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Cleric New Player Guide
Introduction
So…you have joined the Cleric Guild, have you? Well,
I can aid you with a few things, if you wish. I will give
you a few hints and some recommendations as you begin your
life in Elanthia. Know that these are merely suggestions,
my young friend, and certainly do not contain all that
you will need to know as you continue your adventure here.
Remember that you can also learn much from your fellow
travelers and mentors.
When you first arrive in the Crossing,
I would highly recommend that you visit the library in
the Cleric Guild
there. Much of what is written here can be gleaned from
the tomes located east of the Guild Sanctorum. The books
there are old, but the knowledge they contain is invaluable.
As you read Approaching Acolyte: A Cleric’s Guide
you will notice that it references Tallis as our esteemed
Guild leader in the Crossing. That was the title she
held when the book was first scribed. High Priestess
Tallis (as she is referred to now) can be found in the
Crossing Temple (DIR TEMPLE for directions), which is
southwards from the bank and certainly a place you might
want to
become
familiar
with.
You’ll find a dear friend of mine, a white-robed
monk right inside the gate there. ASK him about
the TEMPLE,
or even about FAVORS. Take the time to heed
his suggestions, my friend, for you will not regret it!
Make a stop at the Cleric Shop (DIR CLERICAL SHOP for
directions) as well, located northwesterly from the bank.
As in any merchant
shop, READ the
catalog carefully. (Usually it can be found on the counter,
but
some shopkeepers place it on a table or another container,
instead.) In the shop you will find miscellaneous religious
items for sale. Certainly you might want to purchase a
silver vial, as it can be used to hold holy water, which
we use for rituals. Other items you might find useful would
be the red wine and herbs, for these articles might be
used in your daily routine in your worship of the gods.
Although you will not need every item listed in the catalog,
make of note of what is available for sale there. You never
know when you might something from the shop in the future!
If you happen to start your journey in the town of Riverhaven
instead of the Crossing, look for the Academy of Learning,
which is southwesterly from the Cleric Guild. Sadly, it
is bereft of most religious writings, but one will still
find a copy of The Immortals there. The Cleric shop in
Riverhaven can be found southerly from the guild.
Regardless of where you begin your wanderings, take the
time to explore and learn where to find many other places
that are dedicated to the gods. I would suggest that you
might want to seek out Tamsine’s Rest, near the bank
in Crossing. Or perhaps visit the silvery pool by a waterfall
South of Dirge, where the goddess of the seas and water
is honored. Maybe you might venture to Stone Clan, which
is found north of Kaerna. Here you will find a deep oeblichar
with an altar dedicated to Kertigen. The lands are rich
with shrines and areas that honor the Ones we follow.
Favors
Now I shall speak of favors. The God’s favor is
something that everyone in the world of Elanthia will need
in their travels, but knowledge of the Gods and where/how
to obtain favors might weigh heaviest on the shoulders
of a Cleric. It is a well-documented fact that the gods
take pity upon the very youngest of travelers (your first
year in the guild) a few times, but it is certainly advisable
that favors be acquired immediately upon entering your
second year.
In the Crossing Cleric Guild Library and the Riverhaven
Library, you will find a book entitled The Immortals. Read
this book carefully, for once armed with the knowledge
you will learn from this tome, you will be ready to choose
which of the 13 you wish to follow. (Later in life, as
you travel to more distant lands you will be able to acquire
favor from some of the aspects of the 13, but in The Crossing
and Riverhaven, you can only choose from the neutral deities.)
Along with favors, a Cleric should have an understanding
of death in Elanthia. As you progress in the Guild, you
will be making the decision of what kind of path you will
wish to follow. You might want to choose the path to aid
the fallen or you may elect to follow a God who might not
approve of assisting the dead. Either way, the path you
choose is of your own doing.
When met with death, an adventurer has several options
they may choose. They may opt to DEPART, in which case
their spirit will find itself walking the Starry Road.
If one carries the God’s favor, they are pulled back
to the land of the living. If not, then their soul is lost
to the Void, and all knowledge they have gleaned, everything
they once were, is forever lost.
