The Four Fold Path

Symbol: A set of scales in balance.

Background, Goals, and Dreams: Dusty bookshelves and desks line the outside walls of the Halls of Sardack surrounding an audience chamber. Maps and calendars hang from the high rafters and a large globe dominates the center of the room. This is a typical Hall of the Four Fold Path within the House of Five. The Four Fold Path was founded with the beginning of the first age by Grand Master Yurland Burfoot, a Hill Dwarf resident of Dana that helped greatly in the development of the Calendar of Man. The church as it is today is run by Grand Masters Vimdoor Barreldown and Lickwin Presstop. The church of Sardack teaches four key virtues, and tries to live by them every day. They also assist the community in maps, research, civil disputes (if allowed), church disputes, and records. The church in and of itself is not ambitious in terms of expansion or wealth. They seem to obtain all that they require by buying and selling information with the people in the areas that they operate. The church cares little for law or chaos, good or evil.

The Four key Virtues (The Four Fold Path)

1. Knowledge

2. Temperance

3. Civility

4. Fairness

The four key virtues are the cornerstones of the Four Fold Path. They guide a faithful of Sardack in all actions.

Members: Scholars, mages, travelers and craftsmen often join the ranks of the Four Fold Path. Membership is open to anyone who wants to join, if the prospective member is willing to submit themselves to questioning and perhaps tasks to prove their ability to follow the key virtues. The Four Fold Path does not expect perfect members from the start, but they do expect sincerity. Membership has several advantages that lure many adventurers into its ranks. The deposits of knowledge, maps and information you can obtain within the Halls of the Four Fold Path are priceless. The leadership of the Four Fold Path keeps close tabs on its member’s progress as they advance in rank. Clergy are awarded chains that denote station. Likewise if they are demoted they will be asked to surrender their chains.

Holidays: The church has no official holidays, however they pay careful attention to Rytol and the rotation of Draconspire as it relates to Vellarious and Aireot. The Clerics of the Four Fold Path map the stars and heavens, they sometimes gather on days of solar significance to observe and record such events.

Type: Religious Branch

Affiliation Score Criteria: Most would find the bland life of the Four Fold Path unappealing, however for people with quizzical minds the organization is quite fascinating. You must report back to the church all actions in which you have performed on its behalf in order to obtain proper credit for your service.

Criterion: (One Time)	Affiliation Score Modifier
Character level	+1/2 character levels
Neutral alignment	+1
Cleric of Sardack	+1
Skill focus feat in any knowledge skill	+1
Knowledge (any) 5 ranks	+1, per knowledge skill
Knowledge (any) 10 ranks	+2, per knowledge skill
Can cast divination spells of 1^st level or higher	+1
Can cast divination spells of 4^th level or higher	+2
Has traveled to all four major regions of Tharstelding	+2
Chaotic, evil, lawful or good aligned	-1 per
Has no ranks in any knowledge skill	-2
Is illiterate	Cannot join organization

Criterion: (Multiple Times)	Affiliation Score Modifier
Makes a detailed map of a personally explored area of interest to the church	+1
Converts a new member	+1
Donates discovered history related items	+1/per item or items worth 1,000 GP
Discovers and reports an astronomical event	+3
Predicts and reports and astronomical event prior to it happening	+6
Creates a new spell or magic item for the church	+1
Recovers an artifact and donates it to the church	+10
Teaches at a Hall of the Four Fold Path for at least a month on any subject that the member has ranks in the appropriate knowledge skill	+2
Writes a magical scroll and donates it to the church	+1
Settles a dispute through logic and reason	+1
Fails in a church assigned task	-1
Destroys a book	-2
Sells an artifact to someone outside of the church	-10
Destroys or allows the destruction of a magic item	-2
Steals knowledge or magical items from the church	-5

Titles, Benefits, and Duties: Grand Masters are assigned the task of running the Halls of the Four Fold Path within each House of the Five, from the Grand Masters orders and missions are passed down to the most capable candidates. Each member of the church is awarded a chain which serves to display rank and the level of knowledge they are allowed to access from the church library. Each member is charged with the duty of gathering and returning mysterious magical items and forgotten knowledge to the nearest hall for examination and recording. Members are generally expected to keep the work area organized and assist visitors with their needs, or to direct the visitor to the appropriate person who can help.

Library Access: Depending on the rank of the member, access is granted to materials such as books and relics that assist on knowledge checks. The member may never leave the halls with such items, but can study within the halls to their hearts content. Provided that have paid their dues. The tomes and materials provided can uncover information on a topic up to the DC specified by the following rank. Neophyte: DC 15, Novice: DC 20, Adept: DC 25, Master: DC 30, Grand Master: DC 31+

Affiliation Score	Title: Benefits and Duties
3 or lower	None
4-10	Neophyte: Copper Chain, library access. Must pay 50 GP per month in church fees for maintenance. Member may pay in advance however failure to pay revokes library privileges until payment is rendered.
11-15	Novice: Silver Chain, you gain a +2 bonus to a single knowledge skill in which you have at least 1 rank.
16-22	Adept: Gold Chain, you gain the ability to cast detect magic, read magic and prestidigitation each once per day as a spell like ability with a caster level equal to your hit die.
23-29	Master: Platinum Chain. You no longer pay monthly dues for library maintenance. Once per day you may use word of recall as a spell like ability. Use of this ability brings you to the nearest church of the Four Fold Path, this ability otherwise functions exactly like the word of recall spell with a caster level equal to your hit die.
30 or Higher	Grand Master: Adamantine Chain. Three times per day you may add ½ of your character level or hit due, rounded up, to any single knowledge check in which you have at least one rank.