The Monks of Magma

The Ancient Monks of Magma was an old brotherhood, some said as old as the Earth itself. These stoic monks fell silent and meditated next to or inside violent natural phenomenons like volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, typhoons, rainy seasons, forest fires, sandstorms and avalanches. Stoically, they sat quiet in pact with nature, as their surroundings panicked. They listened to nature, with its twisted screams bellowing from its innermost body with a most intense message of its harmful metals. The Monks saw it as their mission to remedy the pains of Earth, and retrieve these harmful metals by ritualized mining practices.

Having listened to Earths pains through these noisy periods, made them understand where to look, and how. Ancient rites for asking for the opening of the earth into mining pits, mining shafts and quarries allowed for the monks to respectfully enter a contract with the Earth to wrest its riches from it, as they asked for an animals spirit for permission to hunt it for food. The Monks of Magma had a most understanding relation to the Being Within, and thus had frequent fortunes with finding the metals they needed.

Brother of the Gold, "Coin Brother" or "Treasure Preachers"
Brother of the Silver, "Ring Brother" or "Couriers of the Light"
Brother of the Bronze, "Working Brother" or "Diggers of the Night"
Brother of the Iron, "War Brother" or "Tempests of the Thunder"
Sister of the Gems, "Diamond Nuns" or "Crystal Sirens"


Enrollment

Everyone believing in the meditative contact with the environments, in particular the painful screams of lone, non-extracted metals, should join this spiritual-material religion, built on material meditation.

Prophet of Magma and Master of the Brotherhood

Coin Brother Rashiminos, Prophet of Magma(Gold)


War Brother Provolution (Iron)
Ring Brother Oni of Chaos (Silver)
Working Brother Aluminum Knight (Bronze)
Diamond Nun Diamond Eye (Gems)

Every Member is free to pick each their way, prior to the game start. Those that pick an attuned metal before the map is revealed, will aspire to the rank of "Prophet of the metal", and thus be leaders of the Order. This will be decided by the sequence of which metal is found first and so on. The first to identify a metal to be developed, will gain the rank, but before the map is scouted. The ranking is based of the sequence of extraction of your attuned metal tile.

The Monks of Magma are known for their premier craftsmanship and smithy of metals, and would thus create the most exquisite, qualitative and robust pieces of tools, ornamentation, weapons, armor and statues ever seen by man, as they made all this of respect to wandering metal spirits, spirits liberated by saving these metals from the abyss of the inner world.

I like GOOOOOOOOOOLD!

Coin Brother Rashiminos:thumbsup:

I like Iron: :)

War Brother Provolution.

I like GOOOOOOOOOOLD!

Coin Brother Rashiminos:thumbsup:


You are welcome Coin Brother :) Welcome to this most lucrative sect of material meditation.

May multiple people pick the same metal?

If not, Silver for me :D

Ring Brother Oni, rings well!

Ring Brother Oni, rings well!

Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, banana phone! :eek:

Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, banana phone! :eek:

"I think hes stopped twitching" :lol:

Can I get Bronze? I'm not exactly sure what this is, but it looks fun!

You get Bronze Alu Knight, welcome dear "Working Brother".

I'm not joining, but I do have a couple of questions....

First, how come gems isn't on the list?

Second, what do you do once your 'type' has been located? Do you push for its control, use, etc., or what?

1. Gems is on the list, if you want to become a Diamond Sister :)

2.When you have chosen your material, that will impact your influence on said metal/mineral, its use, trade and in-game economy.
It is more or less a lobbying organization for researching techs finding resources, as well as getting control over these. Each metal got selected brethren to promote them (you pick metal yourself, and the first one to pick a metal gets a lead position, the Diamond Sister one is still available :) )

If we include gems, we might want to switch the nomenclature from metal to mineral, which allows other resources in the membership (stone, marble, coal, aluminum, uranium)

1. Gems is on the list, if you want to become a Diamond Sister :)

:lol: No, just curious.

If we include gems, we have to switch the nomenclature from metal to mineral, which allows other resources in the membership (stone, marble, aluminum, uranium)

Whoops, shows my knowledge of science. :)

This is an early game thing, aluminum is much later along uranium. Stone and Marble we should keep out, as these are primarily bigger building materials. Diamonds may pass, as it is on the metal level of rarity, used for tools (diamond-cutters for example) and so on.

Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic -> Stone Tools

Marble statues...

As for coal, aluminum, and uranium, perhaps you're right.

For in-game purposes, there are enough small pebbles and rocks to create clubs and so on for warriors. Quarries are for big building projects, and should not be covered. Maybe someone start a Masonic Lodge or something to cover these.

Is this supposed to be a religious order of the Church of Giruvegan, or just another guild?

This is another religious guild, a clear alternative to Giruvegan, which is polytheist, this is meditation.

If we include gems, we might want to switch the nomenclature from metal to mineral, which allows other resources in the membership (stone, marble, coal, aluminum, uranium)
I'm pretty darn sure Aluminum is a metal ;)
It allows for a "Space Brother" or "Explorers of the Sky" :p

Maybe "SKy Captains of Tomorrow" :)

Your OP mentions that the monks use quarries. Is that just an oversight? Also, I don't suppose horses could be included in the order, could they? They are war related, and are as rare as metals (I guess). Just asking.

