Llank-Ryu
Nestled amongst lotus and banzai trees high atop Mount Grey, the Unified Kingdoms' most famous monastery is the Llank-Ryu school and archive. Ancient and weathered, the monastery predates the Unified Kingdoms, even the kingdoms themselves, although this is not shared very often by the monks, many of whom are (seemingly miraculously) possessed of unending youth. They (the monks, that is) also make ale, beer, meade, and wine that is exported to every kingdom in the country, several private islands owned by disgustingly rich people willing to pay a premium for the high quality distillates. This has led, also, to a newer and fantastically lucrative business in vanilla, almond and peppermint extracts. Their spice farms grow peppercorns of every color, star anise, and saffron crocuses. Vanilla orchids are grown in their monastery to the south, called Thornleaf, up amongst the cloud topped peaks of the Southron continent.
The martial monks that emerge from these schools are required to travel and seek out the knowledge Oghma has ordained for them. They universally find themselves enmeshed in adventures that affect the entire kingdom, and thusly, they have become the 'intelligentsia' for the Grey dynasty of High Kings. Their colors vary between the individual schools, Llank being black and gold, Thornleaf being blue and silver, and the other, smaller schools each having their own panoply. They employ a complex sign language to identify and speak secretly to one another while acting as Kingdom Agents, and have a wide network of safe-houses and friends of their order who aid and abet their intelligence gathering missions.
They are NOT assassins, as King Pladimus Cotnor found out to his dismay when he ordered them to kill the Grand Vizier of Khartoum far to the south, falsely saying the vizier was an enemy of the kingdoms and needed to be neutralized. The king of Cotnor found himself, two years later, completely enmeshed with the order when they quickly discovered the spies he sent to embed themselves in the Order of Oghma, specifically at the Llank-ryu campus and archive complex. It was Master Gojin Guar who discovered the duplicity King Pladimus Cotnor had planned in order to vacate the High King's Seat and thence to attempt a coup d'etat. His plans were foiled when a cadre of young Llank-Ryu martial artists slew the Captain of the Cotnor Guard just as he and his malfeascent retinue entered the Norgate Housing Projects section of Craysilt, from the north. No one even saw it happen, they only realized their commander's head had fallen from his shoulders when they heard the loud thunk of the Captain's overly hard cranium hitting the cobbled stone streets. The gang froze for a moment, when thunk! Their sergeant's head went the way of the Captain's, quickly followed by the lieutenant's. The rest of them broke, and ran, trying to lose their hunters in the myriad complex twists and turns within the Projects. None of them, over fifty strong, ever emerged from the housing projects.
The martial monks that emerge from these schools are required to travel and seek out the knowledge Oghma has ordained for them. They universally find themselves enmeshed in adventures that affect the entire kingdom, and thusly, they have become the 'intelligentsia' for the Grey dynasty of High Kings. Their colors vary between the individual schools, Llank being black and gold, Thornleaf being blue and silver, and the other, smaller schools each having their own panoply. They employ a complex sign language to identify and speak secretly to one another while acting as Kingdom Agents, and have a wide network of safe-houses and friends of their order who aid and abet their intelligence gathering missions.
They are NOT assassins, as King Pladimus Cotnor found out to his dismay when he ordered them to kill the Grand Vizier of Khartoum far to the south, falsely saying the vizier was an enemy of the kingdoms and needed to be neutralized. The king of Cotnor found himself, two years later, completely enmeshed with the order when they quickly discovered the spies he sent to embed themselves in the Order of Oghma, specifically at the Llank-ryu campus and archive complex. It was Master Gojin Guar who discovered the duplicity King Pladimus Cotnor had planned in order to vacate the High King's Seat and thence to attempt a coup d'etat. His plans were foiled when a cadre of young Llank-Ryu martial artists slew the Captain of the Cotnor Guard just as he and his malfeascent retinue entered the Norgate Housing Projects section of Craysilt, from the north. No one even saw it happen, they only realized their commander's head had fallen from his shoulders when they heard the loud thunk of the Captain's overly hard cranium hitting the cobbled stone streets. The gang froze for a moment, when thunk! Their sergeant's head went the way of the Captain's, quickly followed by the lieutenant's. The rest of them broke, and ran, trying to lose their hunters in the myriad complex twists and turns within the Projects. None of them, over fifty strong, ever emerged from the housing projects.
