Hm. I'm having a hard time putting into words down precisely what I take issue with here. I think it's the implausability of such a "church". I think it's because it's not so much a "church" as a philosophical get-together. If I get your gist, the theological-metaphysical theory here is that all things are a part of the Truth and are all equally legitimate, so the goal of the priests is to gather as much knowledge about "other" religions as they can (if "other" is the right word here, since the implication is they're all part of the same metaphysical idea).

That in itself is a nice idea, and I'd like to see that run. What I'm kind of bogged down with is why these priest-philosophers would bother pretending they're organized together. You pretty well state there's no central authority, or really any central tenet aside from "there is no one way". If that is so, then why are they going around Speaking/preaching these different ways? And even if they are, why come up with the circles and ranks? Given their ultimate goal (Oneness), the ranks and organization, scant as it is, seem to be ancillary at best and a stumbling block at worst.

If I'm missing the gist of it, please say so. But I have a hard time finding the need for the organization. The "these Are Our Churches" codex seems mostly just a freetext for religious ideas. That's fine and well if that's the case, but it seems a merely a meager justification for the Church of The One to exist. In terms of a unifying church for all faiths, I just don't buy it. 

All that said, the idea of The One philosophy as a theologically underpinning is interesting, and I'd like to see more of it fleshed out. I'm counting myself as "not getting it" and will spare you my vote. I'd like to read more about it, however, just with a more engaging explanation for it.

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Hard Drive Gnomes - These miniscule illusionists and mechanics keep computer hard drives functioning, and ensure all processes and programs run as they ought. They vary in disposition and skill, and tend to become frazzled and senile in their older age. When fresh and happy, the gnomes keep a computer running smooth and fast. Gnomes that become surly for whatever reason can wreak havoc on operating systems, causing program failures, cascading errors, and malfunctioning hardware. Aging or tired gnomes function just as poorly, though not maliciously. Gnomes do not like to be overworked and it is wise to shut down a computer every now and then to grant them some rest. Go to Comment

I like this a lot. The idea of warrior poems is reminiscent of British poets after the Great War. The haikus make it short and sweet enough to put them in a game, too. Go to Comment

Only voted Go to Comment

Well, as Cheka pointed out, it's Spartacus the Orc, and I'm a sucker for subs influenced by history. But I feel like there's not much to this. Who is Garg? What are his motivations? When you say he "reacts is largely dependent on how the PCs treat him and under what circumstances they first meet" - what do you mean? Is he looking for allies, might he consider them treats? Offer some options.

It's an okay idea seed, but it's missing details that would make it interesting. As is, it's just sort of "meh" for me. Flesh to bones and it'd be great. Go to Comment

This could be a great codex/scroll for minor characters. Why not make it an actual codex? Go to Comment

It's a neat study in what could happen to a powerful religious/philosophical center after a revolution like your Reformation. I like it as a scaffolding on which to build other happenings to fit into a setting. Go to Comment

The Diadache of the Acolytes of Dalraaen
An ancient book that describes the earliest practices and teachings of the Order of Dalraaen. The book dates back to the Order's founding and is said to have been written by The Hearer, the prophet who first heard Dalraaen's call. It explains who Dalraaen is and his purpose; namely, he is the embodiment of justice and he brings order to the fallen world. The first half of the book is pure theology, while the second half regards rules and practices. The book describes how to set up a court (the Order's version of a church), how to seek priests for the Order, the proper way to run a trial. This book would be of interest to clerics or monks, perhaps historians, and followers of Dalraaen; a religiously unaffiliated warrior would find the theology too heady and the rules too repetitive. Go to Comment

#109

On the Customs & Rituals of the Otara River Valley Peoples, by Prof. Zevid Schraef

This is a dense, heavy book with thick paper bound in hard, cheap leather. The pages have wide margins, on which many are scrawled detailed notes and underlined passages. Many pages are dogeared, some with stains, though the cover seems to have taken the brunt of wear with ring stains from mugs and various scratched and mars.

The legendary humanist Zevid Schraef was an expert in his field for decades. In his early years, he studied many foreign cultures by living among them for years at a time. The corpus of his works form the backbone of anthropological academia today. His work on the culture he termed the "Otara River Valley People," known better as the K'Otara'an today, is considered a cornerstone text and essential for any student of humanism. It covers in great detail the lifestyle of the K'Otara'an: family structures, linguistics, religious rituals, daily habits, diet, cultural norms, etc. Academy professors commonly refer to the book as "The Old Standard," calling it the best example of making another culture accessible through science.

