SourceMaterial-The Five Rivers

This is Avlis Source Material ⚠️Use of this material has NOT been authorized on the NWN Avlis Servers.⚠️ To use any of this material IC on NWN Avlis Servers, you must request approval of this material from the Avlis Team. Send a PM to the Dungeon Masters group on the Avlis forums to begin that approval process. To learn more about what Avlis Source Material is, please click here. You may use this material for non-server-related Avlis events, such as D&D/PnP.		The Five Rivers The Five Rivers is a monastic order of pathomancers originating from the onishin monk Ajaga of Khanjar Kuro, the original pioneer of Light Pathomancy. The name honors the five elements of Khanjar Kuro (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) and the quintuplet children of Lyelia and Taiso, also known to mythology as His Most Splendid Majesty the Platinum Dragon. In similar fashion to other organizations that govern the use of magic, The Five Rivers divides itself into five orders corresponding to these elements, and each order is in turn divided into light, silver, and shadow polarities corresponding to the three different flavors of pathomancy. As the official umbrella organization of pathomancers, The Five Rivers explores the art and guides the growth of its practitioners. Part of its responsibility also includes tracking the origin and flow of The Transient River, which is known to shift from time to time between the Ethereal, Astral, and Shadow planes. When this happens, it can temporarily hamper pathomancer spellcasting and requires group meditation and contemplation to support the planar exploration necessary to allow a team of planewalkers to seek out the new origin and perform a ritual at that location. Since the Transitive River is closely tied to emotional energy, and there is no ultimate power or deity in control of that power, the river’s origin can shift more often compared to some of the other centers of power. It is not unheard of for it to happen several times within a century, and only the most power pathomancers are selected to travel on the quest to find the new source. History The Five Rivers originated from the onishin monk known simply by one name, “Ajaga”. For most of her life she was a hermit content to contemplate the mysteries of her spirt and demon hybrid origins and the world’s inner conflicts until one day in 1360 A.O.D. she was approached by a good friend named Kodhi Kharma, who was excited about a new revelation. In those days, the population of Khanjar Kuro was under attack by tainted minions of The Dark Avatar, who unleashed a new form of magic called pathomancy. For nearly a century, it was not going well for the Clans of Light, and it seemed only a matter of time before the Clans of Darkness would prevail through pathomancy. Kodhi told how he found something he called the Transitive River which flowed through the transitive planes and acted as the source of power for the pathomancers of The Dark Avatar. He further believed there could be a new way to tap into it as to counteract the Clans of Darkness and turn the tide of the war. Ajaga listened to his stories and watched his demonstrations with great fascination. The two agreed to explore this new phenomenon together, with Kodhi studying it to augment his fighting skills and Ajaga to learn how to draw magic for her spells. The early years of exploration were not fruitful, but a breakthrough came one day when Ajaga and Kodhi spied a dark pathomancer drawing on energy from the Plane of Shadow to cast a spell. The caster looked around on a nearby wall for a shadow and then proceeded to pull the shadow off the wall and over his head, using a special ability. This imbued the caster with some properties of the shadow realm and gave him the ability to direct the energies of the Transient River. Ajaga realized that an ethereal equivalent to a shadow would be effective at delivering the same sort of power but from a different transitive plane, and using meditation she learned how to pull light over herself in the same manner to achieve access to the near Ethereal Plane. This discovery set her into high gear and she began to train heavily. Ajaga replicated the shadow-based pathomancy abilities and created an entirely equivalent art from the ethereal version. As Kodhi and Ajaga’s power grew, they both decided it was time to teach it to others, and in 1347 A.O.D. they founded a school on one of the smaller mountains near the fortress of Kazani'e, Mount Funsui. Ajaga built a fortified monastery there called Tengokukai where she based her new school called “The Five Rivers Academy” in honor of the Transient River, the five roads leading out of Kazani’e, the five quintuplets of Lyelia and Taiso, and the five elements denoting the major clans of Khanjar Kuro. The founding of The Five Rivers Academy began a new turnaround in the war against The Clans of Darkness. Ajaga took on hundreds of new students and immediately set them out to aid their nobles in the war, causing many of them to rise to respected official ranks within their own clans. The five senior students of Ajaga went on to found sub-orders in the territories of the five clans. Each built a fortress as a base of operations for the fledgling orders: D’Chyokai (Order of The Wooden Song), Khazai Khan (Order of The Fiery Winds), Udoshoshiki (Order of The Stalwart Rock), Kinzokushudoin (Order of