Structure
A progression of colored belts; white, to yellow, to green, to brown, to black. Once a student has achieved their black belt, they must choose a specialty and begin teaching once they have completed a years-long sabbatical , a quest for knowledge unknown to the Order.
Culture
The Way of Llank is peace of mind, obtained through strength of spirit and body. Meditation, and delicate beauty are stressed, with examples everywhere of such. Wisdom and experience are revered. These are warrior priests, even their archivists are such, and it shows through rigorous traditional obeisance. But there is a light heartedness that permeates their ranks. A real sense of right and wrong, and when to step up to right those wrongs, is taught at these schools, philosophy being a major subject of study. They often seem dour, or even grumpy. But, if you scratch a Llank-ryu student lightly, you'll often find a comedian waiting for an audience. Not always, mind you, but pretty often.
Public Agenda
To chronicle and protect the breadth of knowledge in the world.
Assets
Two main schools with Llank-ryu and Thornleaf-do, and fourteen smaller schools spread out around the settled lands of the world. Fourteen massive underground vaults contain their archives, and they have an active R&D team. There are bookstores and cafes the world around that are Blackpriest affiliated or owned.
History
Although Thornleaf-do, or Thornleaf Monastery, was founded first, Master Po Arendarensai cared nothing for the politics involved in human interactions, so she happily turned her monastery into a secluded and serene place to ponder the manner of things. In PN5427, Thornleaf-do was destroyed. Some said destroyed by red dragons, fulfilling a portent known only to a few of the Order of Oghma 's most senior members, such as master Po Arendarensai herself. But we do know that soon afterwards, the upper echelon of the Order of Oghma 's leadership just disappeared. Po Arendarensai , stepping in due to the dire need, did so with trepidation. Turns out, she's a gifted leader and she single handedly saved the order when she tracked down the Ravelous Nil responsible for the assassinations, and offering them the justice they so deserved.
Demography and Population
At any one point, there are perhaps a quarter of a million people beholden to the monks and schools for their livelihoods, spread across the planet.
Territories
Grey Mountain, various farmholds and vineyards throughout the world.
Military
They are all trained to some level of martial response.
Technological Level
This is the premier archive and research center in the world, one would need to look to the The Bardic College Campus for technological advancements and etc.
Religion
The monks are quite tolerant of other religions, saving those that worship evil acts and vile practices.
Agriculture & Industry
Spices, ale, wine, mead and Intelligence services.
Trade & Transport
Trade is conducted through the auspices of the Merchant and Sailors' Guild . The Guild's teamsters, sailors and merchants trade their stuffs far and wide.
Education
Education is everything within the Order. The quest for knowledge is expected to be an ongoing priority throughout the monks' lives.
Infrastructure
Farm holdings across the planet, secret vaults of wealth squirrelled away within various places the globe around.
Mythology & Lore
The Order of Oghma has arisen out of the darkness cast during the Times of Toil , and ushered in the Times of Good Works. It is said the order once rescued an emperor's son from captors, then hid in a haystack to avoid detection. The emperor's men, eager to catch and kill a Monk of the Order, searched all the haystacks with their swords, stabbing the monk in the thigh. The Monk of the Order never made a sound, and had the presence of mind to squeegee his own blood off of the tip of the sword with his fingers to further avoid detection.
Divine Origins
The Order arose out of the chaos surrounding the Times of Toil, that period 5,500+ years ago before the adoption of the celestial calendar. It was formalized by twins from a far southern realm. Rare indeed for High Elves to have or be twins, but for them to have survived Ravelous Nil 's Elven Purge and then create the single greatest force to oppose the evil bastards is nothing short of proof the multiverse appreciates poeticism.
Cosmological Views
Once, there was naught but the feathered serpents of chaos and law, eternally trying to devour one another by the tail. But they fought, again and again, until the forces they unleashed in their fury provided the aether with the materials with which to create and order itself, and thus were the primal gods born. Oghma came later, as sentient beings began communicating, and refining language, and creating knowledge archives and scholarly pursuits.
Tenets of Faith
Do good works amongst our fellow creatures. Be kind to those in need. Remain as curious as a child. Be respectful to all those who have earned it. Learn, always.
