The Priests of Droven

A letter to the new found Churh of Droven in the human Kingdon of Swaaczar from the Church of Droven in the nation of Parna

I speak here to those in the Swaaczar Kingdom who have taken up the crest of the Tree-Mountain and sworn an Oath to Droven. I speak first as to what it is that grants you the power of Droven. It is the church of Droven that grants you power and it is Droven that has granted power to that church. Remember my new found brothers, Droven is not a god of humans nor are we creatures of his design. Unlike the human Gods Droven is not interested in your soul or what is in your heart but in the labor of your mind and body. Thus since your Oaths were not recognized by the church, you have not yet become Priests, even though you may be living by Oath's of a Priests. For only when the labor of your mind and body become directed by the church, than do you become Priests.

Do not expect that you will easily understand the ways of Droven, for they are the ways of the Dwarf race. As your country is so far to the West it is likely that only a few, if any of you, have ever seen the splendor of Dwarven labor or the heard the truth spoken in the Dwarven tongue. And these things are near impossible to imagine or describe because they are completely foreign to our own way. Do not deceive or dilute yourself; a Dwarf is not just a short man, but an entirely different creation conceived for an entirely different purpose than we humans. So as Priests of Droven you may at times be asked to put your humanity aside.

All this being understood you may now take the Oaths of Priests and be granted the powers of a Priest. I assume that each of you have crafted a Seal of Droven. Protect this seal for it is the hand of Droven on this earth. As you can see I placed the mark of my seal at the bottom of this document, and since I am an Elder Apprentice the mark of my seal bares with it the power of the Church. Place the crest of your Seal upon the mark of my Seal and speak aloud the Oaths below.

1: The dead are to be bound and placed in the earth for a spirit lost to fire, air or water is restless.

2: The word of a priest of Droven will be like stone. He may profess or protect no falsehoods.

3: The labor of others is to be respected. Those things worked by another shall not be molested by the priests of Droven nor will he allow another to take such without appropriate compensation.

4: Contracts are sacred to Droven. They shall be marked by his seal and protected by his priests.

5: A priest of Droven does not strike another in the back or in an indirect manner.

6: The resources of this world are gifts. They will not be left unused or inaccessible.

Thou art now a Priest of Droven, recognized by the Church of Droven and empowered with the gifts of Droven. Break any of these Oaths, and you shall be stripped of your gifts. Disobey the church and you will be stripped of these gifts.

As we are men and not Dwarfs, we are in the habit of considering objects or ideas as if they were lines in a play with as many different interpretation as there might be actors. This is because a human mind considers the world much as a crystal considers light, dividing it into a prism and seeing many meanings in it. This not the way of the Dwarf or Droven, and to prevent misinterpretation by your human minds I will here explain the proper understanding of each Oath.

1: The dead are to be bound and placed in the earth for a spirit lost to fire, air or water is restless. Never forget that Death is the Consort of Droven. Out of respect for Droven's consort the Church has tasked its' followers with protecting the institution of death. It is your solemn duty to properly Seal all beings of wit into the ground following their death. That grave must be marked by a stone or other sturdy material baring the Seal of Droven. Any creature that has taken on the form of the undead, must be destroyed and returned to the earth. Droven's Church will grant you powers to recognize these creatures and help you to dispatch them.

2: The word of priest of Droven will be like stone. He may profess or protect no falsehoods. This is simple; do not lie, do not be complacent in a lie, and do not allow a falsehood to persist. The greatest truth of our order lies in our maps, but do not let the truth slip in other actions you take.

3: The labor of others is to be respected. Those things worked by another shall not be molested by the priests of Droven nor will he allow another to take such without appropriate compensation.
This does not mean simply 'not to steal'. In fact, if man or creature is wasting a resource, allowing it to rot or go unrecognized, than it is just to remove it from that being's possession. But if a person has worked something, if a person has created something than you shall not steal it nor allow anyone to steal it. Furthermore, you must always attempt to regulate a fair trade, price or barter for an item. In the human realm there are many swindlers and tyrants who will take far more than they give, and they must be resisted.

4: Contracts are sacred to Droven. They shall be marked by his seal and protected by his priests. This is another form of truth, but a contract is the truth of a promise. Help those that seek to make an agreement to make it clear, and to document that agreement with the seal of Droven so it will remain clear. And punish those that break the contracts sealed by Droven.

5: A priest of Droven does not strike another in the back or in an indirect manner. The dwarves were the first mortal beings to be given the gifts of Steel and War by the Gods. And since that time, many have corrupted war, but as followers of Droven we must keep combat pure. The ancient codex of Droven says only this about the fifth oath Stee Dwarf KiBock . It translates to roughly The Dwarf with the Weapon Strikes The Opponent . You cannot use a missile weapon and the person you strike must be opposite you and aware of your attack.

6: The resources of this world are gifts. They will not be left unused or inaccessible. In this Oath we get to the core purpose of our order. We are explores, connectors, pioneers and cartographers. The World is full of forests rich in game and timber, mountains teaming with gems and metal and many other treasures that remain useless because they are not worked properly or at all. The men and Dwarves of the world can not work these resources if they do not know where they are. As a priest you will help others to find these resources.