The Metallic Edge), Mizugakuin (Order of The Cleansing Rains). Over the course of the next millennium, The Five Rivers grew to incorporate both the pathomancers of shadow and light, allowing membership from both the Clans of Light and Darkness. Until roughly the year 2250 A.O.D, there was no knowledge of silver pathomancy. However, through some contacts made with the main continent of Negaria to the north, and with the help of several bands of adventurers both on the surface and in the Underdark, some new discoveries pointed the way to accessing the Transitive River through the Astral plane. Each order of The Five Rivers worked to nurture this new piece of the art and incorporate it throughout the organization, which had political implications both in Negaria and on the island of Khanjar Kuro. Organization The Five Rivers is made up of The Elemental Council and five independent orders that emulate the five elements of Khanjar Kuro: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each organization emulates the qualities, style, and energies of one of those elements along with the three polarities of Pathomancy: light, silver, and shadow. Membership in the orders is not dependent on alignment per se, although a pathomancer’s polarity and associated abilities indeed depend on moral and ethical outlook. From one perspective, a separate dimension of personality apart from moral and ethical aspects denoted as a person’s “elemental alignment” is the main determinant of which order best suits them. In most cases on the island of Khanjar Kuro, elemental alignment is already determined by a person’s clan of birth. A cultural loyalty especially among nobility seals that allegiance further. Those from outside of Khanjar Kuro tend to have more flexibility in seeking the order to which they find the highest affinity. The Elemental Council The leadership of The Five Rivers sits on The Elemental Council which models itself after The Celestial Council of Khanjar Kuro’s. Each of the five orders independently chooses six representative pathomancers: two light, two silver, and two shadow. This gives a total of 30 representatives on the council. Through a consensus vote, these representatives then go on to elect the Great River Elder who functions as the guide and deciding vote on matters brought to the council in the case of a tie. (In all matters brought to a ballet, the Great River Elder receives one and a half votes.) Members of The Elemental Council must relinquish all family, lordly, and religious ties and loyalties to be eligible to serve. They are bound by magical oath in fealty to the council itself and are required to devote their entire life term to the prospering of Pathomancy and The Five Rivers. Rarely is this honor refused, though there have been cases where the loop hole of death and resurrection have released members from the vow. Order of The Wooden Song “Our monk friends of the Whispering Willow Order have a saying, ‘The best way not to get hit is to not be there. Move in to strike as the reed tip whips to and fro’. So it is with magic, my pupils. There is no sense in sustained force where the right spell at the right time will bring the enemy to its knees.” – Master Udoshinze Matoki, Grand Master of The Order of The Wooden Song The Order of The Wooden Song is based in Chikyushi, a monastery fortress located in the mountains just northeast of Kazani’e, the capital city of Khanjar Kuro. Its local members are closely tied to the ruling Shulin family of the area which is divided into two main branches of the Shulin clan, the Shulin Kuro (The Dark Clan of Wood) and the Shulin Hikari (The Light Clan of Wood). These close ties can sometimes make the politics of the Order of The Wooden Song and the Shulin clans seem inseparable and intertwined, especially in matters where the Light and Dark clans conflict. However, many exceptions exist, and members who choose to disassociate with the Shulin family clans are free to do so while they wander the island or seek further travels. The order often refers to these wanderers as “grasshoppers” because of their wanderlust and taste for adventures beyond the insular life. Whether members get involved with local matters or range far afield, their philosophy remains the same. In their view, pathomancy is about beauty and efficiency. In its beauty, it can create or destroy, and in its efficiency, it does so in a quick and elegant manner. Members of the order feel their efficiency embodies the element of wood that ranges from hard-hitting to flexible, and is the basis behind tool construction and fuel for fire. The notion of a Song denotes elegance and poise. In spellcasting, this translates to a calculated approach that attacks the weak spots of the enemy, or creates new ones to exploit. Witnesses sometimes interpret this as a reserved spellcasting stance, but with poise and wisdom behind it. Masters in the Order of The Wooden Song are often compared to majestic old oak trees in the forest. Joining the Order of The Wooden Song requires passing a test of skill and declaring a pathomancy polarity of light, silver, or shadow. The test varies from region to region, but usually involves a potentially life-threatening situation that must be overcome with one exploitation of a weakness in an obstacle. Those that fail the test often die, but not in all cases. Survivors have been known to take the test a second time