Voices of Wisdom
An order of dwarven clerics who preserve their race's knowledge and traditions.
Assets
The Voices' greatest treasures are the stone tablets on which they have recorded the teachings of their deities and the knowledge the dwarven people have gained over the centuries. The tablets are inscribed in an ancient language known as Ak’tah’ya. This language is only understood by the Voices which prevents others drom stealing their secrets, and allows them to filter the knowledge they share with those outside their order. Each large dwarven settlement will have tablets of their, but the majority of the tablets are held in the Magrannor Halls.
History
The Voices are the oldest of the dwarven religious orders and can trace their origins back to a time before what most races consider the beginning of recorded history.
The Voices are dedicated to preserving and sharing the accumulated knowledge and traditions of the dwarves. Originally the voices passed on their teachings through an oral tradition with prospective members of the order needing to perfectly memorise and recite the teachings word for word. As the carving of runes became more common the Voices carved their knowledge onto stone slabs so that it could remain forever unchanging. No longer constrained by the limits of individual memory the Voices expanded their store of knowledge but this made it more difficult to find knowledge when it was needed. To solve this problem the Voices divided their order into groups who could focus on one aspect of knowledge.
Although each group has their own area of expertise every new member of the order is still obliged to be able to memorise and recite the teachings of the dwarven gods. They must also have been a cleric for at least 30 years before they will even be considered for admittance. This is because a core belief of the order is that knowledge must be viewed through the lens of faith, and knowledge should only be shared when it will help the dwarven race.
Sects
Tradition
These Voices maintain the records of all dwarven traditions. They oversee the ceremonies and rituals that help make dwarves dwarves, and have the final say on whether a tradition should be added, dropped or modified. As overseers of the assorted rituals they also maintain the records of things like births, deaths, and marriages. As the most conservative of the Voices, this group are slow to accept change and quick to condemn new innovatios as un-dwarfish. These Voices wield great influence over the rest of the swarven clerics as they are responsible for training new acolytes.
History
These Voices maintain the records of major events that affected dwarven society. They teach the relevant history to their communities using past events to explain how their people can best live up to the ideals as laid out by their creator. They also teach the true history of the dwarves to the rulers of their lands if they think that ruler is capable of understanding. They have no qualms about withholding information if a ruler has strayed from the path laid out by their gods. Dwarven rulers are expected to have a Voice of History by their side for all major decisions so that these events can be recorded. Many rulers choose one of these voices as their religious advisor, on the principle that if they are going to be watched they might as well get some benefit from the Voices' knowledge.
Forge
The most progressive of the Voices, this group looks after knowledge about mining, smelting, and smithing. As the dwarves are under divine instructions to improve their skill in crafting, the Voices of the Forge are constantly encouraging the crafters to develop new skills and techniques which can recorded and taught. A change in tradition could be a long drawn out process taking decades to be agreed, but a new smithing technique will be greeted with glee by these Voices, with the only delay in recording the new technique being the time to find a chisel.
Knowledge and Faith lead to Wisdom
Type
Religious, Holy Order
Parent Organization
Location
Related Traditions
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