Description

Holy Symbol of Callera, in the form of a Pendant. (Generated by Dall-E. Prompt: “Cinematic oil painting of a golden pendant. The pendant features the face of a beautiful goddess with a serene expression, smooth skin, and hair made out of fire. The background is a soft, dark velvet to highlight the pendant's luster and the fiery hair's glow.”)

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 ones passions and through 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.

 

 

Members

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.

Visual Identifiers

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Most noticable about the joybringers from a distance is not their attires, but their mannerism. Over the top, eccentric. Their mannerism can be quite animated, using highly expressive, large, dramatic movements to convey emotions, ideas, or messages when conversing.

Tend to be indulgent and hedonistic.

Can often appear pompous and over-the-top, both in terms of appearence and behavior/mannerism. Can be a bit whimsical in nature.

Easiest way to identify them is usually through their eccentric and over-the-top behavior.

Members List

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Beliefs

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. They may, however, end up showing displeasure towards those they perceive as neglecting self-care or harboring negative views on art.

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.

 

Callera's Tenants:

  1. (Joy/Revelry) Exult in life, let all dance in all its joyous wonders. Find joy in all things, and let your laughter chime like silver bells on a summer breeze. Spread love, joy and happiness, my darlings, like fireflies on a moonlit night. Let all dance with the wind, skip with the stars, and twirl in the moon's tender embrace. Embrace each of life's moments with an open heart, and let every surprise become a sparkling gem in the treasure trove of your memories. Fill all lives with boundless revelry and celebration. May all revel in life's pleasures and waltz through its wonders, for Lady Firehair's magic is found in every joyous pirouette. Embrace the carnival of life and let it sweep you away in a whirlwind of laughter and merriment!
  2. (Love) Follow your heart, for love knows your true destination. Seek out love's enchanted pathways, and let the stars be your guide. Love none more than yourself except Lady Firehair herself, and loose yourself in love of her. Love is the greatest pleasure, the most euphoric of experiences—a waltz that sets your soul ablaze. Awaken love in all, so they too may revel in its euphoria.
  3. (Passion) Let your passions be the wings that let your heart roam free. Chase your dreams, your desires, and your passions—chase them like fireflies in the night, and see them illuminate your path with dreams fulfilled. Shine your true self without fear of judgment, and let the world delight in the breathtaking sight of your authentic soul. Share your passions with the world, for the heart that overflows with dreams is a heart forever young. Let all pursue their desires tirelessly, for happiness is achieved through passion..
  4. (Beauty) In beauty there is happiness. Fill your life with beauty and wonder, as Lady Firehair's laughter dances upon the breeze of every soul. Seek beauty in the simplest of joys and embrace the enchantment of every moment. Treat your body as a temple of artistry. Relish and worship it, making it as beautiful and attractive as it deserves, for within every curve lies a mesmerizing tale. Share your beauty with others, so that it may move them with love and desire. Love those who respond to your beauty, and let warm friendship and admiration flower where love cannot or dares not. Encourage beauty in all things, and scatter the seeds of wonder wherever you go.
  5. (Art) Art is the journey of a free soul; it enables us to find and lose ourselves at the same time. It manifests our deepest emotions. Use it to find purpose, love, joy, and to heal past hardships. Art spreads beauty and passion. Collect, share, and protect these treasures. Let art inspire and reveal the greatness and wonders of life to you and to all. Relish in song, dance, and plays. Celebrate the masterpiece of creativity, and let it dance upon the tapestry of existence.

 

 

Goals

The primary goal of the Joybringers is to spread the worship of Lady Firehair and her tenets. They aim to transform Marcandria into a society where all inhabitants can live lives filled with happiness, love, and fulfillment. The Joybringers' endeavors and the events they organize are designed to share and elevate the wonders and joys of life. These activities also serve to increase people's familiarity with and devotion to Lady Firehair, fostering more devout worshipers. While their motives are largely altruistic, many members also participate in these endeavors to enhance their own personal fulfillment and happiness.