and pass, but it is uncommon. Pathomancers that pass the test become full-fledged members of the order, and are eligible to move up the ranks within it. The ranks of the order coincide with the other orders in The Five Rivers and are given in Table 6-1. Like all the other orders, there is a single Grand Master that presides over the group as its leader, and is usually but not always one of the representatives on The Elemental Council. Order of The Fiery Winds “The essence of The Transitive River is emotion, and the edges of emotion are fear and love. In their purest form, these two opposing forces burn like flames and it is we who set them to purpose. Whether your fear burns with the hatred of living things, or your love consumes with joy, you must unleash it. Even those who we find know the way of balance between fear and love are not complacent. Theirs is a dual path but it burns no cooler.” Master Kazi Kamakuro, Grand Master of The Order of The Fiery Winds. The Order of The Fiery Winds is based in the impenetrable Kazai Khan fortress located due south of Kazani’e, the capital city of Khanjar Kuro. Though the fortress rests within the lands of the Kasai Kuro and Kasai Hikari clans, the order has a healthy peace with its hosts and only interferes minimally with family affairs when asked to do so. The arrangement is convenient for the order because its interest lies in spreading the practice of pathomancy far and wide, like a wildfire. Senior members of the order are usually adept at walking the planes and teaching their craft to others, and they have used this ability not only to spread the art around Avlis but through to other worlds and planes as well. Fire is a destructive element but also a creative one, and members of the order occupy themselves with emulating the presence and characteristics of fire. Both the creative and destructive applications of fire possess an intensity shared by members of the order. Fire represents their drives and attitudes as well as their performance in battle and in stately matters. When casting spells, this appears as intense barrages of destructive power. In political matters, it takes on the air of ambition, pride, and determination. These qualities are all independent of alignment, which simply governs what causes the pathomancers focus on the most and their general views of how magic is used. Initiation rights to the Order of The Fiery Winds are closely guarded secrets, but they are thought to involve the use of volcanic lava or in the absence of that a large amount of burning material. Nearly everyone who passes the test receives a scar from a close call, and the nature of location of the scar is sometimes interpreted as a sign or symbol describing how the member is special or possesses certain gifts. Failing the test incurs many more scars, often to the point of death. Pathomancers that pass the test become full-fledged members of the order, and are eligible to move up the ranks within it. The ranks of the order coincide with the other orders in The Five Rivers and are given in Table 6-1. Like all the other orders, there is a single Grand Master that presides over the group as its leader, and is usually but not always one of the representatives on The Elemental Council. Order of The Stalwart Rock “Hold your ground, for you are the ground.” Master Chyo D’Chyo, Grand Master of The Order of The Stalwart Rock The Order of The Stalwart Rock makes its home in the fortress of D’Chyokai located near the northern coast of Khanjar Kuro. Local noble families resist involving the order in their affairs because of its slow decision making process, but they often regret that stance once the order makes up its mind and decides to act with great certitude and force. Contacting the order is a chore since members often think for a long time before replying. Internally the order has a long process of conferring with elders and building consensus, and for the most part the time that it takes to meander through these proceedings is largely irrelevant to them. Most members of this order reside at the monastery of D’Chyokai, but when the order has decided to take action on a matter it has no qualms about sending out members to do its bidding, even if it means being away from the fortress permanently. Satellite monasteries from the order slowly spring up over time in this same manner and are known to operate throughout the territories of the D’Chyo clans. Elemental-based philosophies that favor earth, such as the teachings of The Order of the Stalwart Rock, are staunch proponents of big picture thinking. Earth, as an element, makes up the planet and all it contains, and the planet’s geology changes slowly and deliberately over long periods of time. This is seen by the order as the ideal way of living, with slow and deliberate decisive action that is well-thought out. When casting spells, this looks much like a “one hit, one kill” mentality. When earth element strikes, it does not hold back. It commits everything to the decision with all the confidence of previous consideration and thought. Naturally, it is easy to see why such methods are frustrating politically to other orders and governments, but this does not seem to bother the pathomancers of the Stalwart Rock. Initiation rights for new recruits are long and deliberately defined rituals that are unchanged since the beginning of the order. The exact content of the