Some adventurers will opt to wait for the assistance of
a Cleric. If you have chosen the path to aid the fallen,
then with enough magical skill you can cast the spell called Rejuvenation,
which will help restore forgotten memories. Casting the
spell known as Soul
Bonding will
bind the spirit
to the corpse, preparing it for Resurrection.
Magic/Cleric Spells
With the mention of casting spells, have I peaked your
interest in the magical arts? Perhaps then, I need to share
more with you.
In the Crossing guild you can ASK ESUIN ABOUT MAGIC, while
in Riverhaven you would ASK JELNA ABOUT MAGIC. Our guild
offers four spell books from which to choose spells from;
Divine Intervention, Holy Enchantments, Spirit
Manipulation,
and Holy Defense. To inquire about a certain book, you
would ASK ESUIN ABOUT DIVINE INTERVENTION BOOK, for example.
He will list the spells available to you at that time.
To learn about a particular spell you would ASK ESUIN
ABOUT PFE SPELL, for example.
You will discover that the selection of spells is very
important and great care should be given with your choices.
I would recommend that you choose the spell Protection
From Evil (PFE) as your first spell. It can be self-cast
and one can learn quickly with it, gaining experience and
skill. You would PREP PFE 1, and would wait until
you feel fully prepared, and then CAST.
Other spells that might be beneficial to you as you advance
would be Harm
Evil (HE), Bless, and perhaps Rejuvenation.
The reason for choosing the spell Harm Evil is twofold.
It’s a great spell for learning the magical skill
called Targeted
Magic, while it will also rid the lands
of cursed or undead creatures. (And that pleases the gods.)
Bless might be chosen as this spell can be cast on weapons,
which is needed to slay the undead. It can also be used
to bless water, which we use in certain rituals.
And of course, if you follow the path to aid the fallen,
you would select Rejuvenation early on.
There will be other spells available to you to choose
from. Talk to your fellow guild mates, or any of your elders.
Most are more than willing to help a young acolyte.
Devotion
A Cleric is the only profession in the lands that has
a direct conduit between mortals and the gods. This devotion
is something that needs to be constantly nurtured, for
as you please the gods there are many benefits that can
be gleaned.
When you COMMUNE, you will get a sense of how close you
may be to your god at that time. Initially a vision will
appear to you of a barren garden, parched and thirsting
for nourishment. You will feel the need to tend it.
There are many ways a young Cleric may begin to raise
his devotion. In the Crossing guild library is an excellent
book entitled The Rituals of Life, which will help you
to understand some of the many rituals available. As you
perform these rituals, you will feel how pleasing it is
to your god, and as you COMMUNE you will sense the change
as your devotion increases. In addition to the procedures
you will read about, there are many others available. Seek
out your guild mates, for most are more than willing to
share information of other rituals with you.
Quests – Special Abilities
Now I will share something very special with you, for
during your life as a Cleric the gods themselves will bestow
great gifts upon you; special abilities that can be used
for limited amounts of time. (As you age, the duration
of these abilities lengthens.) You must be in good grace
to utilize these gifts and once used, rituals will need
to be performed to replenish the devotion spent.
When you reach your second circle, your guild leader will
send you on a quest. Always listen very carefully to what
the guild leader tells you. For it is through those words
that you shall gain complete understanding of what needs
to be done. I would recommend that you scribe the instructions
given to you, for as you age the challenges become more
difficult. You can always return to the guild leader later
and ASK about the TASK you have been assigned.
Your first quest is for an ability that will be given
to you by the god Tamsine. You will be asked to visit her
shrine within the city of Crossing where you are to make
a special offering. (OFFERing gifts to the gods
is something a devoted Cleric will do many times in their
lives.)
When you have completed this quest successfully, you will
be rewarded a special ability from the god the quest represented.
In the first ten circles of your Clerical life you will
be sent on three quests. The early quests are simple, but
keep in mind as one ages the quests become more difficult
in nature. At later ages you may be asked to travel to
other provinces, or even place your life in jeopardy.
So, my young acolyte…I welcome you to Elanthia,
and to my guild. May your journey be as rich and fulfilling
an adventure as my own has been.
Scribed by my hand,
Brivibas Annu
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