Ethics
The pursuit of knowledge is a journey, not a race, it is true. However, Loreseekers and Namers, as well as the Llank-Ryu and Thornleaf-do, are charged with ferreting out truths and exposing those who would gain power through disseminating misinformation.
Worship
The Binding*
Performed in the morning, involves writing mystic symbols during silent prayer. The prayer is that of a promise to the Giver of Names that the practitioner will endeavor to expand their horizons (as well as those of others) with knowledge. The symbols are those that represent words in a language of the world that Oghma originally came from (according to scholars, the language is called “Celtic” the words chosen for the ceremony are those that reflect the current desires and feelings of the practitioner, such as “Ambition”, or “Truth”, or “Explore”. All servants of Oghma receive intuitive knowledge of their chosen symbols at the beginning of their prayer, so none need to be fluent in the symbols’ language. This ceremony can sometimes reveal truths about the practitioner’s inner thoughts that they themselves have not realized, so asking too much about the symbols can be rude.The Covenant*
Performed in the evening, is a sharing of proverbs, stories, music, or new knowledge. This can be done either as a prayer to Oghma, or in conversation with anyone intelligent enough to understand the practitioner. This activity symbolizes a fulfillment of the promise made during the Binding ritual in the morning. *researched and compiled by Johnny TekPriesthood
The Priesthood was led by Cot before he disappeared, and before the Thornleaf monastery was destroyed. Now his sister Po directs clerical operations, although she dislikes the dogma of the Order's 'Religious Side'. Nevertheless, the Order thrives because of her astute, responsible, and mindful leadership. Rites to Oghma do not involve sacrifice, as this could lead to a loss of knowledge and inspiration.
Granted Divine Powers
Oghma’s Restoration
2nd-level transmutation (ritual) SPECIAL: You must be a worshipper of Oghma, as well as a cleric or paladin to cast this spell. Casting Time: 1 minute Range: 10 feet Components: V, S, M (see below) Duration: Permanent You invoke the will of Oghma to repair and reconstitute both the medium and writing of a written text that was damaged or destroyed, from a surviving piece of the target object (the piece serves as the material component for this spell). This spell only works if the original text has been so damaged that parts of it are illegible or missing, the original object is nonmagical, the original object is no larger than a 10-ft. cube, and the materials used for both the medium and writing are neither rare nor magical in nature (thus this spell will not restore spellbooks and the like). Alternatively, this spell can be used on any other type of crafted object so long as the original object is nonmagical, the original object is no larger than a 10-ft. cube, and the materials used to craft the object are neither rare nor magical in nature.Voice of the Binder
5th-level enchantment SPECIAL: You must be a worshipper of Oghma, as well as a cleric or paladin to cast this spell. Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Components: V Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute You invoke the authority of Oghma to speak the mystical true name of one creature you can see within range. Only the creature can hear you, and you do not remember the creature’s true name afterwards. On a failed Wisdom saving throw, the targeted creature is stunned until it succeeds on a Charisma saving throw at the beginning of its turn, which it makes on each of its turns until it succeeds (at which point the spell ends). If the creature takes any damage from an attack, or another creature touches it, the spell ends. Creatures that are immune to the stunned condition are unaffected by this spell.Political Influence & Intrigue
The Order of Oghma has been charged with the gathering of intelligence that could protect the kingdom.
The knowing is the goal.
Founding Date
1233
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Capital
Alternative Names
"The Blackpriests", "Mindelvers", "Oghmites"(derogatory)
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Llankhynde
Leader
Leader Title
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Meritocracy
Power Structure
Semi-autonomous area
Economic System
Command/Planned economy
Currency
Gold 'Mark', silver 'nickels', copper 'pennies'
Major Exports
Ale, Meade, Wine, rare and exotic spices like saffron and vanilla orchids, nutmeg and allspice, peppercorns, salt mines and salt water desalination for desert irrigation, intelligence services, search and rescue teams and military historians
Major Imports
Various cuisine, workers for the precious metal mines and spice fields, 'new blood', hard alcohol and spirits.
Legislative Body
Council of Masters
Judicial Body
Council of Masters
Official State Religion
Parent Organization
Deities
Location
Related Professions
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Manufactured Items
Related Items
Related Myths
Comments