Understand these Oaths and live them everyday. The next thing I wish to inform you of is the gifts that you have been granted. First and most importantly is the Seal of Droven you now carry. This Seal is no normal stamp, but can be placed on any object that reflects the truth. Thus, if you place this seal on a crate containing ten furs, that seal will remain there until the ten furs are removed. And you can only place your seal on documents or items that you know to reflect the truth. Once placed it cannot be removed, but it can be broken either by force or changing the content of the item Sealed. At your current status as Priests your seal can mark the truth. But there are six steps in the Church of Droven to which a Priest can rise.

As you know the first step is to become a Priest. Regardless of which order you follow, be it one of the Dwarf orders (Justices, Gravekeepers or Masters) or our own everyone starts as a Priest.

The second rank church can bestow upon you is that of a Guide or Guardian. The Seal becomes frightful and destructive to the undead when follower is bestowed this rank.

Next the Church may advance you to Juror. A Juror is the third rank in the Church order, and Droven has honed the senses so that knowledge comes more easily to a Juror.

If the Church needs or the merit of individual necessitates, a Juror can be advanced to the status of a Solider if you are in a Dwarf order or a Scout if you are a member of our order. Scouts are empowered to search for those items that task Droven and his Church. While conducting that search the Scout may independently make decisions and choices that carry the weight of a church decree.

Great and worthy Scouts may then be given the title A Son of Droven. This title only lasts a year, and during that year the Church member has to prove that he is worthy of the next the rank, or he is returned to his previous position.

Finally a worthy Son of Droven may become an Apprentice of Droven . We Apprentices are the leaders of the Church. We decide the uses of Droven's power and the role his Followers will play in the Church. I hope that there is a future Apprentice in those who have taken the Oath this day.

Lastly, before you get to the individual tasks the Church has assigned for you, I would like you to answer some question. Why are you doing this? Why are you turning your back on human gods and human ideals? Why would Droven grant a human church any power? Well I do not have an answer to these questions, at least I do not have that would satisfy a Dwarf, because my answer is based on belief. I believe that there is purpose for our Church in the destiny of humanity. For the human game to be played out, all souls must be open to all gods. But this can not be when most nations are ignorant of anything beyond their own borders. And by exploring and charting the world we are indeed linking it together, and letting humanity full fill its destiny. And let us not forget that the great observer and accountant of this human condition is Droven's consort Death. So I do not believe we have turned our back on human destiny, but instead we have been granted power by Droven to see humanity's destiny realized. And I am proof of Droven's desire to see humanity succeed in its destiny. As I am a human and Apprentice of Droven, than by definition my belief does not offend Droven. But rather allows me to go in peace with my humanity and Oath's to Droven intact.

Be as I command,
Stephen Riverborn, Master Apprentice of Droven in the Nation of Parna.

Order: The Priest of Droven

Diety: Droven the Dwarf god of stone, craftsmanship/industry and truth/reality. He is depicted as one of his four forms a Judge, a Grave keeper, a Craftsmen or Surveyor.

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Description: Dwarvish God of stone, industry and truth/reality. Droven is one of the first generation of Gods and he is responsible for the independent existence of objects. Prior to his arrival in the universe, all things did not exisist if they had not thought of there own. Though another god may have dreamed of the mountains it was Droven that forged the stone that gave those mountains a true form. As for his role in the creation of the Dwarf race, this came from the young gods using the stones of the earth as weapons. Those first weapons of the gods were all irrational and destructive, but Droven saw the possibility of a creation that is constructive. Thus he made dwarves. Droven's consort is the Goddess Death all depictions of Droven have some representation of her in them.

Symbols and Material Items: Chain (Gravekeepers), Hammer (Justices), Anvil (Administrators), Tree-Mountain (Mapmakers-Human Sect). All Priests carry a unique seal of Droven. The seal works like a magic item, once a seal is placed on something it speaks to the authenticity of that item. If the seal is placed on a document that means that priest vouches for all that is contained in that document and if they document is altered than the seal cracks. This is all true for all containers and portals. If a shut container has a seal of Droven on it than that seal will crack when the container is opened.

Sixth Oaths every priest of Droven must take
1) The dead are to be bound and placed in the earth for a spirit lost to fire, air or water is restless.
2) The word of priest of Droven will be like stone. He may profess or protect no falsehoods.
3) The labor of others is to be respected. Those things worked by another shall not be molested by the priests of Droven nor will he allow another to take such without appropriate compensation.
4) Contracts are sacred to Droven. They shall be marked by his seal and protected by his priests.
5) A priest of Droven does not strike another in the back or in an indirect manner.
6) The resources of this world are gifts. They will not be left unused or inaccessible.

Restrictions and requirements: Cannot use missile weapons. Must know some sort of skilled labor ie blacksmithing, stone cutting, weapons making etc.

Notes About Role-playing: There are not freelance priests of Droven. Each member is assigned a position by the church hierarchy, and must fulfill that task.