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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DMEntropy" data-source="post: 1202657" data-attributes="member: 13270">Universities of Os    Os appears as a middle aged, bald man dressed in robes of white.  He carries a staff of ash wood capped simply with mithril.  Golden sandals adorn his feet.  Os is quiet and contemplative in demeanor.  He will often observe the actions and speech of others for a long time prior to taking any action of his own.Requirements of Priesthood    The followers of Os take one of three distinct paths when they pledge their service.  Few people will ever leave the service of Os once committed.  It is not completely unheard of, but quite uncommon.    The Order of Mercy is composed of the priests.  These servants of The Healer run the temples and tend to the spiritual needs of the people.  This order provides the advisors to the various leaders of Aerde who seek such assistance.  The minimum requirements to become a priest are a sound mind (INT 12+) and a confident personality (CHA 12+).  Priests must maintain academic pursuits during their career and are required to have at least 1 rank in two different Knowledge skills per level.  Adventurers dedicated to Os come from the Order of Mercy.    The Healers are people who have dedicated themselves to Os and the pursuit of curing injury and illness through non-magical means.  This group rarely leaves the temple/hospital in which they are based on adventure activities.  They are sent out with military forces to supplement the Order of Mercy in caring for the wounded.  Fewer initiates qualify for the Healers than the Order of Mercy.  Only the best students (INT 14+) with good hands (DEX 12+) and personality (CHA 12+) are asked to enter the halls of the Healers as students.  Healers follow the Expert NPC class.  They must take maximum ranks in the Healing skill.  In addition, they must take maximum ranks in Knowledge: Anatomy or Profession: Herbalist.    Fewest of all the priests of Os are the members of the Brothers of the Quill.  These are the sages who run the vast libraries and repositories of knowledge kept within the temples of Os.  As the priests provide counsel to the leaders of the world, the Brothers of the Quill provide knowledge to the Order of Mercy to assist them in making their recommendations.  The Brothers rarely leave their libraries, even on quests for knowledge.  The brightest students (INT 16+) are offered membership into the Brotherhood.  They are required to have maximum ranks in 4 Knowledge skills and at least 2 other Knowledge skills with 5 ranks by the fifth level.Aims, Credos and EthosOs raised a temple/university from the bedrock of an island in the harbor of Hariappa, Suryanasta during the Age of Gods.  This serves as the chief temple for Os.  Inside the walls of this temple are libraries containing tomes and scrolls from the earliest ages of Aerde.  Healers from all of Aerde travel here to learn their art and return to their people.  Those that seek healing and solace also travel to this temple to find solace from their pain.    There are temples dedicated to Os throughout Aerde.  Humans in particular follow his teachings.  Os has also developed followers amongst the elves and halflings of Aerde.    Any priest or devotee of Os is well respected as an advisor.  They are known to be truthful to their liege and forward thinking.  If any weakness can be applied to this group it would be their merciful attitudes.  Many leaders do not take devotees of Os to be among their advisors for this reason.    Followers of Os are charged with spreading knowledge to all they can reach.  Educated people are more enlightened and illuminated by the lamp of Os’ teaching.  Mercy must be offered to all who request it.  This can prove difficult in many circumstances during war.  The enemies of this church recognize this as a weakness in the followers of Os and often attempt to exploit it.     Where ever disease or injury is found it must be treated.  A devout of Os who has the training shall not withhold their ministrations from any who would accept it.  The only exception to this is childbirth of the monstrous humanoids.  Os withdrew his favor from these races due to their constant warlike and sadistic natures.  Death and injury during childbirth are viewed as the punishment for their people’s wicked ways.    Rituals    Emergence Day is one of the most holy days of the year for followers of Os and falls on Mai 17th, the first day of Summer.  This festival celebrates the creation of the great university/temple at Hariappa by the divine hand of Os.  It is a constant reminder to all that the Merciful Hand has touched Aerde and bestowed a great gift.  There are readings of new texts on discoveries and newfound knowledge.  A great feast is also held in which any who wish may participate.  The priests and devout will spend the days prior to the celebration passing the word of the upcoming festivities and feast to the others of the community in which they reside.    Rebirth is a holiday celebrating the restarting of the cycle of life on Talanar 1st.  The priests of Os watch the sky for the first appearance of Talin in the eastern sky on this day.  A twenty-four hour festival begins at this moment that is marked with music, dancing and song.  As with all of the holy days of this church, the downtrodden and hungry are sought out beforehand to come a join in the happiness of this day.    Illumination Day is celebrated on Hafyar 32nd when Talin is full and Lunak is new.  This is the most reserved of all the celebrations of the temple of Os.  It is marked by learned lectures and public speeches on academic topics.  This day is meant to promote the spread of knowledge across all of Aerde to all the people regardless of station.    There are monthly Days of Mercy that occur at different times of each month.  The devout are charged with finding someone who is in need of care or assistance and providing that to them.Customs, Rules and Taboos    A distinct group priests are evangelical in their activities.  These are the priests that travel across Aerde and participate in adventures of various sorts.  They hope to reach those who may not have heard of Os and bring to them the teachings of the Merciful One.    The Healers and Sages are almost solely based at a large regional temple/university.  Some of the smaller temples will have a contingent of Healers if there is a large enough population or need for them.  Occasionally, the Healers will venture from the temples in search of rare herbs or other healing needs.  The sages always remain within the safety of their libraries, sending others out to gather information or writings of interest.    No follower of Os will willingly destroy a tome or text of knowledge.  To do so would require very unique circumstances.  Any such text would instead be brought to the nearest temple for examination by the Brothers of the Quill so that the learning within could be shared with all.Equipment, Garb and Offerings    The Order of Mercy favor plain robes of light colors.  They will be trimmed with gold and silver threading along the sleeves to denote rank within the church hierarchy or special accomplishments.  The only weapon these priests will use is the quarterstaff.  Adventuring priests will wear all sorts of armor.    The Healers wear white robes whether within or outside of the temple.  These robes are unadorned with any outward signs of rank.  Armor use is nearly unheard of by these devotees.  Weapons are not used, but small knives are included in the healing kits carried by the Healers.  Most of these kits will be masterwork in quality.    The Brothers of the Quill never wear armor or wield weapons except in the most unusual of circumstances.  They favor loose fitting robes of dark colors bound with a sash around the waist.  The more exciting of the sages will wear very colorful sashes of differing materials rather than the typical black or brown cloth or leather sash.    Holy symbols carried by the devout are typically made of ash wood or silver.Specialty MagicRod of Mercy – These rods of silver and ash wood are capped with the open palmed hand of Os at the top and a simple cap of silver on the other end.  Priests use the rods to improve the effectiveness of their healing magic.  The rods function as a Lesser Rod of Metamagic, Maximize for all healing spells cast by a priest of Os.  This function only applies to spells of 3rd level or lower and is limited to three uses per day.  In addition, they allow healing spells with a range of touch to be cast on a target up to 30’ away.  This function works for all levels of healing spells and its use is limited to three per day.  Both effects can be combined at the will of the wielder.    Strong (no school); CL 17th; Craft Rod, Maximize Spell feat, Spectral Hand; Price 25,000gp; Weight 3 lbs.</blockquote>

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