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.

Type

Temple / Church