Beryl

[hellspawn]

•Aliases: Deep Mother, Her Perfection, Flawless Diamond
•Race: Deep Gnome
•Worshippers: Deep Gnomes, and those who mine for or work with gems
•Governs: Gemsmithing, Healing, Safety, Stealth
•Mantras: Deceptive, Dramatic, Materialistic, Playful
Always seek to find and cut the perfect gem. Make it your life’s pursuit to create jewelry and bring beauty and perfection to the world. Do not take unneeded risks; rely on stealth and wit to keep you safe.

[hellspawn]

Most clerics of Beryl prefer the mace or the heavy mace, usually together with an enchantment that does not involve water (although such enchantments are not necessarily forbidden). When choosing armor, most clerics prefer the fine craftwork of one of their dwarven allies. They prefer heavy metal armor such as plate or half plate, because this metal came from The Deep Mother’s domain. Of course when stealth is needed, plate is not appropriate. Most clerics enhance their armors with a resistance to cold. When not traveling the Deep in search of gems, clerics of Beryl dress outrageously with a myriad of colors and many piercings showing off different gems from their travels. If they do travel, they tend to cover all jewelry because moving through the Deep unseen is of prime importance if you want to survive. They use jewelry consisting of the gems of their rank as focus for their spells.

[hellspawn]

At the beginning of the Facets of Beryl, as the church is called, after that fateful moment when Beryl was released and the witnesses began to recount the legend of Beryl and its sudden, vibrant truth, the faithful wrote down the requirements of their church. The structure was associated with gemstone cutting to please the new goddess. And this structure has continued, unchanged, to now. It should be noted that Beryl is one of the youngest gods and one who, as the literal mother of her people, is much closer to her clergy than other gods might choose to be. In the Facets of Beryl, the offices hold steady; this is not an organization that changes. Rather, it is the faithful that rotates through. For like any precious mineral, the Deep Mother requires that all of her children be faceted and polished.
Each office is staffed by clergy in a certain stage of their training. As they master their duties, they move upward in title and responsibility; a new facet is cut into their knowledge. At the pinnacle, the Diamond is the shining example of one who has been through every angle, rotation, and depth of the process.

Forming the base of the faith is the Pavilion, made up of clerics, mages, and even some rogue and melee types. The newest members are called Greenstones. After that are the Malachites, Fire Agates, and Aventurines. The head of the Pavilion is called the Chisel. The Chisel is always an Aventurine appointed by the Diamond. The newest recruit in any temple is given a special name until the next newest member takes their place; they are called the Culet. It is a position that involves some friendly (but never harmful) hazing.

After the Pavilion is the Girdle, encompassing the Phenelopes, Amethysts, Feldspars, and Garnets. The leader of the Girdle is called the Scale and is a Garnet appointed by the Diamond.

Beyond the Girdle are the Stars, comprising Alexandrites, Topazes, Sapphires, and Fire Opals. The head of the Stars is the Loupe, a Fire Opal appointed by the Diamond.

The Rubies make up the Table. Each Ruby has equal voice, and when the group is entitled to make decisions, it must be by majority vote. The Rubies answer to the Emeralds and do not have titles beyond Ruby.

The Crown is the Diamond and his or her Emeralds.

Elections and Organization
While the organization seems simple in structure, the expectations for each stage are challenging. To rise to the next title, one must have a grasp of all the duties involved in their rank, as well as be able to carve or chisel a perfect example of the gem that represents them.



•Pavilion: Greenstone, Malachite, Fire Agate, & Aventurine
New to the faith, the duties of the fledgling members are to catalogue lore and history, study and record important events, act as assistants, and learn the arts of mining and gem crafting. They do not travel much but are expected to apply themselves to the history of the Facets and begin practicing the art of stealth. Special attention is paid to the history and methods of the dark elves. The Chisel is an Aventurine preparing to take the next step to Phenelope. The final stage of the process is to work one-onone with the Greenstones and Malachites—assuring their learning is coming along, to make suggestions on teaching methods, and to groom the other Aventurines to pass through the position.


•Girdle: Phenelope, Amethyst, Feldspar, & Garnet
Advancing in their studies, the members of the Girdle learn the finer points of gem crafting and mineralogy. They also expand on the stealth tactics learned in the Pavilion and begin in-depth studies of the religions of Baraeon Ca’duz and Vierdri’ra. The Scale is the best and brightest Garnet. Ready to move forward, the final step is again to shepherd others, provide assistance if a clergy member is having difficulty, and apply some of the things learned by taking trips to mine gems in dangerous locations.


