The Virtues

The world of Lasair may not have any known deities, but it is not without systems of spiritualism or morality. The dominant such system within the City-States Region and Fertile Lands is that of The Virtues.

"In seeking to uphold a life of true ideals, one must dedicate oneself to the key virtues. Courage, Respect, Integrity, Honesty, Honor, Loyalty, and Benevolence. Follow these precepts in your thought, action, and motivation, and you shall be a light within the darkness for all."

-The Scrolls of Virtue, circa 500 PC

History

Unlike most aspects of current human culture, the Virtues predate the Dragonscourge. It existed as a fully formed moral guidepost at least four centuries before the Scourge, and was one of the pillars of the chief pre-Scourge empire on Lasair.

Pre-Dragonscourge Empire

The largest empire upon pre-Dragonscourge Lasair was located along the Eastern shore of the continent, dominating the land to the edge of the jungle that used to stand across The Midlands. The empire's system of governance was maintained through a balance between three powerful structures: the hereditary head of the Imperial family, the nobility-elected Imperial Senate, and the Order of the Virtues. Where the senate held control of economics and trade, and the Emperor commanded its military, the Order was responsible for guiding the moral and educational development of the Empire. It did so through the strength of its priests, who taught the tenets of the Virtues as the guidepost to a "proper and true life".
The empire itself had taken much of the inspiration for its official structure from the Imperial family's fascination with Elvish culture. The first Emperor, who had united a number of warring cities, had grown up near one of the scattered Elven cities. As a youth he had been impressed by the art and the calm inner fire that seemed (in his eyes) to suffuse the elves' lives. As he grew into a warrior and then a statesman, the soon-to-be-Emperor took his idealization of the elves' ways as the foundation for the culture of his growing empire.
As often happens with childhood fascination, what the Emperor remembered and what was true was somewhat different. Regardless, though, the ideals that he developed in concert with preeminent philosophers during the Empire's formative years formed the basis for what would become a strong moral compass for an Empire that would stand for five hundred years. The only truly Elvish qualities that he ended up instilling in the Empire would be an appreciation for artistic forms and the use of Elvish as the spiritual and academic language of the Empire - the language coming to be known as Lumina.

Spread across Lasair

Though the Empire would maintain its borders along the Eastern coast of Lasair, it had a very long reach when it came to trade and influence. Trading caravans made their way through the passes of the Stonetooth Mountains to cross The Great Plateau, reaching as far as the western coast (which at the time was a poor and sodden land, beset by frequent storms). Coastal sailing vessels would travel to the southern tip of the continent for trade via the rare vessels that could cross the raging seas to the southern continents. All of this trade would be accompanied by priests from the Order of the Virtues, and in this way the tenets and ideals of the religion spread to people across Lasair.

The Dragonscourge and the Fall of the Empire

In a story best covered elsewhere, the Dragons of the world felt it was time to fight to eradicate the other mortal species from their world. The war that the dragons began would devastate the world, and Lasair was not spared any of the cataclysm. As the dominant human force on the continent, the Empire was one of the primary targets of the dragons' ire, and the battles that took place in and around the Empire would literally erase it from the map.
At the end of the scourge, the Empire was gone. In its place, The Desolation and the Thousand Shards lay as the grave of millions, victim to apocalyptic magics perpetrated by both sides.

Post-Scourge and the Lasair Compact

As human civilization picked itself up from the darkness of the Dragonscourge, the memory of the Virtues remained within the survivors. It was not the guiding force that it had been during the height of the Empire, but it still served some purpose. Village healers could draw upon their focus on the Virtues to give aid; devout warriors could do the same to fight off wandering monsters. As the Mages began to draw together the new cities in the west, they saw a need for spiritual guidance - and for a structured hierarchy to control aspects of Magic that they did not themselves have a talent for. It was in this way that the modern Order of the Virtues came to be: an organization dedicated to offering moral and spiritual guidance to a new rising power, while also helping teach those who showed talent for and devotion to Divine Magic.

Human Attitudes towards the Virtues

Humans within the City-States Region view the practice of the Virtues in many different ways, ranging from indifference to devotion. In many cases the level of devotion depends on the economic status of a class of people; in other cases it may simply be due to a family tradition. 

