New Sect - The Conclave of Enlightenment - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

New Sect - The Conclave of Enlightenment

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Ornum
Mar 21, 2004 13:09:52 This sect was developed for the Ootheca, the Planar Site that I created a few months ago and posted here and a couple of other places. Just thought that I would share. I have also posted a version of this on another site, so this might be something that some of you have seen.

The Conclave of Enlightenment (The Collectors, The Chant Mongers)

Sect Philosophy: Knowledge is power. Information is the best form of currency. The more a person knows, the more useful that person becomes.

The Conclave is a relatively new sect that seemingly believes in nothing more than collecting any and all form of information that a person has about the planes. What uses they have for such an over abundance of information is unknown.

The sect is currently led by Mallory the Knowing (Planar/female human/Wizard 8, Psion 2, Loremaster 6/Conclave of Enlightenment/LG), who is very friendly to almost everyone she meets, as long as they bring in unheard tidbits and news, that is. Some people outside the sect wonder how someone who seems to be so young (she doesn’t appear to be older than 25 years of age) could possibly be the leader of this sect, but wiser folks point out that illusions alter appearances and other magic exists that can keep up the youthful appearance of others. Either way, no one in the sect questions her authority, so it’s a moot point.

Whenever Mallory appears in public, she is always flanked by Breen (Planar/Female Observer/Conclave of Enlightenment/LN) and Torg (Planar/Male Observer/Conclave of Enlightenment/LN), both of which will defend Mallory in case someone is actually foolish enough to attack. Exactly how these two ended up in this position, let alone how they manage to stay in such close proximity to each other, is anyone’s guess.

The most commonly seen high-up in the sect is Mallory’s second in command, Lan (Planar/Genderless Phirblas/Conclave of Enlightenment/NG). Lan’s always visible within the Global Village, so much so that it seems that Lan doesn’t sleep. When Mallory’s not available, all within the sect defer to the judgment of Lan.

Primary Plane of Influence: Although the Collectors can be found anywhere in the planes seeking new knowledge, their headquarters resides in the Ethereal Plane. The Global Village (more to follow on this, as I’m writing up a separate entry for the headquarters), as the headquarters is called, orbits Neth, the Living Plane. No one knows why this spot was chosen, but most connect Neth’s thirst for knowledge with the sect’s thirst for the same and think that the two may have more to do with each other than is let on.

Allies and Enemies: Everyone generally gets along well with the Collectors, as they don’t actively push their beliefs on anyone else. However, the Xaositects see the collection of information pointless, as do the Doomguard. Still, this doesn’t stop those factions from seeking knowledge from the Collectors when hard-pressed.

Eligibility: Only those that the sect chooses can become a member of this sect. Most publicly know members are arcane spellcasters and beings of psionic ability. Since defense of the Global Village is necessary, however, warriors are also members of the sect but just aren’t as abundant as the others. Also, there seems to be a rise in divine spellcasters within the ranks lately.

The symbol of the Conclave of Enlightenment is a sun-like, blazing eye floating over an open book.

Benefits: Members of the sect have access to a vast wealth of information, as the Global Village contains a library that, while not as complete as the ones found on Thoth’s Estate in the Outlands or Nectar of Life in Mount Celestia, certainly rivals them. Also, any member can call upon another member for help in times of need.

Restrictions: As previously stated, membership is by invitation only. The nature of selection isn’t widely known, but a vow of secrecy is sworn by new members before any of the inner workings of the sect are revealed.

DM’s Dark: Unknown to anyone outside of the Conclave, the sect’s true philosophy is that the planes have a will and intelligence of their own and all a person has to do is listen close enough, and a plane will tell you what it wants. By following the true powers of the planes, which are the planes themselves, you learn the real truths of the multiverse. The Collectors use their gain of information to piece together ways to actually communicate with the planes, although so far, nothing has worked. They believe that it is only a matter of time before such communication will occur, which will then lead to the Conclave being the ultimate force on the planes.

When the sect first formed, gathering information was truly their only goal. Upon finding the Living Plane, however, their perceptions were altered, which eventually evolved into their current philosophy. Since both the sect and Neth are in constant search of knowledge, they get along quite well together. So much so, if fact, that Neth has sent over a dozen of its children to quietly guard the Global Village. Neth doesn’t want to lose his greatest source of new information, after all.

All subsequent attempts to converse with the “true powers” ended in utter failure, until they finally found a plane it could talk to when the sect entered the Ootheca, well before anyone else discovered it. Upon trying to communicate with the structure, they were somewhat surprised when it actually answered.

