The Order of the Jackdaw

"With this oath I swear my life and all my strength to the Jackdaw Lord. From this moment, I no longer need speech to communicate with my fellows. I swear to uphold the tradition of the Order and to preserve the history of this world - past, present, and future - for generations to come, that they may learn from and use my knowledge to the benefit of all. From this day forward, I swear to put aside my old life, and to take on the mantle of a Keeper. No more shall I concern myself with matters of personal identity, for as a Keeper it is knowledge which I hold most dearly."

— Oath of the Underkeeper

The Order of the Jackdaw is a well-known, yet enigmatic order of holy scholars. They follow the way of the Jackdaw Lord, the deity of secrets and oaths, and as such have amassed a huge wealth of knowledge concerning the secrets of the world, both divine and mundane. Members of the Order take a vow of silence when joining and abandon their identities in favor of a life pursuing such knowledge.

The Citadel

The Order is based in the Citadel of Silence, an expansive complex high in the mountains of Aizira. Outsiders are not privy to its exact location as the Order is highly secretive and protective of the knowledge it keeps. Visitors to the Citadel are brought in on windowless carriages, and escorted by several guards, all on alert for any use of magic.

The Citadel is a massive stone complex, with several gardens and orchards along with hundreds of rooms. Several guard towers rise from the thick walls, each supporting a pair of guards with ranged weapons at hand. Beyond the large main gates, a wide hallway leads to a row of confession rooms. Here, visitors are allowed to enter a room and make a confession to the Order member sitting on the other side of a stone screen. These rooms are connected by winding passages to the Archives, the heart of the Citadel. Here, a vast amount of knowledge is stored. Each piece of information is sorted and cataloged meticulously. The Citadel houses rooms for members of the Order to live in, several kitchens, dining halls, classrooms, and much more.

Structure

The Order is divided into five different rankings, each with different responsibilities and different garb.

The Promise

A promise is the lowest-ranking member of the Order. These are typically younger children, sent to or found by the Order and aspiring to become full members. Promises are able to speak and often accompany Keepers in their travels to act as interpreters. They have promised their futures to the Order but haven't yet taken their oath of silence.

After two to three years of training, promises are tested on their fluency in sign and Featherscrim, as well as knowledge of the Order's oaths, traditions, structure, and history. After successfully passing the tests, promises are sent on an assignment picked especially to play on the individual's strengths and weaknesses. This is the last time where the promise is allowed to speak and use their personal identity. Most promises choose to forgo their traditional garb on this last mission.

A promise, like all members of the Order, wears a mask at all times. This mask is made of simple gold plating, and reaches from the wearer's brow to cover their upper jaw. Holes for the eyes and nose allow the promise to function normally. The rest of the promise's face is wrapped in light black fabric, disguising their identity further. Donning long, light-grey robes obscures the rest of the promise's body.The robes are hooded and trimmed with fern green silk. An identical band wraps around the waist, holding the robe closed. Promises wear thin black gloves and leather shoes to complete the ensemble.

The Underkeeper

Once a promise's mission has been successfully completed, they return to the Citadel and take the Oath of the Underkeeper, rising in the rankings. Underkeepers spend at least seven years doing work around the Citadel such as cleaning, cooking, or taking confessions. Having taken their oath of silence, Underkeepers no longer use their personal identity. They are allowed to choose one name, either from their previous identity or an entirely new one, and are known by that name until they pass on. Underkeepers are fully-fledged members of the Order, but do not yet have the experience necessary to be allowed the freedom which Keepers are awarded.

An underkeeper wears a silver mask, styled differently than that of a promise. The mask of an underkeeper stretches to the chin, covering the wearer's entire face. Some say that the openings on the mask create a lion-like visage. An underkeeper's robes are darker than a promise's, trimmed and banded with soft blue silk. On the silken band, the symbol of the Order is embroidered in dark blue thread. Underkeepers keep their shoes and gloves from their time as promises, although many require larger sizes as they grow older.

The Keeper

After seven years, an underkeeper may take the Oath of the Keeper. Keepers have much more freedom, and can choose to stay at the Citadel and meditate or record their personal knowledge and experiences. A keeper can also elect to make journeys around the world, recording the events they witness for the Citadel's use. Many keepers choose a specialty, whether a particular region, subject area, or even species, to focus on. When a keeper decides to travel, they are accompanied by a priest and two guards, known as protectors.

