, particularly in large mercantile cities and ports. They the gifts of Darmon seriously, and try to help people understand one another. They are diplomats, language experts, and traders, often working to resolve disputes between merchants. Such clerics are absolutely in love with the many splendid differences between all the races, and are ceaselessly fascinated by people. They love learning and exchanging knowledge.
Finally, chaotic neutral clerics of Darmon are nearly as common as chaotic good counterparts, though they are less likely to be found in cities. Such clerics believe Darmon’s chosen people are rule-breakers, liars, thieves, pirates—people who live on the edge and seek enlightenment by disobeying worldly authorities. Such clerics travel far and wide, ministering to bandits in the woods, rebel armies in the mountains, and even the murderers found in dark places, throughout the world. Good and evil are of little import to them. They focus instead on the wisdom one can attain by flaunting rules. They are wild experientialists, trying as many new things and activities as they can, no matter how repugnant.
Joining the Wayfarers Only clerics devoted to Darmon can join the Wayfarers, and they choose the Travel or Trickery domains.

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 fast and lifelong friendships; lead others to live more for their friends and family than for themselves.
• Wealth: Protect the wealth of the good people of the 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. Typically chaotic good, 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 identifiable by 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 paladin 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.

Type

Religious, Holy Order