They kept the site a secret and visited from time to time, just to learn as much as possible from it. Then "that damned meddling tiefling" accidentally discovered the Ootheca, eventually causing an influx of explorers and scholars. Now they disguise themselves as scholars when they enter the Ootheca. While they talk to the Ootheca, others see the distant look in their eyes and just assume that they are lost in the beauty of the site.

Neth itself has grown quite curious about the Ootheca, and wants as much information on it as possible. Because of this, the sect has been recently spending most of its time studying and communicating with the Ootheca, sending all information to Neth.

On another note, the sect has had more than a few members of the Conclave start worshipping Neth, calling themselves the Acolytes of Neth. While at first nothing came of this, now it seems that Neth has gained the ability to actually grant powers to some of these worshippers. This has led Neth to actively seek out even more worthy candidates among the sect in hopes of becoming even more powerful through their worship (the empowered worshippers will either be simple NPC Adepts, less powerful than normal clerics, a new PrC, or just a series of feats attainable only by worshippers, I haven't decided the best course of action yet).
#2
zombiegleemax
Mar 22, 2004 11:24:03 Very, very interesting, especially the last part. It would be curious to see what could happen to the Multiverse if Neth became an official power.

The Conclave seems to have a slightly similar philosophy to the Shadowseeker sect that I created a while ago, who are based out of the Demiplane of Shadow. I wonder if the two might have some sort of alliance since their goals in the end are very similar. Both groups seek to uncover knowledge, but the primary difference is that the Shadowseekers believe that there is a second side to everything, and that side is hidden from the views of most beings, even the powers, while on the surface, the Conclave seems to collect information for information's sake.

Regardless, it seems like quite a neat sect for those who really do believe knowledge = power.
#3
zombiegleemax
Mar 24, 2004 23:49:39 Its most likely that a Divinely Powered living Demiplane would be one of the strongest beings around. Also thought I'd point out that my Discoverer's sect is very similiar to this one. Allies perhaps?