Most academy students would disagree: Prof. Schraef's style is extremely clinical, covering minutia at length and seeming to gloss over in a few complex words subjects which the K'Otara'an held in great importance. Students prefer to call it "The Old Snoozer" because of its exhaustive boringness. Some teachers at mage schools, however, are now seeking the book as a primer on legendary K'Otara'an magic, citing Schraef's detailed notes on the natives rituals as valuable source material. Go to Comment

HoHing this with the suggestion that RGTraynor's "30 Books from the Forgotten Library" be added.

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Br. Orloas the Venerable

The Visions of the Heavenly Spheres according to the Visionary, Brother Orloas

Purported to be a divine revelation from the gods to a (now defunct) monk. In it, he describes seeing the far-off spheres: the moons, the "moving starres", the stars of the firmament. Strange worlds are described: here a world where ice issues forth from geysers, there a place where the day brings fire and the night freezing death. The descriptions are vivid, if at times fevered and disjointed:

The god, whom I know only as "Star-Strider", has again came to me in the night. This evening we were brought to what he called a star, but I saw not the firmament as our astrologers have promised, but a blazing fire ever-burning, vast and vast beyond my knowledge and beyond understanding. Star-Strider said many stars are like this, ours included; others are smaller, and some thousands of times larger. Thousands! It is beyond me, and I lose hope at the knowledge, for how can I ever understand these things that are so far beyond? Star-Strider tells me our people will one day see all these things and beyond. We must trust the gods in their wisdom, or we have no hope otherwise!

After publishing his visions, Orloas was expelled from his order. His small fringe cult didn't last beyond his lifetime, but scholars still occasionally read his literature, some as a study in madness, others a theological survey, still others for some hidden truth behind the mad monk's writings.

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Stony dwarves. I like 'em. I would have given it a 3.5, but the added history bumped it up a half point. Good job. Go to Comment

The Alternative Philosopher

A gazette popular with the rebellious, young, and uninformed, The Alternative Philosopher is filled with the rantings of various second-rate historians, theologians, and thinkers. The editor-in-chief and publisher is a certain "Doctor" Dorus Hechliemer, a former professor at a major university whose credentials were revoked after he published some particularly odious and unorthodox papers. Hechliemer started the publication as a soapbox for his myriad paranoid "research projects," but eventually it attracted other writers of his ilk. It now features an introductary "From the Editor" piece by Hechliemer, followed by various conspiracy theories, alternatives histories, outright slander, and other things kept out of more scholarly pieces. Much of it is ahistorical gibberish written to please the egos of their authors, but some say there are kernels of truth peppered throughout each publication.

An excerpt:
"...And thus we come to the recent destruction of Demosthene Abbey. The official report of the tyrant is that it was an 'accidental fire' began by poor Brother Procus, an ally of our causes. Accidental indeed! All who know Br. Procus agree that he was (or is, since there is no proof he is actually dead) the most upstanding and alert person of the whole monastery. What could cause him bring an exposed lantern into the hay barn? Even the abbot has betrayed the True Citizens of this kingdom by saying Procus was, and I must quote, 'habitually intaking wine and other liquors forbidden by our order.' Lest we forget, Abbot Zaran was once our greatest ally and a provider of funds for our cause! It was only the last months, since our publication on the Trvth of the 'religion' that he revoked our funds and stopped speaking to us. Clearly, he has been replaced (much like Senator Gharthus) by a doppelganger, some fiend working for the quasi-governmental demonic league. Now, the question on all your hearts I'm sure is this: how do the wizard guilds fit into this? That, friends, is obvious..."
- Professor-Comrade Thariel Zorst, "Demons, Wizards & Merfolk: What We Know, Who They Control, & What You Can Do" Go to Comment

Don't think I ever voted on this. But I love the idea of cheap and popular texts. An HoH bump for this one. Go to Comment

I like the sewn-lips habit and their hostel as a form of income. I quibble at them being warrior monks, as it seems every group of habited men in fantasy worlds are secret Shaolin warriors, but that is but a quibble. Go to Comment

Very useful! Go to Comment

If anything, this is a great reminder to think outside of the box. The medievals were so creative with imagining their foreign creatures: http://bestiary.ca/ Go to Comment

A cigar bar for the fantasy realm.

I always like more detailed elements, but this sub doesn't scream for them. The setting speaks for itself for the most part, and I like the place. Go to Comment

Only voted Go to Comment

Neat as a stub, but it would be nice to see it built into a larger submission. Go to Comment