•Stars: Alexandrite, Topaz, Sapphire, & Fire Opal
Stars are grooming to become Rubies. They must be able to mine for the gems that allow them to advance as well as cut and polish them and show mastery of all the history and lore of Beryl. They must be versed in dark elf battle tactics and be able to come up with defensive maneuvers in case of attacks. This level focuses on the individual, and study is usually solitary unless groups are formed to mine. The Loupe must be able to determine where in a given deposit a gem might be found and learn concave faceting along with his or her other duties. They form the gem raiding groups and led battle simulations against mock dark elf aggressors.


•Table: Ruby
The Table is made up of Rubies. Theirs is a mentoring position, having spent a very long time earning the honor of Ruby of Her Perfection, they act as mentors to the younger clergy. They are themselves mentored by the Emeralds. Since they must be able to cut a perfect ruby gemstone as well as facilitating the rise of students through the grades before applying for Emerald, time as a Ruby may be very long. They must apply all they have learned in decisions and scenarios and are judged by the wisdom of their actions. In this level, they are allowed to begin researching the spell that will eventually lock their wisdom away in a gem; although, they may not use it. The final incantation is kept secret to prevent irreversible mishaps.


•The Crown: Emeralds & Diamond
The responsibility of the Crown is to oversee all doctrine, to select the heads of the orders, and to decide a response to challenges and important situations involving Her Perfection’s Facets. They are the highest level of decisionmaking, with the Emeralds assisting the Diamond in factfinding and occasionally in dealing with specific situations. Final decisions always fall to the Diamond in case a consensus can’t be reached. The Emeralds are assigned geographical oversight of areas of the world, mentoring of individual Rubies, information gathering, and special assignments. They report directly to the Diamond. There may be any number of Emeralds but there can only be one Diamond. Emeralds are allowed full access to the Beryl’s Wisdom spell and taught advanced methods of faceting that produce gems of perfect quality.

Emerald Broken Chisel survived the attack on the Festival of Diamonds by hiding. He desired the office of Diamond for himself, but he realized Darkglow’s decisions brought about a better result and has graciously moved aside remaining an Emerald. He is middle-aged, with a rare but robust full head of white hair, and is actively involved in training the Rubies to move upward and replenish the ranks of the Emeralds.
Emerald Quillwem of Alindor, the first non-Deep gnome to ever rise to this level in the Facets, is special envoy for temple communications. After his assistance in finding the dark elf assassins and protecting Darkglow and Broken Chisel, his place as an Emerald was assured. He is a wood elf who freely admits to a lifelong fascination with gems. Although he came to the faith late, he has risen quickly. He is in his adult years with scars on his face and body that speak of a life of adventure.

The Diamond is the Deep Mother’s representative on Layonara and is elected by the Emeralds from their ranks. He or she holds the position until death or retirement. There is only one Diamond at any given time.

Diamond Darkglow was voted into office by the remaining Emeralds after an attack during the Festival of Diamonds near Stone, which resulted in the death of the previous Diamond. He is an older gnome who is beginning to stoop and is considered a quick thinker. After his ordeal, he is more security-minded than ever, and because of the fact that a Deep gnome helped facilitate the attack, he has put more restrictions on advancement with more clergy time spent mentoring (observing). He has assisted in the rebuilding of the Phenocryst, and he reinforced several smaller temples in addition to the Batholith.

[hellspawn]

Bit Knockers
While the majority of the Facets focus on gemcrafting with mining regarded as a necessity, a small group has always found the process of prediction and digging much more fascinating. These Bit Knockers, named only 100 years ago, exist side-byside with the Chippers (what they call the mainstream church). They choose to follow Facet structure loosely; however, they do not stand on formality the same ways as their brethren in the clergy. They are welcome at Facet gatherings and are anticipated at the Festival of Diamonds on account of the fact that these Deep gnomes spend a great deal of time with their dwarven brothers and are therefore rougher around the edges than a typical Deep gnome. Their stories of drinking and mining are legend and always good for an amazed head-shake and belly laugh. The Bit Knockers have developed some very sophisticated methods of finding veins of gemstones and have cooperated with both the Forge of Dorand and the Academy of Goran to build some amazing mining machines. While the Forge is friendly to Beryl’s Facets, it is allied with the Bit Knockers too for all the assistance they have lent dwarven miners over the years.
•Foreman
There is only one leader of the Bit Knockers at any location, and that leader is decided depending on the mineral or metal being mined for—he or she is called the Foreman. Since the position shifts around competence, the Foreman may be any one of the Bit Knockers, and there are as many Foremen as there are geographically separate groups digging.