It is not really an oversight, as the monks are not builders, but materialists. If we were a masonic lodge, sure, marble and granite would "cut" it. But these monks are more into what is "hard to wrest from the Earth", and strip mining for simple rocks are not right there.

Metals, precious metals and minerals, more like that. Quarries is more of a location.

Then perhaps a split is on order.... If a Masonic lodge is created in the brotherhood, separate, centered, and responsible for the building and enhancement of our wonderful cities, then our armies of steel and bronze would be built that much easier. It would only benefit... What do yal think? The Brothers names: Ideas?? If possible I wish to be marble. :undecide:

I would be willing to join that lodge. I call stone, but maybe we could include things beyond marble and stone? Maybe all constriction aids, such as horses and...and... (is there anything else?) Anyway, Duke, I would love to join your guild.
As for the names, maybe you can base them off the fact that marble is usually used in official and religious structures, while stone is what builds common houses and stables. Maybe "Seeker of Enlightenment" and "Seeker of Strength"?

I would be willing to join that lodge. I call stone, but maybe we could include things beyond marble and stone? Maybe all constriction aids, such as horses and...and... (is there anything else?)

Aluminum :eek:

Provolution and his monks already called Aluminum. But I did forget Ivory.

Then perhaps a split is on order.... If a Masonic lodge is created in the brotherhood, separate, centered, and responsible for the building and enhancement of our wonderful cities, then our armies of steel and bronze would be built that much easier. It would only benefit... What do yal think? The Brothers names: Ideas?? If possible I wish to be marble. :undecide:

I recommend oyu to form a another, related and allied order of Monks of Magma, maybe we can have a Nikean split like the Orthodox and Catholic had, where you turn Orthodox, only worshipping the non-pretentious but practical building stones of marble and granite. Maybe Monks of

I got the following recommendations:

Slab Brother (Granite)
Column Brother (Marble)
Stone Brother (regular monks, smoking the weed between ceremonies).

I suggest you set up a "Monks of Magma - Masonic Brothers" :)

We would be cooperating and discussing things in some ecumenic council.

ivory, horses, pigs and sheep would be another order, same for all agrarian products and the same for fisheries (3 separate orders right there).

This is another religious guild, a clear alternative to Giruvegan, which is polytheist, this is meditation.

However it would appear that most of the people involved do tend to be in both. Is this not considered a problem for follower's of either faith?

We are of course able to be in both (I am), but it is important to only worship one resource group, not several, or we lose the identity trail. Same applies to factions, we could have a system where everyone would be members in every faction, but then factions would have no real meaning, would they?

So let's say 3 guilds of brotherhood, perhaps the brothers magma, responsible for armies and scouting, the brothers material (stone, marble, granite) for the building and improvement of cities, and the brothers heavy, with horses, wheat, corn, ex... Perhaps later we can expand to aluminum, coal, uranium... If we have too they can join into the brothers material. I think we need an overall leader. I vote brother Provolution of Magma for... What should his title be? He shall keep our brotherhood in the right direction?
and stoned brother pat, welcome ;)

Gracias, Senor. And I wholly support your nomination of Provolution for head monk. (insert cool title here)

Actually, the leadership in the respective order is by the metal we connect first, or for your orders, the stones or animals.

Hmm, neat. I have a question. Can we have more monks than the two or five for the respective orders? As in, regular monks/guild members, instead of just a handful of prophets?

yeah, we can have regular monks too. :)

brothers material has been formed. We are still a pollitical alliance?

We are indeed an alliance, yet, we need to agree on delaying the handling of future industrial materials, as it would be out of character to even discuss their use, if its ok by you :)

They have been removed from the charter :)

<- Gems fit me well, and I certainly am Spiritual as well, being a Protector Of Atlantis.

Then you are a Diamond Nun, Diamondeye :) Welcome to the Brothers of Magma!

War Brother Crong would become part of the story as soon as mining is researched.

I spy gold..., Prophet position seems to want me...

I spy gold..., Prophet position seems to want me...

You are hereby the Prophet of the order, and we all humbly submit to your guidance on all related to metal, War Brother humbly bows!

I thought it had to be connected first?

you are Prophet, since you "discovered" it first, but to lead us as an organization, it must be connected.

"We have spent far too long in ignorance of the wonders of the hills."

We may well see Warlords moving NW for gold and elephants. War Elephants may be useful against Babylonian Bowmen.

A runner bursts into the room. "Lord Rashiminos, I bring word from a brother of the Order, Diamondeye, settled in New Giruvegan. He has found this and asked me to deliver it to you as a token of aknowledgement to your status in the brotherhood. He also urged me to ask you what the possible usses of it in the service of the public could be. I believe he was thinking of having a monument constructed, completely covered in it."

With these words, the runner opes his hand and a small peice of gold, rubbed blank by many days of travel in a furry glove or a sweaty hand, appears.