Skylarks of Urian
A contemplative order, most skylarks live high up in the mountains, dedicating their entire lives to pondering the
two faces of Urian and the mortal races. They are quiet and kind, revering the sunshine and moonlight. The skylarks value contemplation, compassion, and gentle guidance far more than harsh action. There are other orders of the Urianath dedicated to fighting brutal wars and saving the downtrodden; the skylarks are the spiritual and mystic order instead, and are often difficult to talk to. They speak of mysteries, and constantly analyze the lessons learned from happenings in the world. However, for those with heavy hearts burdened by sin, the skylarks prove marvelously
helpful.
They have ready ears, are never judgmental, and are always eager to offer guidance to those who seek it. Some skylarks leave their eyries to go on a quest. They collect themselves, inform the songs, and head down the mountain. No one orders these quests; rather, the skylarks feel the pull in their meditations. Sometimes this is based on a vision, other times on a hunch. Sometimes they are even certain they heard the command in the wind. Many skylarks are slain on their spontaneous journeys. Others come back quickly, with a minor quests fulfilled. A rare few live lives of spectacular and heroic adventure, returning to the eyrie when they are old, and ready to impart the wisdom they gained from their journeys. The skylarks have only two titles, and they are not based on power or prestige, but age. A young or middle-aged skylark is a wing. The wings are charged with carrying the faith, learning, growing, and performing any physical labors necessary. A wing is addressed as “skylark’s wing.” All Urianath addresses follow this form, and all are introduced using just this address—the order name is not repeated. So, Idrin would be addressed as “Skylark’s Wing Idrin,” and introduced as “the Skylark’s Wing Idrin, of the eyries of Urian.” When wing reach old age, they become songs, addressed as “skylark’s song.” It is their duty to teach others the ways of the skylarks, oversee students and visitors to the eyrie, and generally live out the remainder of their lives in wisdom and grace. Songs contemplate the faith, and defer to eyrie lords on secular matters. There are three dominant alignments among the skylarks, though the most common is neutral good. The neutral good skylarks hew closest to the doctrine of the faith. They spend their days in contemplation of the dual nature of heaven and man. They are filled with the certainty that goodness can be found in the dark and the light, the cold and the warm, the individual light of a star, and the radiant glow of the sun that blankets everything. They are a serene and kindly group. Lawful good skylarks certainly follow the doctrine of the Urianath, but focus on the goodness of light and warmth: There must be darkness for the light to be perceived in all its glory. There must be cold for the warmth to be felt in its splendor. These skylarks focus on what they call “Urian’s Order,” meaning all things and people have a place under the sun, and all bad things happen so we can learn our place in that order. The lawful good skylarks can truly be said to revere Urian’s sun-face more than any other, and are quite close to sun-worshipers. They feel that when he shines, he is the center of life and holiness, and they hope to bring that light and warmth to the world. Such skylarks are profound enemies of demons and undead. Chaotic good skylarks are almost the reverse image of their lawful good comrades. While they too hold that Urian is the center from which goodness flows, they believe sunlight and daytime are Urian’s way of aiding the mortal races to overcome their weakness, but that nighttime is the true time of purity. They see the stars as the best guides to holiness: thousands of brilliant lights, standing out individually, making the most beautiful work of the heavens. Urian wishes the mortal races to be like the stars, standing out as brilliant individuals doing wonderful things, and only in the dark, when we have no light to guide us, are we truly alone, and able to stand as such individuals. Urian gives mortals the sunlight because they are too weak to embrace their individual destinies; they are frightened by loneliness, so he brings them together with solar brightness.
They have ready ears, are never judgmental, and are always eager to offer guidance to those who seek it. Some skylarks leave their eyries to go on a quest. They collect themselves, inform the songs, and head down the mountain. No one orders these quests; rather, the skylarks feel the pull in their meditations. Sometimes this is based on a vision, other times on a hunch. Sometimes they are even certain they heard the command in the wind. Many skylarks are slain on their spontaneous journeys. Others come back quickly, with a minor quests fulfilled. A rare few live lives of spectacular and heroic adventure, returning to the eyrie when they are old, and ready to impart the wisdom they gained from their journeys. The skylarks have only two titles, and they are not based on power or prestige, but age. A young or middle-aged skylark is a wing. The wings are charged with carrying the faith, learning, growing, and performing any physical labors necessary. A wing is addressed as “skylark’s wing.” All Urianath addresses follow this form, and all are introduced using just this address—the order name is not repeated. So, Idrin would be addressed as “Skylark’s Wing Idrin,” and introduced as “the Skylark’s Wing Idrin, of the eyries of Urian.” When wing reach old age, they become songs, addressed as “skylark’s song.” It is their duty to teach others the ways of the skylarks, oversee students and visitors to the eyrie, and generally live out the remainder of their lives in wisdom and grace. Songs contemplate the faith, and defer to eyrie lords on secular matters. There are three dominant alignments among the skylarks, though the most common is neutral good. The neutral good skylarks hew closest to the doctrine of the faith. They spend their days in contemplation of the dual nature of heaven and man. They are filled with the certainty that goodness can be found in the dark and the light, the cold and the warm, the individual light of a star, and the radiant glow of the sun that blankets everything. They are a serene and kindly group. Lawful good skylarks certainly follow the doctrine of the Urianath, but focus on the goodness of light and warmth: There must be darkness for the light to be perceived in all its glory. There must be cold for the warmth to be felt in its splendor. These skylarks focus on what they call “Urian’s Order,” meaning all things and people have a place under the sun, and all bad things happen so we can learn our place in that order. The lawful good skylarks can truly be said to revere Urian’s sun-face more than any other, and are quite close to sun-worshipers. They feel that when he shines, he is the center of life and holiness, and they hope to bring that light and warmth to the world. Such skylarks are profound enemies of demons and undead. Chaotic good skylarks are almost the reverse image of their lawful good comrades. While they too hold that Urian is the center from which goodness flows, they believe sunlight and daytime are Urian’s way of aiding the mortal races to overcome their weakness, but that nighttime is the true time of purity. They see the stars as the best guides to holiness: thousands of brilliant lights, standing out individually, making the most beautiful work of the heavens. Urian wishes the mortal races to be like the stars, standing out as brilliant individuals doing wonderful things, and only in the dark, when we have no light to guide us, are we truly alone, and able to stand as such individuals. Urian gives mortals the sunlight because they are too weak to embrace their individual destinies; they are frightened by loneliness, so he brings them together with solar brightness.
Joining the Skylarks
Skylarks are clerics devoted to Urian through the Light or Air Domains. Adventuring skylarks favor weapons that represent lightning, such as javelins and whips, for Urian smites his foes with lightning, which cracks from his clouds when the gods argue and he thunders.
Type
Religious, Holy Order
Parent Organization
Deities
Related Myths
