The Joybringers act as the official Marcandrian clergy for Callera. She is a goddess of art, beauty, love, joy, passion, and revelry, with the message that one should seek a fulfilling life, and to find a joyous life through passions and artistry. The Joybringers seek to spread and nurture the worship of Callera and her values.
The Joybringers are a loose organization, one in which each temple act independently, keeping only the minimum organizational hierarchy necessary to function. The Joybringers tend to be heavily involved in Marcandrian festivities and revelry, and are often the ones who both plan, organize, and run public events in Marcandria; be that on their own accord or on behalf of either nobles or other influential entities. The Joybringers are passionate and free spirited individuals, all deeply engulfed in artistry, who seek to both teach and show the people how to achieve a fulfilling life, filled with ones joys and passions. While the Meranzeum aids people's financial wellbeing, and the Greenwardens see to their physical health, the Joybringers seek to heal people's souls and to elevate what it should mean and feel to be Marcandrian.
The Joybringers are most present in the larger population centers in Marcandria, tending to stay in areas with a lot of culture and opportunities to engage with the people. Their massive temples often stand among the most exquisite and luxurious buildings in the cities they're in. The Joybringers do have some presence in the more rural regions of Marcandria as well, though this tends to only consist of one or a few individuals whose decided to put the inhabitants there “under their wings”.
The Joybringers tend to avoid bickering or politics between nobles or other factions. So long as neither side seeks to hamper the Joybringers endeavors, they see little reason to get involved. Rather, they see staying out of such conflict as a way to avoid alienating either side, and as a way to potentially act as a bridge between the opposing sides. They tend to have little they can offer by themselves if drawn into conflict. However, due to their charismatic nature and deep involvement in both the populace and leadership, they can have a lot of influence when it comes to swaying public opinion.
Faction symbol/insignia: Callera's visage with her fiery hair, often worn as a pendant.
The Joybringers tend to be very eccentric and outgoing people, who not only live by Lady Firehair's teachings, but who has an irresistible urge to exude and share it with all others. Its members tend to come from the middle-to-upper classes within Marcandria. Lower class citizens are not turned away, though because the Joybringers tend situate their temples in the finer areas of settlements, most who are in close vicinity to them tend to be from the middle or upper classes. Those of lower class thus tend to have less opportunity to involve themselves with them. Lower class citizens also tend to have fewer possibilities when it comes to pursuing and developing their artistic skills, which means there's a gap in the reality of them and the Joybringers who tend to be engulfed in it.
The Joybringers are all artists, be that as musicians, painters, singers, sculptures, stylists, poets, dancers, theatre performers, or otherwise. They act as organizers, mentors, and guides in all things artistry and revelry. They are often employed by nobles to teach their children etiquette, artistic literature, and to help them develop their artistic skills. Many burdened by guilt or tragedy also seek out the Joybringers in hopes of regaining their joy of life, with it not being too uncommon for those who have been helped through such hardships ending up as Joybringers themselves.
Some, though not all, Joybringers have divine powers gifted upon them by Lady Firehair. Those who lead temples often tend to have such gifts, though it is by means mandatory. The Joybringers tend to place much more emphasis on the strength of one's character than the power one has been given. Though, Lady Firehair's favor nonetheless tends to be strongly correlated with the strength of one's character, meaning the two are often one and the same within the Joybringers.
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Can often appear pompous and over-the-top, both in terms of appearence and behavior/mannerism.
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Quote: "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. It is the journey of a free soul. Use it to find meaning in your life, to move past hardship. Let it heal you. Let it show you the greatness and wonders of life."
The Joybringers are fervent devotees of Lady Firehair, embodying her tenets of art, beauty, love, and passion. They are outspoken in their belief that all lives should be filled with these elements and that life should be experienced fully with happiness and joy. They wish to exult in life and have an urge to spread and share the joyous wonders of life with the rest of society.
They firmly believe that the pinnacle of happiness is only achieved when shared—that one's own joy is magnified when those around them are also happy. This belief underpins their commitment to enriching all lives with beauty and joy. Driven by this philosophy, the Joybringers actively engage in and promote public festivities and cultural events, aiming to envelop society in joyous wonders. Their efforts are both altruistic and self-serving, as they understand that to be surrounded by happiness, they must first cultivate it in others.
The Joybringers hold deep respect for those who pursue their heart's desires. They encourage individuals to act on their passions, whether it’s a youth mustering the courage to declare love or an artist creating works true to their soul. They preach the importance of letting go of fears and reservations, boldly chasing one’s dreams, as a life unchased is a life unfulfilled.
Central to their belief is the concept of self-love and self-expression. You should always seek to become who you want to be—to become your true self. This is why the Joybringers teach the arts of personal presentation and self-styling, helping individuals to discover and express their inner beauty. This focus on appearance and presentation can sometimes be misinterpreted as vanity, and they often struggle to understand those who do not place similar value on outward expression. This is also partly due to their belief that understanding and showcasing one's true self is crucial to personal fulfillment.
All Joybringers are artists in their own right, viewing art as a powerful medium for overcoming life's challenges. No matter how lost you may feel or how much hardship you're experiencing, you can find your true path forward through the wonders of artistry. They believe that engaging with art—whether creating it or experiencing it—can free the soul and provide profound insights into life’s complexities. Art, in any form, is seen as a sanctuary for those burdened by life’s hardships, a path for experiencing the greatness and wonders of life, and as a medium from which to find your true self.
However, the exalted pursuit of these tenets can sometimes veer into the realm of luxury, with followers indulging in extravagance under the guise of fulfilling Lady Firehair's commandments. This misinterpretation can blur the lines between genuine spiritual fulfillment and mere material indulgence, challenging the Joybringers to continually clarify and exemplify the true essence of their faith.
Spread and nurture the worship of Callera.
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Keyowrds: jovial, whimsical
a rather loose and informal organization where temples operate mostly independently from one another.
Members: Clerics, bards, artists, musicians, performers (dance, theatre, etc), entertainers, festival/party planners, “beauty salon thingy”.