A keeper, upon taking their oath, dons a bird mask, made of a white metal alloy. A keeper's robes are long and voluminous, disguising everything about the individual's physical features. Like all members of the Order, keepers are hooded, which further emphasizes the mystery of their past identity. Around a keeper's neck on a leather cord hangs an amulet, embedded with a garnet. On this garnet is carved the symbol of the Jackdaw Lord.

The Protector

Protectors are chosen from among incoming promises, and are typically chosen because they are particularly athletic or show aptitude in combat training. They are given special training as underkeepers and become protectors after only four years. The duty of protectors is to keep the other members of the Order safe, in their travels abroad or in the Citadel, and to guard the Archives. Protectors are carefully trained in melee and ranged combat, and many have an arsenal of spells at the ready.

Given their role as defenders of the Order, protectors wear very different garb than the rest of the Order. Their mask is typically the first thing others notice about them, as it is strikingly intimidating. A protector's mask is smooth, covering their entire face and broken only by a long slit across the center through which the protector sees. The steel mask is painted white, and the bottom half is panted with black lines so as to resemble a gaping smile filled with needle-sharp fangs. The protector wear a hood which reaches past its shoulders, covering the uppermost part of the protector's steel breastplate. Loose sleeves and pants allow for a much larger range of movement than other order members are allotted. The protector's hands and feet are protected by treated leather gloves and boots. Completing the image is a large weapon, which varies based on the individual's strength. Typically, this is a two-handed crossbow for ranged fighters, or a specialized sword for melee. This sword, a traditional Order design, is tall and heavy. Its blade widens towards the tip, sharpened on both edges. On one side, a wicked looking hooked section of the blade extends, meant to catch oncoming blades. The pommel stone of this blade is carved with the symbol of the protector. Likewise, the hood is fastened with a large brooch bearing the symbol of the Jackdaw Lord.

The Scrim

The head of the Order is known as the Scrim. The Scrim's public position means it is necessary for them to be able to talk, but they must take a very specific oath limiting what they are able to say. Typically, the Scrim learns telepathy or a similar magic so as not not reveal anything about their personal identity. The Scrim is chosen by the previous Scrim or, in the case of a Scrim's unexpected demise, a council of the seven most senior keepers. The Scrim undergoes a rigorous and extremely specialized training in order to prepare for the role, typically taught by their predecessor but in worst-case scenarios by a specific book in the Citadel's Archives. The Scrim is expected to manage all the other members of the Order and to oversee the training of promises and underkeepers. Additionally, the Scrim is typically responsible for receiving all outside visitors and conducting diplomatic meetings where necessary.

The Scrim's mask is a relic and originates from the beginning of the Order, said to have been created by the Jackdaw Lord themselves. It is porcelain, but protected by several spells to prevent aging or breaking. Although it is identical in shape to a keeper's mask, resembling a bird's head, there is one telltale difference. The Scrim's mask features a lens attached to the front of the left eye socket. This lens, made of a pinkish glass, is held to the mask with a golden frame. The lens is said to have magical properties, though none know what exactly those properties might be. The scrim's robe is made from a thick black cloth underneath a layer of sheer dark grey. This gives the Scrim a slightly ethereal appearance.The hood of the cloak is made from the same materials. Like the Keepers, the Scrim wears an amulet. The Scrim's amulet is another relic passed from Scrim to Scrim, and is made of amethyst embedded in silver. On the amethyst is carved the symbol of the Jackdaw Lord.

Origins

The Order of the Jackdaw was founded in BV 2137. The first Scrim, Scrim Rhemne, was met by the Jackdaw Lord while Rhemne was meditating in a mountain cave. According to legend, the Jackdaw Lord recognized that very few mortals at the time chose to remember events, and the chaos of the Era of Creation had been almost entirely forgotten as the millennia passed. They approached Rhemne, one of the few who still heard the stories, with the idea to found an order dedicated to the protection and preservation of such knowledge, so the world could remember what it had been through and what events were yet to come. In return for founding such an order, the Jackdaw Lord would bless Rhemne with not insignificant power. This power was to be used in the pursuit of knowledge. Rhemne agreed to the idea, and soon set about gathering an order. The Jackdaw Lord, eager to see such an organization born, offered their help in building a place to protect such knowledge, and with mortal and deity working together, the Citadel was built.