rituals is a closely guarded secret held by the elders of the order. Most members assert that the hardest thing about the initiation rites is having the patience to get through them. Rumors of their danger are not that common, and the price and consequences of failure rarely makes the bards tails or tavern gossip. Pathomancers that pass the test become full-fledged members of the order, and are eligible to move up the ranks within it. The ranks of the order coincide with the other orders in The Five Rivers and are given in Table 6-1. Like all the other orders, there is a single Grand Master that presides over the group as its leader, and is usually but not always one of the representatives on The Elemental Council. Order of The Metallic Edge “Removing the teeth from the tiger will rapidly change his desire to bite.” Master Kenzo Kinzute, Grand Master of The Order of The Metallic Edge The Order of The Metallic Edge is based within the fortress of Kinzokushi located on the western end of the island of Khanjar Kuro. Among the orders of The Five Rivers, the followers of The Metallic Edge are the most politically neutral, almost to the point of having a mercenary nature. For the right favors and rewards, The Order of The Metallic Edge is willing to deal with any of the major families of Khanjar Kuro, both light and dark. This trait also makes the orders members the most well-travelled among The Five Rivers’ orders with contingents found all throughout Khanjar Kuro and beyond. Part of the order’s political success lies with its speedy efficacy in battle and its ability to cripple enemies. The philosophy of metal stresses disabling of weapons or other means to do harm instead of attacking the opponent directly. From a spellcasting perspective, this takes the form of spells that inhibit the enemy’s abilities to either fight or cast spells as appropriate. Rapid disablement of entire enemy forces is also a theme. Such skills are in demand from the families of Khanjar Kuro and other individuals and organizations farther afield, and The Order of The Metallic Edge supports its study and learning by performing these favors and jobs. New members of the order are given an initiation rite that often takes place in public. The details of each initiation can vary depending on the individual and the testing board of senior pathomancers that administer the rite. However, in general the new initiate must successfully disable in a fight at least one spellcaster, one melee fighter, and one surprise opponent picked by the testing board. As expected, accidents can happen in a test like this, but death is not a requirement of failure. The ranks of the order coincide with the other orders in The Five Rivers and are given in Table 6-1. Like all the other orders, there is a single Grand Master that presides over the group as its leader, and is usually but not always one of the representatives on The Elemental Council. Order of The Cleansing Rains “The mountains, the canyons, the destruction of storms…. All these are from water. So is life itself, and for us, magic. We are the bringers of life and rejuvenating magic, but also the wielders of supreme devastation. The spectrums of creation and destruction, love and fear, are ours.” Master Miz Kencho, Grand Master of The Order of The Cleansing Rains The Order of The Cleansing Rains resides in the fortress of Mizugakuin located on shore of Lake Kagayaku on the western end of the island of Khanjar Kuro. Outsiders tend to approach The Order of The Cleansing Rains with caution due to a perceived fickle nature. At times, the order seems inviting to others and will deal kindly. Then, at seemingly random intervals, their stance and behavior will change. Within the order there are always good reasons for this, but what most outsiders do not understand is that the organization is ruled by the heart, not the head, and places great stock in the use of emotions to make decisions. As emotions change, so does the behavior of the order and its members. In fact, the overall behavior of the order is not consistent because the members individually are also not consistent. This behavior only seems inconsistent, however, to those looking at the order’s behavior from the outside. Internally, the principles of water are in full effect. As an element, water takes the shape of its container and moves downhill through the path of least resistance. By following the whims of their emotions, the members of the order insist they too are taking the path of least resistance in the short run. In the long run, their principles tell them that great mountains can be moved and great gorges carved through these means. Ideally, the initiation rites of The Order of The Cleansing Rains take place in and near Lake Kagayaku. However, in remote cases, any body of water or the ocean will do. New recruits that wish to join the order must overcome challenges using their pathomancy to get through obstacles under the water and on the surface. On occasion, a poorly prepared recruit can drown during these rituals, but failure of the test does not require that the recruit die in the process. The ranks of the order coincide with the other orders in The Five Rivers and are given in Table 6-1. Like all the other orders, there is a single Grand Master that presides over the group as its leader, and is usually but not always one of the representatives on The Elemental Council.