Holy Man
Holy men are not necessarily priests
although many are priests of one or more gods, having gained some insight into
the workings of the Celestial Bureaucracy. Holy men (and women) are typically ascetics,
devotees of a school of fierce self-discipline and sacrifice as a road to
higher power and enlightenment.
Most mortal members of the Immaculate Order
are devotees of these practices, exchanging the pleasures of the flesh and
freedom of motive and decision in exchange for the ability to aid those less
spiritually aligned. They follow a strict code of discipline, swearing great
oaths of sacrifice and commitment in order to gain some measure of power to act
against demons and the dead and the ability to work against rogue gods when no
other option presents itself.
Not all holy men are members of the
Immaculate Order, however. Throughout Creation particularly in the East and
the North there are small monasteries devoted to one or another school of belief,
teaching thaumaturgy and wisdom through suffering and denial of the self. Some
of these schools are effective only at making their supplicants truly miserable
or are sophisticated con jobs seeking only to separate the unwitting from their
material goods. Just as many have unlocked some form of
truth, and those who are truly devoted can learn much, if they have the
endurance to follow the lessons presented to them.
Itinerant members of these orders are often
sent out on journeys of observation and education some to witness firsthand
the trials and privations of common folk, others to provide what aid they can.
Some of these wandering monks never return to their monasteries, either succumbing to the temptations of the flesh and
forswearing their oaths, choosing to remain on the road or settling down in
some village they feel needs their aid.
Other holy men are self-taught, unlocking
inner strength through their privations and solitude. These thaumaturges
are often driven half-mad by their experiences and travails, by exposure to the
Wyld or by possession by spirits and often, they
werent too stable to begin with but they can be useful aids for local
villages, if only in attracting would-be disciples who need supplies, guidance,
and something to eat. Others merely want to be left alone to pursue their
particular brand of wisdom in peace and are otherwise perfectly amiable
neighbors.
Although the common image of the holy man
is the quiet, polite Immaculate Monk, full of gentle wisdom, powerful resolve
and great thaumaturgical power, not all or even
most holy men fit this image. Some continuously skirt the edges of their
oaths, attempting to find out just how far they can push them before they lose
their powers. Others are sanctimonious and overbearing, filled with the
righteous fury of the True Believer, and more than willing to harshly punish
any perceived transgressions.
Holy men are often fierce combatants. The
image of the fighting Immaculate monk, of course,
predominates, but it is not the only source of this stereotype. To be a holy
man requires intense discipline and adherence to an internal code whose
strictness virtually dictates conflict. Save for those
who live entirely self-involved lives of perfect asceticism in total isolation,
all holy men must interact with the world around them, and it is the world that
must bend. While hard and righteous words can carry a woman of strong character
far, those with unyielding principles must eventually defend them.
Abilities: Most holy men have Endurance and
Resistance, to better withstand the trials they place themselves under, and
wandering monks typically have Survival as well. Many itinerant monks are
skilled combatants the road is dangerous, and there are many who dont care
if a holy man is sacred or not. Those of properly spirituous mien will often
have Presence, and their travels often inspire the study of Linguistics. The
fierce physical training temple monks undergo results in heightened Athletics,
and some study Stealth as well. Most have a Craft or two they can fall back
upon, when their spiritual teachings and thaumaturgical
skills are not sufficient to earn them some food and a place to sleep.
Immaculate monks (and many others) will have some knowledge of Bureaucracy, and
maybe Investigation or Socialize as well, depending on their life prior to
joining the monastery.
Backgrounds: Monks who belong to an organization nearly
always have a Patron or a
Concepts: Itinerant wanderer, Immaculate
monk, crazy old guy on the mountaintop, village holy man, warrior priest
The path to
enlightenment
takes one
down many roads
but you
seem to have deliberately
chosen a
particularly difficult and
painful
one.