 

 

Organization

The Joybringers operate with a loose organizational structure, with each temple functioning as an independent entity. While different temples collaborate when beneficial, there is no overarching authority dictating their collective actions. The hierarchy within each temple is fluid; members have ranks based on seniority and artistic accomplishments, but these do not necessarily confer authority. Leadership for specific endeavors is often determined by charisma and initiative, allowing even novices to lead projects involving more seasoned members.

The temple leader, known as the Revelmaster or Revelmistress, is a title that shifts according to current leadership. Positions within temple administration are somewhat more stable, as these roles require some level of training and hand-over to operate smoothly, though they still exhibit flexibility. Individuals may temporarily step down from their roles to pursue personal passion projects, then return, contributing to a dynamic rotation of responsibilities. The position of Revelmaster or Revelmistress often rotates among a few members, occasionally welcoming newcomers or seeing long-standing leaders retire.

Joybringer temples recognize three main ranks below the Revelmaster or Revelmistress: Novice, Aesthete, and Joybringer. Advancement is informal, based on engagement and recognition by fellow members rather than formal assessments. Over time, as members gain seniority and produce artistic works, their peers begin to acknowledge them as Aesthetes or Joybringers, reflecting a consensus-based approach to ranking.

Members of all ranks can lead or participate in planning and executing temple activities, ranging from festivities to various services offered by the temple. Leadership in these activities often goes to those most popular among the participants. Not all members possess divine gifts; however, those who embody the tenets of Lady Firehair, demonstrating charisma and a profound connection to art, are more likely to receive such blessings and ascend quickly within the temple ranks.

Financially, the Joybringers sustain their activities through payments for services and donations from nobility and occasionally the Meranzeum, aimed at fostering public happiness. These funds support the organization of events and expansion of services. Additionally, organizations and influential individuals sometimes hire the Joybringers to manage private events and celebrations, further supporting their mission.

 

Ranks:

  1. Revelmaster/Revelmistress – Leads the temple. While any member can theoretically become Revelmaster or Revelmistress, it typically requires a level of accomplishment and seniority equivalent to that of a Joybringer.
  2. Joybringer – Senior members recognized for their artistic achievements and deep expertise in their chosen disciplines.
  3. Aesthete – Recognized once members have demonstrated involvement and achievement within the temple's activities. The criteria for becoming an Aesthete vary widely.
  4. Novice – Newcomers to the temple, learning and beginning to contribute to its activities.

 

Operations and Endeavors

The Joybringers worship Lady Firehair, the goddess of art, beauty, love, joy, passion, and revelry. Consequently, their endeavors align closely with these tenets. As active practitioners of their beliefs, the Joybringers immerse themselves in experiences filled with beauty, passion, and love, striving to perpetually surround themselves with revelry and aesthetic delight. A Joybringer's life is devoted to the pursuit of artistic mastery, indulging personal desires—often in the company of fellow temple members—and reveling in life’s wonders and pleasures. Their temples often house private chambers for enjoying fine wine, exquisite meals, games, and other hedonistic pursuits, embodying a life dedicated to chasing one's desires and spreading the euphoria they cherish.

In Marcandrian settlements that host their temples, the Joybringers are a prominent presence, often taking center stage in any celebration or festival. Whether planning, organizing, or entertaining, they are integral to the success of these events. It is common for event-goers to become well-acquainted with the Joybringers, as their members actively engage attendees, encouraging everyone to participate in the festivities.

Beyond large festivals, the Joybringers continuously initiate smaller events to maintain a vibrant community spirit. These range from street performances by musicians to interactive art sessions in local parks, and open days offering free access to their services. Members frequently practice artistic skills near their temples, inviting passersby to join and try their hand at various arts. The Joybringers also manage and sponsor numerous theaters in Marcandria, often operating venues constructed by the nobility specifically for their use, showcasing performances by both their own members and independent troupes.

Larger Joybringer temples typically operate bathhouses, providing a range of bathing experiences from communal to private, along with specialized mineral and herbal baths. Independently of these bathhouses, all temples offer a comprehensive suite of styling and beauty services, which include hair styling, barber services, clothes styling and tailoring, makeup application, and skincare treatments. They also develop and sell perfumes and provide mentoring in proper etiquette and manners. These beauty services are available for a fee, although the temples occasionally host open days where services are offered for free. Each of these offerings is designed to help individuals discover and enhance their personal aesthetics, rooted in the belief that true happiness stems from self-appreciation and acceptance.