Rural Views

Priests of the virtues frequently pass through poorer villages and visit farmers. This is partially due to serving as healers for these communities and ensuring that their magic is available to those outside of the cities. This occasional presence by the priests is generally welcomed for the aid that the priests can bring. Roving priests tend not to focus very much on actively preaching of the virtues in these communities, instead choosing to serve as an example. They do make themselves available for questions from the curious or for those seeking advice, and this is the main path through which adherence to the Virtues is created. Particularly inquisitive or compassionate youths are sometimes spoken to more directly; through this way the Order finds those who may be an excellent fit to take on the role of priest, cleric, or paladin.

City Views

In the cities, the Order maintains a much more visible and stable presence. Their temples serve as places for healing, for charity, for respite. Rather than spending time moving among the people, priests within the cities tend to remain within the temples letting the people come to them. Most city dwellers, especially laborers and small merchants, view these temples as a place to go when ill or injured, or to seek aid when falling upon hard times. For some, the temples also just represent a place to talk - the priests are seen as being wise in the ways of a good life, and those undergoing difficult personal moments will often visit and simply find a priest to spend time talking to.

Noble Views

To the wealthy and noble within the City-States, the Virtues represents nothing more than a symbol and a cultural touchstone. Cynicism abounds within the ranks of the nobility, and to them the Order is simply viewed as an outlet for demonstrating their wealth and influence. Donations to the order fund temples across the City-States - and even remote monasteries - and wealthy families will take great pride in having their names be associated with those donations. Rarely, however, do those same families find any further association with the Virtues except to occasionally send third or fourth children to the Order - along with a sizeable donation - to ensure they are able to effect some influence upon it. In some cities, these scions are given positions of great status; in others they are treated just as any other and must earn high positions.

The Seven Virtues

The Order teaches that a being that follows the Seven Virtues will find a life of satisfaction and of peace, and will lift others up through their actions. While most common folk do not necessarily believe in such idealism, the clerics of the Order are shown much respect due to their abilities and to the examples that they set. The Seven Virtues are:

• Courage - act with bravery and stand for what you hold to be true;
• Respect - treat others in ways consistent with the teachings of the Virtues;
• Integrity - consider your word to be your bond and do not stray from what you vow;
• Wisdom - seek knowledge of the world and the understanding to use it well;
• Loyalty - stand by those who you have given your word to and those who have given theirs to you;
• Benevolence - treat those weaker or less fortunate with compassion and understanding;
• Honor - know that your actions reflect your true self, and the only judge of that is yourself.

The Priestly Orders

The structure of the Order of the Virtue provides for a number of ways to best serve the order.

• Priests of the Order are those who maintain temples, who provide local guidance, and act as healers and officiants where needed. They stand as an example of the good that the Virtues may bring to all. Priests generally do not have any magical training or talents; this is a role that more often falls to those who wish to serve others but do not have the focus or fortitude to manifest more powerful abilities. Priests also uphold some small amount of the academic guidance of the old ways, serving as teachers in smaller villages and leading academic research within cities.
• Clerics of the Order devote their lives to serving as a living paragon of one of the Virtues. While they certainly consider all of the Virtues important to live by, they have found themselves to be drawn to some aspect of a single virtue that speaks most loudly to them. Through this, they are able to focus their will through the lens of that virtue to manifest magical abilities.
• Monks of the Order consider the Virtues from a philosophical direction, often cloistering themselves away for quiet contemplation with others of a similar mind. They are an extremely rare role within the Order, as the Virtues speak much of action.
• Paladins of the Order are the most militant portion of the Order, serving to defend the Order against enemies or seeking out those who would bring harm to common folk but are outside the reach of the Mercenary Guild. Unique among those within the Order, Paladins seek to serve as a living example of all seven Virtues, holding themselves to the highest standards of thought, word, and action.
• The Senior Council of the Order is made up of ten people who determine the guidance of the Order as a whole. Each year, clerics of each virtue meet in a conclave to select one of their number to represent them on the council; some choose the most senior, others the most learned. Some will send the same representative year after year; others will rotate heavily. In addition to these seven individuals, the council consists of the Grand Master of the Paladins, the High Elder of the monastic order, and finally a member of the priests who is appointed by the city in which the council will hold session for a year. The priest position can be one of great honor, or it may be a simple matter of patronage - cities vary greatly in how they approach their selection of their priestly representative.

For rules information relating to playing a Cleric, Monk, or Paladin, see Races and Classes - Rules

The seven-pointed star, the symbol of the Virtues