Lore24 Jan 12: The Ashen Conclave

 The Ashen Conclave is a small colony of mystics living in Mount Aret, about two days walk from the city of Nashat-Ippur. They live in a small village carved into the side of the mountain, relying on the mountain goats and the kindness of pilgrims for sustenance. There are approximately a dozen of them, both men and women, although they all took an oath of celibacy.

Thanks to the gifts of the gods they can communicate telepathically with each other, so talking to one of them is talking to the entire Conclave. Although all of them are full individuals, when communicating with outsiders they always speak in unison and mirror each other’s movements. This has caused some to believe they are a hivemind and that a choir of gods speaks with their mouths.

They are highly skilled astrologists, and are sometimes asked to help with the construction of temples, if it’s important for the temple to align with certain astrological events. They are also quite knowledgeable about demonology, though they don’t often advertise this fact. During the night they converse with the spirits of the stars, so they know about everything that have happened in view of the stars (so outside or near a window, at night, under a not fully overcast sky). This includes the creation of magical treasures, so they can most likely identify most magical items, including what enchantments they bear. They also sometimes predict the future, but this is not a supernatural ability, they just have access to a lot of information which to base predictions on.

When meeting going outside they wear long gray robes and cover their face in ash (hence the name). They also like to make talking to outsiders a dramatic affair, with about half of them taking their guests into a larger cave, lit only by an ornate bronze brazier in the middle, which is secretly being fed with rare earth salts, making the flames change color.

 Image from iraniantravels.com

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