Stargazers
Loving Consecrators of Kira
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The Loving Consecrators of Kira is a levist religious order that follows the teachings of Kira above all other gods. The members are called Stargazers and are also known as The Mission. The order is found all across the world, seeking to do good and spread the word of Kira outside Nora, and live in extreme conditions.

The Stargazers were declared heretics by Maxem the Mariner after they refused to dissolve their order. Many have since gone into hiding, but most have refused to give up The Mission.

Organization


As far as anyone knows, this order finds its missions and quests by studying the stars. Only its inner circle knows of the prophecy that truly guides the members. The Stargazers clearly stand out from other orders because they accept any members. Anyone willing to undertake missions for the Stargazers has a chance to join. While some advance far enough through the ranks to realize that a secret circle guides the Stargazers' actions, only the truly faithful and loyal have a chance to enter that circle.

Outer Circle

The Stargazers' reputation for being in the right place at the right time draws many to them. Others seek out Stargazer chapters because of the group's reputation for disrupting evil. The Stargazers consider those who undertake their missions but don't join as part of the outer circle. Members of the outer circle are simply adventurers known to the Stargazers for fighting evil and amenable to the Stargazers' missions. Priests from the middle circle contact outer circle adventurers and offer them missions or quests. Occasionally they will lead such adventures. If anyone asks how the Stargazers decided to undertake a quest, the response is that they observe the movements of the stars in the night sky and interpret those movements. The Stargazers accept anyone to the outer circle without prejudice against race, profession, morality, or any other characteristic. The Stargazers' quests generally don't appeal to the immoral, though.

Middle Circle

Middle circle members also deliver membership invitations to honorable, good adventurers and expert astronomers who serve the outer circle for several years. Ordained middle circle members accept strict demands for their allegiance and obedience. Most outer circle adventurers offered ordination refuse because of those demands. This often weeds out individuals without true devotion. Those who accept discover they have more duties than delivering messages to the outer circle. Some quests are too important for those not sworn to the Stargazers, and the middle circle undertakes them. Many are curious about how the Stargazers know so much, particularly those representing the forces of evil whose plans the Stargazers foil. Middle circle members provide security for the chapters. In return, the Stargazers provide training, assistance, housing, and food. The Stargazers sometimes provide special equipment in the form of magic items for truly important quests. The Stargazers primarily funds itself through private donations made by wealthy knights, nobles and laypersons.

Inner Circle

A middle circle priest who shows true devotion to the Stargazers' cause over a period of years may receive an invitation to join the inner circle. Many do not survive long enough to enter the center of the Stargazers' secrecy. Inner circle members pore over copies of a manuscript written by Ariosto the Mad, comparing the ancient writings with current observations of the stars. When they find an apparent match, they send middle or outer circle members to influence the corresponding event. They use carrier pigeons or messengers to deliver their instructions, so no one ever knows if he has met a member of the inner circle. Those who accept invitations to the inner circle learn the Stargazers' real history.

History


Long ago a human known as Ariosto the Mad wrote a prophecy of a climactic battle between good and evil at the end of the current age, a battle that would establish which force would be dominant in the next age. A paladin named Loholt Jessant discovered the book during his quest for a mount. After the quest, Loholt's friend and companion, an elven wizard named Evienne, read the book. Ariosto predicted numerous signs, portents, omens, and events leading up to the battle. Loholt and Evienne believed that several of those events had already happened, as Ariosto wrote that they would. They came to believe Ariosto's writings completely. Loholt and Evienne resolved to influence future events so that good would triumph in the climactic battle. Together with an astrologer, they formed the kernel of what would become the Stargazers.

Chapters


Stargazers chapters are generally built on high mountain peaks. The Stargazers don't choose the sites to isolate the chapter or to protect the Stargazers' secrets: The air is clearer and more still at higher altitudes, improving the Stargazers' observations of the stars.

Mt Badon Chapterhouse

A clear path leads down a peak in the Cathel Mountains to a pass and a trade road that connects the house to the town of Nuithair.

The chapter head is Jumdish Dour. He is a modest, quiet man, and no one at the chapter suspects he's a member of the inner circle. Mags Boartusk commands the small chapter guard. Marshall Boot administers the chapter's library and scriptorium. Gilleabart Hargitay is the chapter's astrologer.

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