Order of the Shining Hand

Order of the Shining Hand

Membership

Common Descriptors: Disciplined, contemplative, protective

Primary Classes: Monks, clerics, sorcerers, wizards

Alignments: LN (primary), LG, NG, N

Locations

Abbey of the Silver Rune (Dessarin Valley), Abbey of the Eightfold Star (Greenfields), The Shining Tower (Candlekeep), Silver Mist Monastery (Graycloak Hills)

Ranks

• Novice: Rank 1. You are newly sworn to one of the monasteries of the Shining Hand, dedicated to learning its traditions and philosophies. • Contemplative: Rank 3. You have taken oaths as a proper monk of the Shining Hand, and turn your efforts to the ends of the Order. • Enlightened: Rank 10. You are a leader within the Shining Hand, accorded great respect for your dedication and sacrifice in the name of the Shining Hand. • Shining One: Rank 25. You are one of the leaders of the Order.

"In discipline, contemplation. In contemplation, magic. In magic, enlightenment."
The Order of the Shining Hand is a small alliance of monasteries whose adherents all practice the Way of the Arcane, a martial arts technique that seeks immersion in and communion with the unseen Weave of magic that touches all things. These monasteries seek out and remove threats to magic, as well as those magical threats that endanger others.

Overview

There are four monasteries that make up the Order of the Shining Hand at the moment, and two of them are run by Shining Ones. These monasteries are:

• The Abbey of the Silver Rune: Dessarin Valley. Home to the Abbot Dhenor, the Abbey sits a short distance from the Halls of the Hunting Axe.
• The Shining Tower: Candlekeep A small tower in Candlekeep is given over to the monks of the Shining Tower, whose study and contemplation complement life in the greatest library of Faerûn well.
• Silver Mist Monastery: West of Graycloak Hills In the foothills of the Graycloaks lies the Silver Mist, a tall-spired monastery.
• Abbey of the Eightfold Star: Greenfields Just outside the town of Greenest, in the Greenfields in the southern Western Heartlands, the Abbey is home to the Abbess Shareen.

Order agents are mostly monks, although more than a few clerics of Mystra and Azuth, sorcerers, and wizards are part of the Order as well. These agents are always persons of notable discipline and independence, although their careful fastidiousness and precise ways sometimes make them stand out in the rest of the world.

Goals and Philosophy

Agents of the Order of the Shining Hand work to increase their own understanding of esoteric mysteries and the magical secrets of the world, to better understand the source of all magic: the Weave. They believe that true enlightenment comes from living in accordance to the ebb and flow of the Weave, and so seek to protect its integrity and aid those groups and priesthoods that seek the furtherance of magic - but not at the cost of others' well-being.

Members of the Order of the Shining Hand uphold the core tenets of the organization:

• Seek out magical secrets and lost esoterica, to better add to the known lore of all Faerûn.
• Tend to the integrity of the Weave the way a druid tends to his forest; be a warden and a protector of magic.
• The Weave does not consume itself. Therefore, that which uses magic to subjugate or destroy other potential wielders of magic is out of balance with the Weave. Stop it, by whatever means are most prudent.

Activities

Agents of the Order of the Shining Hand are contemplatives and esoteric ascetics who use the gifts their discipline has brought them to help protect the integrity of the Weave first, and those who are helpless against magical predation and exploitation. Though they are frequently solitary in their undertakings, they will not hesitate to ally with temples to the gods of magic and knowledge, organizations like the Harpers, and adventurers with a heroic bent.

Quests undertaken by agents of the Shining Hand might include the following:

• Discover the source of an ancient curse on a village, and work to lift it.
• Seek out the ruins of an ancient arcane library to bring its secrets back to the Order.
• Protect and defend the faithful of Mystra or Azuth.

Perks

Agents of the Shining Hand in good standing might receive the following benefits:

• Sanctuary: Rank 1+. You may request sanctuary at any of the monasteries of the Shining Hand or any temple to Azuth, Mystra, Oghma, Deneir, or Milil. They will provide you with very simple accomodations, and magical healing equivalent to a cure wounds (cast at a level equal to your Rank).
• Well Trained: Rank 3+ You gain the Arcana Skill if you do not already have it. If you already possess it, you may take proficiency with an Herbalism Kit or Alchemist's Supplies instead.
• Monks' Welcome: Rank 3+ You are welcome at any of the monasteries of the Shining Hand and given access to the resources of the monastery in question. Exactly what this is varies by monastery:
  • Abbey of the Silver Rune: This monastery can put the monk in touch with various mages in the North, as well as identify magic items.
  • Shining Tower: This monastery can grant access to the library of Candlekeep to its guests.
  • Silver Mist Monastery: This monastery can put the monk in touch with the elves of the Graycloak Hills, and provide knowledge of elven magic.
  • Abbey of the Eightfold Star: This abbey will see to the removal of magical curses and afflictions, as well as the identifying of magical items.
• Contemplation of the Weave: Rank 4+ Your insights into the Weave expand. You may now cast detect magic as a ritual.
• Deacon (Title): Rank 4+ As an ordained priest of Azuth, Mystra, or another deity aligned with the Order, you have been given the responsibility of tending to the temple space and overseeing the religious instruction of the monks in your monastery.
• Teacher of the Way (Title): Rank 5+ Your mastery of the Way of the Arcane has been noticed, and you are called upon to teach its techniques to others. You are frequently assigned novice martial artists just learning the techniques of the Way.
• Teacher of the Art (Title): Rank 5+ Your master of arcane spellcasting has been noticed, and you are called upon to teach its techniques to others. You are frequently assigned single apprentices or small groups of them interested in learning the Arts Magical.
• Blessing of the Shining Hand: Rank 8+ Your awareness of the Weave expands, and you are invested with the power to defend yourself against magic. As long as you have one hand free and use your reaction, you can rant yourself advantage on saving throws against spells or other magical effects, or inflict disadvantage on spell attack checks.
• Hierodeacon (Title): Rank 10+ As an ordained priest of Azuth, Mystra, or another deity aligned with the Order, your leadership skills have been put to command over the temple space of the monastery, including the deacons of that temple space. The temple's resources and personnel are yours to govern.
• Master of Novices (Title): Rank 10+ Your leadership and teaching ability has been noted, and you are appointed Master of Novices. The teaching of novices and all others within the monastery is given over to you, including leadership over all Teachers within the monastery.
• Abbot (Title): Rank 20+ You are invested with overseeing one of the monasteries of the Shining Hand. Its resources and personnel are yours to govern, and its prosperity and defense are yours to secure.

Important Members

Abbey of the Silver Rune

• Abbot Dhenor: Rank 25. One of the two Shining Hands of the Order (alongside Abbess Shareen), Dhenor governs gently, instead choosing to lead through example and personal action. He is a master of the Way of the Arcane, and does not hesitate to bring that power to bear in the defense of his monastery and any who come to him seeking sanctuary.

Abbey of the Eightfold Star

• Abbess Shareen: Rank 25. The second Shining Hand of the Order, Shareen was a sorceress seeking desperately to control her magical power, but every other source and mentor failed her. She found solace in the discipline of the Abbey of the Silver Rune and Abbot Dhenor's guidance, and both her mastery of her sorcerous power and the Way of the Arcane have grown over the years, along with her dedication to the Order. Ten years ago, she helped to found the newest of the monasteries, the first of the Shining Hand's monasteries to be built specifically under the Order's auspices (the others already existed before being recruited to join the Order's cause).