Oh, and its good to see you on the boards again Center. There were a few discussions on this board where your take might have been interesting, such as my "Beyond the Multiverse" Thread, and the "Bizzarro Multiverse" discussion we were having at one point on that thread(didn't last long)
#4
moogle001
Mar 25, 2004 2:33:12 Interesting idea indeed. The whole thing with speaking with the planes and serving Neth seems like an interesting offshoot of the Transcendent Order, while an entire faction could be built off the idea of knowledge equals power. It's not hard to believe in, and has obvious benefits, even without any planar reinforcement. Might just use the idea in the future...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Ornum Mar 21, 2004 13:09:52	This sect was developed for the Ootheca, the Planar Site that I created a few months ago and posted here and a couple of other places. Just thought that I would share. I have also posted a version of this on another site, so this might be something that some of you have seen. The Conclave of Enlightenment (The Collectors, The Chant Mongers) Sect Philosophy: Knowledge is power. Information is the best form of currency. The more a person knows, the more useful that person becomes. The Conclave is a relatively new sect that seemingly believes in nothing more than collecting any and all form of information that a person has about the planes. What uses they have for such an over abundance of information is unknown. The sect is currently led by Mallory the Knowing (Planar/female human/Wizard 8, Psion 2, Loremaster 6/Conclave of Enlightenment/LG), who is very friendly to almost everyone she meets, as long as they bring in unheard tidbits and news, that is. Some people outside the sect wonder how someone who seems to be so young (she doesn’t appear to be older than 25 years of age) could possibly be the leader of this sect, but wiser folks point out that illusions alter appearances and other magic exists that can keep up the youthful appearance of others. Either way, no one in the sect questions her authority, so it’s a moot point. Whenever Mallory appears in public, she is always flanked by Breen (Planar/Female Observer/Conclave of Enlightenment/LN) and Torg (Planar/Male Observer/Conclave of Enlightenment/LN), both of which will defend Mallory in case someone is actually foolish enough to attack. Exactly how these two ended up in this position, let alone how they manage to stay in such close proximity to each other, is anyone’s guess. The most commonly seen high-up in the sect is Mallory’s second in command, Lan (Planar/Genderless Phirblas/Conclave of Enlightenment/NG). Lan’s always visible within the Global Village, so much so that it seems that Lan doesn’t sleep. When Mallory’s not available, all within the sect defer to the judgment of Lan. Primary Plane of Influence: Although the Collectors can be found anywhere in the planes seeking new knowledge, their headquarters resides in the Ethereal Plane. The Global Village (more to follow on this, as I’m writing up a separate entry for the headquarters), as the headquarters is called, orbits Neth, the Living Plane. No one knows why this spot was chosen, but most connect Neth’s thirst for knowledge with the sect’s thirst for the same and think that the two may have more to do with each other than is let on. Allies and Enemies: Everyone generally gets along well with the Collectors, as they don’t actively push their beliefs on anyone else. However, the Xaositects see the collection of information pointless, as do the Doomguard. Still, this doesn’t stop those factions from seeking knowledge from the Collectors when hard-pressed. Eligibility: Only those that the sect chooses can become a member of this sect. Most publicly know members are arcane spellcasters and beings of psionic ability. Since defense of the Global Village is necessary, however, warriors are also members of the sect but just aren’t as abundant as the others. Also, there seems to be a rise in divine spellcasters within the ranks lately. The symbol of the Conclave of Enlightenment is a sun-like, blazing eye floating over an open book. Benefits: Members of the sect have access to a vast wealth of information, as the Global Village contains a library that, while not as complete as the ones found on Thoth’s Estate in the Outlands or Nectar of Life in Mount Celestia, certainly rivals them. Also, any member can call upon another member for help in times of need. Restrictions: As previously stated, membership is by invitation only. The nature of selection isn’t widely known, but a vow of secrecy is sworn by new members before any of the inner workings of the sect are revealed. DM’s Dark: Unknown to anyone outside of the Conclave, the sect’s true philosophy is that the planes have a will and intelligence of their own and all a person has to do is listen close enough, and a plane will tell you what it wants. By following the true powers of the planes, which are the planes themselves, you learn the real truths of the multiverse. The Collectors use their gain of information to piece together ways to actually communicate with the planes, although so far, nothing has worked. They believe that it is only a matter of time before such communication will occur, which will then lead to the Conclave being the ultimate force on the planes. When the sect first formed, gathering information was truly their only goal. Upon finding the Living Plane, however, their perceptions were altered, which eventually evolved into their current philosophy. Since both the sect and Neth are in constant search of knowledge, they get along quite well together. So much so, if fact, that Neth has sent over a dozen of its children to quietly guard the Global Village. Neth doesn’t want to lose his greatest source of new information, after all. All subsequent attempts to converse with the “true powers” ended in utter failure, until they finally found a plane it could talk to when the sect entered the Ootheca, well before anyone else discovered it. Upon trying to communicate with the structure, they were somewhat surprised when it actually answered. They kept the site a secret and visited from time to time, just to learn as much as possible from it. Then "that damned meddling tiefling" accidentally discovered the Ootheca, eventually causing an influx of explorers and scholars. Now they disguise themselves as scholars when they enter the Ootheca. While they talk to the Ootheca, others see the distant look in their eyes and just assume that they are lost in the beauty of the site. Neth itself has grown quite curious about the Ootheca, and wants as much information on it as possible. Because of this, the sect has been recently spending most of its time studying and communicating with the Ootheca, sending all information to Neth. On another note, the sect has had more than a few members of the Conclave start worshipping Neth, calling themselves the Acolytes of Neth. While at first nothing came of this, now it seems that Neth has gained the ability to actually grant powers to some of these worshippers. This has led Neth to actively seek out even more worthy candidates among the sect in hopes of becoming even more powerful through their worship (the empowered worshippers will either be simple NPC Adepts, less powerful than normal clerics, a new PrC, or just a series of feats attainable only by worshippers, I haven't decided the best course of action yet).
#2 zombiegleemax Mar 22, 2004 11:24:03	Very, very interesting, especially the last part. It would be curious to see what could happen to the Multiverse if Neth became an official power. The Conclave seems to have a slightly similar philosophy to the Shadowseeker sect that I created a while ago, who are based out of the Demiplane of Shadow. I wonder if the two might have some sort of alliance since their goals in the end are very similar. Both groups seek to uncover knowledge, but the primary difference is that the Shadowseekers believe that there is a second side to everything, and that side is hidden from the views of most beings, even the powers, while on the surface, the Conclave seems to collect information for information's sake. Regardless, it seems like quite a neat sect for those who really do believe knowledge = power.
#3 zombiegleemax Mar 24, 2004 23:49:39	Its most likely that a Divinely Powered living Demiplane would be one of the strongest beings around. Also thought I'd point out that my Discoverer's sect is very similiar to this one. Allies perhaps? Oh, and its good to see you on the boards again Center. There were a few discussions on this board where your take might have been interesting, such as my "Beyond the Multiverse" Thread, and the "Bizzarro Multiverse" discussion we were having at one point on that thread(didn't last long)
#4 moogle001 Mar 25, 2004 2:33:12	Interesting idea indeed. The whole thing with speaking with the planes and serving Neth seems like an interesting offshoot of the Transcendent Order, while an entire faction could be built off the idea of knowledge equals power. It's not hard to believe in, and has obvious benefits, even without any planar reinforcement. Might just use the idea in the future...