[hellspawn]

All of the temples save one that are dedicated to Her Perfection are deep in the Deep Gnome cities of The Deep. They are all, without exception, carved out of rock and feature natural crystal formations and mineral deposits in the walls. Gemstone mosaics cover the floors and walls, and only a small amount of light is required to cause a wildly beautiful refraction of colored light from the many stones that decorate the chambers. From the outside, however, a wanderer would be hard pressed to see a temple entrance; there are no signs, no adornments, and at best all that can be seen is the outline of a door on a rock face. This is tradition and represents the plain stone wrapper that most spectacular gems are encased in before careful examination reveals them.

Phenocryst
Located very near the ransacked city of Stone, the Phenocryst was destroyed during the siege and sacking of the gnome city. Since that time, little by little, the temple is rebuilding. After Diamond Darkglow was voted to head the Facets, he dedicated a large sum of labor toward setting mosaics and re-shaping the Phenocryst structure. Old tunnels and rooms were filled in and new cavern spaces added—to confuse potential enemies and to wipe away the stain of the desecrations.
The new temple goes deeper underground than the previous temple with better security measures. The central meeting hall is a cavern with square faceted edges to resemble an emerald. The location is considered lucky. The walls are full of mineral deposits and smoothed over to create a gorgeous spread of color against the gray of the stone. This is the temple that most surface dwellers come to if a large gathering is called.

Batholith
This temple is spoken of, however, no creature that is not a verified worshiper of Beryl will ever find it. Miles below the surface, somewhere in the the Deep, is the heart of the Deep Mother’s faith. From what is known, it was not the first temple.

Due to repeated and vigorous efforts by the dark elves, many temples before it have been founded and subsequently abandoned or destroyed. This one, however, endured for what is guessed to be over 600 years now. Like all the others, it is said to have an entrance that is almost invisible. Once inside, the incredible meeting hall called The Window dominates. The room is described as being circular with faceted walls covered in precious gems, which depicts the story of Beryl. All activity and meetings in the Window are conducted with the audience on tiered seats surrounding the center where the speakers are.

The Diamond is headquartered in this location.

[hellspawn]

Prayers
"Deep Mother, it seems that what most holds my attention are the things that people cannot see, touch, hear, or feel. Yet in the moment of my day when my mind is still, my soul is quiet and my breath is slow and even, I can almost feel the warmth from your light within me. I can almost hear the low hum of your call and feel your perfect touch upon my heart. But most of all, I can see your beauty in the gems I shape and jewelry that I prepare for you. In your name I pray.
May my actions be flawless and pure as the diamonds your perfection forges in your depths; bless me with cold tranquility of sapphires that I may do this task fairly and without bias."
– Quillwem Laylluanilm, Emerald of Her Perfection

Prayer is during the daytime, near a light source, and surrounded by the most perfect examples of the individual’s work. Reflection from the gems appears to have an important role in the prayer itself, and it is considered ideal if the one praying can surround themselves completely with brightly colored refractions.

Holy Days
There is only one day observed in the faith as a holy day. Called the Festival of Diamonds, it celebrates Beryl and her place as the Deep Mother and goddess of Deep gnomes.



•Festival of Diamonds
The day Beryl ascended to the heavens is well-know—it was the first Cuprig in the month of Dark-Deep. On this day, every year, is held the Festival of Diamonds in the Batholith, and the same festival is held in the Phenocryst a week later. It seems cumbersome, however, for the normally stoic Deep gnome, it’s an opportunity to enjoy festivities twice. There are many who would or could not travel the the Deep safely; thus, necessitating the topside repeat. The festival itself always begins with the Diamond recounting the tale of Beryl’s ascension and followed by stories from anyone who has a good one to tell. After the Diamond, there is no order to the speakers and attendees are free to wander the many displays of gem craft set up around the hall. It will continue for 2 days and nights. Mix in a large contingent of Bit Knockers and it may drag on an extra day with many a sore head afterwards.

[hellspawn]

•Allied:

◦Aeridin
◦Goran
◦Lucinda
◦Shindaleria

•Friendly:

◦Az'atta
◦Deliar
◦Dorand
◦Folian S'pae
◦Grannoch
◦Ilsare
◦Prunilla

•Neutral:

◦Aragen
◦Katia
◦Kithairien
◦Mist
◦Rofirein
◦Vorax
◦Xeen

•Unfriendly:

◦Toran

•Enemy:

◦Baraeon Ca’duz
◦Branderback
◦Corath
◦Grand
◦Pyrtechon
◦Shadon
◦Sulterio
◦Vierdri’ira

[hellspawn]

•Alignment:
◦Neutral Good



•Cleric Alignments:
◦Lawful Good
◦Neutral Good
◦Chaotic Good
◦True Neutral



•Domains:
◦Earth
◦Good
◦Healing
◦Trickery



•Notes:
◦Most clerics prefer to choose Earth, to be closer to Her Perfection, and then one of the other three.