BlueXBlood
Savvy Sword Chick
For those of us who recall (and/or approved) the idea of a central, run-down guild/community that can unite the array of characters in the roleplay, I did take the time to create a brief write-up of the abandoned sanctuary that Aris and her gang will be staying at/fixing up. If y'all would like me to share that, let me know, but my intention was to have our party invite people to the sanctuary as we encounter them and discover their fugitive/criminal-ness.
The Order of Seekers
Kirlia is an ancient land. Swaths of knowledge and history have been lost to the ages, swallowed whole by time's endless march. The Order of Seekers teeters on the edge of this oblivion. Once a fellowship of prestige, purpose, and meaning, the Order has since degraded into a shadow of its former self; a loose band of thieves, mad scholars, and foolhardy adventurers barely aware of their lodge's former oaths and purpose, and how they saved the realm several times over.
Kirlia was once home to many arcane and mystic relics. Some scholars say that these artifacts were shards of creation from when the world was made by the gods. Others postulate they were fragments of pure magic, condensed down into the purest form. Whatever the case may be, these mystical artifacts contained immense power, so much so that they presented a danger to the realm should they fall into the wrong hands.
One such artifact, rumored to be a celestial shard, was used in a battle ages ago. The warring people's names have long been forgotten, but not the result. The shard destroyed an entire continent to the east, now known as Axasterke, reducing what was one a lush and vibrant country into a blasted desert of black sand and spires of ebony glass. After this apocalyptic misuse of power, the rulers of the realm convened to ensure that never again would such a relic be used to cause such death and destruction. Thus, The Order of Seekers was founded.
Axasterke post-destruction
The Seekers were a noble order comprised of the realm's bravest, all united with a singular goal: to root out and destroy and and all vestiges of power, restoring balance to the world. For centuries they were entrusted with this task. They wandered deserts for time-lost secrets, scaled mountains shrouded in legend, and delved into the deepest dungeons of the world for their mission. The Seekers were given the utmost respect anywhere they travelled, seen as both the guardians of the common folk and sage counsellors to rulers.
The Seekers established Sanctuaries throughout Kirlia, hidden places of refuge known only to those who underwent the Order's sacred initiation. These Sanctuaries, hidden by powerful magic, acted as headquarters for the Order, allowing agents to rest and resupply. No matter where they travelled within the realm, they were never far from a place of shelter. Each Sanctuary operated independently, allowing Seekers to operate with greater flexibility in order to find and destroy dangerous fragments of the past.
The Seekers did not fail in their mission, and this was ultimately their undoing over the next few centuries. As they rid the world of these relics, the search became more and more difficult. It seemed there simply weren't any fragments left. The Order started to lose political sway, with fewer rulers willing to empty their coffers to search for an ancient threat long destroyed. In the waning days of the Order, they often took to forgery, creating false artifacts and destroying them in elaborate rituals to justify their own existence.
Over the years, the Order slowly decayed. The Sanctuaries, rife with corruption and conflict, grew further and further apart, each pursuing their own mission. No longer did the bravest and wisest seek to join the Order, but the greedy and craven.
An abandoned Sanctuary
The Order of Seekers is a far cry from its former glory. Most in the realm have forgotten their original purpose entirely, and that includes many of those within the Order itself. Countless Sanctuaries have been either lost or forgotten, and those that remain vary wildly in what their actual mission is. Some have attempted to maintain the old ways, though these are far and few between since no artifacts have been located in living memory. Others have turned into preservation societies, trying to uncover the Order's past and learn what the relics actually were. Most, however, have degraded into mere bands of adventurers and thieves, seeking to find whatever magical items they can, ancient or not, and use them for their own personal gain.
A Seeker is ostensibly welcome in all Sanctuaries, but this is often not the case. Many Sanctuaries now compete with eachother, whether it be for knowledge or riches. The more debased Sanctuaries are rife with backstabbing and thievery, so many Seekers choose caution when meeting others of their Order. The one thing unifying these disparate factions is their endless hunt for the Cradle of the World.
Some Seekers believe the mythical Cradle is the last remaining shard that their order failed to destroy. Each Sanctuary dedicates at least some of their time and resources to locating the Cradle, though their intentions with it vary wildly. Some wish to use it, others preserve it, and a minority seek to rid the world of it entirely, thus completing the Order's original mission. As such, many adventurers searching for the Cradle will end up at least partially aligned with the Order of Seekers.
Though the Order is much degraded, it still offers something to its members. Merchants who buy and sell rare magical items often frequent the Order. Each Sanctuary is warded with ancient magic, its origins long forgotten; only those with knowledge of Seeker's Cant, a secret written code, can unlock the entrances to each Sanctuary. Otherwise, these places are almost inaccessible to outsiders, which makes the Order very popular among criminals or those who do not wish to be found. Above all, the Order offers knowledge. Though poor maintenance and record-keeping has seen many of their scrolls and tomes crumble to dust, even the most humble Sanctuary boasts a modest library. This knowledge often does not come free, however. The leaders of each Sanctuary, known as Wardens, do not give away their Sanctuary's secrets with ease, even to fellow Seekers. It must be earned.
A lone Seeker surveying the landscape
OKAY. SO. Way back when, The Order of Seekers was founded by a bunch of rulers to destroy magical items that were really dangerous. They pretty much succeeded, and ran out of stuff to do, so the Order fractured up. The Order is divided into Sanctuaries, which are little hidden places warded by magic and generally hard to find. In each Sanctuary, there's some old knowledge like scrolls and stuff, and if it is occupied, Seekers and the Warden (basically the head honcho of each Sanctuary). T
There's no overarching authority beyond each Warden. Every Sanctuary is totally different, and many have been totally lost. Some are basically thieves guilds, others adventure clubs, so on and so on. The only thing that unites them is that they all want to find the Cradle of the World.
My intention with creating the Order is so that everyone can kind of be a part of the same club (or, at least, those who want to be). I wrote it as loosely as possible, which hopefully allows for every player to write it/head canon it into their character's backstory, or join it later. I'd imagine most characters, regardless of background, could find a way to join it. You're all free to create a Sanctuary of your own that fits your character's backstory as well! Like I said, I wanted to leave this as open as possible, so people can do whatever they'd like to with the Order. Some characters might work tangentially with the Order, using their resources while not really believing in their cause, which is totally cool. Really, just go wild with it. Later on in the game, the Order could also serve as a built-in antagonist as Sanctuaries compete with each other to gain access to the Cradle; just a thought!
BlueXBlood, Xen6n, and I will be having our characters stumble across an abandoned Sanctuary and work to revive it if anyone would like to join
Thanks to BlueXBlood and @Xen6n for helping with this!
Unrelated image but Jules Guerin is amazing
If y'all have other ideas/suggestions on how to gradually round everyone up in a natural, free-flowing way, shoot it my way. In the meantime, just waiting for the okay from everyone and/or _ChickenWithTeeth_ regarding the Order and the sanctuaries.