Artistry is a cornerstone of every Joybringer's life, with each member deeply engaged in at least one artistic discipline, including painting, sculpting, poetry, dancing, singing, and music. The temples offer mentoring and workshops to encourage public engagement with the arts. Nobility and other affluent individuals often enlist Joybringers to instruct their children in etiquette, arts, and personal grooming, ensuring they present themselves attractively and confidently as they mature. Additionally, the Joybringers actively support the arts by frequently sponsoring and purchasing art, ornaments, and other beautiful wares. They often willingly overpay to drive up market prices, thereby increasing demand and encouraging a greater supply of beautiful objects. Consequently, their temples are adorned with an extensive collection of exquisite items amassed since their founding.

The Joybringers also perform a range of ceremonial services, most notably weddings, coming of age ceremonies, and naming ceremonies. Although they often collaborate with the Meranzeum and the Greenwardens—the clergies for Marcandria's other goddesses—the Joybringers typically orchestrate the festivities that accompany these ceremonies, ensuring each event is a memorable celebration of life's significant milestones.

 

//Describe their rites and rituals.

 

Locations

Joybringer temples tend to be extensive and ornate, their size alone making them stand out in the cityscape. They are typically positioned in the more affluent areas of a settlement, typically where there's a lot of activity so that they can more easily engage with the inhabitants. The size is justified in the numerous functions the temple has to cover, from dwellings, administrative areas, areas for the different artistic practices, areas for the different services the temple provide, a potentially large bathhouse complex, not to mention all the areas used for the religious rites and ceremonies that they perform. Which and how many of these services the temple offers, as well as to what extent each is covered, varies between each individual temple.

Joybringer temples tend to be exquisite, with not a single speck on the entire temple not having been made to be beautiful and awe-inspiring. Every wall is intricately ornate and lavish, often painted as to work in unison with the numerous pieces of art they have hanging on the walls. Furniture is often lavish and luxurious, meant to facilitate as comfortable a stay as possible. Rooms and hallways are often themed, with their interior and art intended to instill a certain flavor of awe and joy for those in them.

 

 

Joybringers who have travelled to smaller settlements, and who are only a few individuals in number, may have more quaint looking temples. These nonetheless tend to have a similarly ornate and luxurious interior.

 

 

 

 

The Meranzeum operates out of massive temple-compounds that are exclusively located in the larger and busier cities and settlements in Marcandria, where commerce and trade flows in its fullest flower and where people of numerous backgrounds mingle. Here, knowledge and techniques can easily be shared, and the Meranzeum can thus better help enrich and progress. While one may find a small temple in some out-of-the-way settlement, these are merely the result of one or a few individuals' endeavors, and not part of the Meranzeum's overall strategy. The Meranzeum's locations are temple-compounds rather than simply temples due to their locations having facilities meant to accommodate for all the different endeavors and operations the organization partakes in at said location. This means workshops for their artisans; offices for their merchants and traders; storage areas for their goods; studies for their researchers; vault to keep their money, valuable, and artifacts; room for their massive archives; and so on.

The Meranzeum's temples and compounds are massive, often soaring above everything that surrounds it. They are always made with the finest materials available, with no expenses spared. Their floors, walls, and ceiling if possible, are always filled with ornate decorations. These decorative elements are often baroque, intricate, brightly colored, and lavish. The décor also feature as much precious metal and as many gemstones as can be fitted into the design. Despite all this lavish adornment, both inside and outside, these golden-leaf covered structures are designed to be impregnable fortresses meant to safeguard their archives, collections, and assets from those who would seek to steal from them.

Exactly what facilities each temple-compound includes depends on what activities are offered there. Common for all is that they include an actual temple, where worship, rituals, ceremonies, and offerings to Meranzi are made. A publicly available archive and areas for their artisans and merchants to operate out of are also always included.

 

 

in addition to these comes all the rooms and areas related to religious rites and ceremonies that they perform

positioned in the most affluent areas of a settlement.

 

 

Pools of reflection. Prayer rooms. Ceremonial chambers.

 

 

 

Relations with other Factions

 

Stance of Succession Conflict

 

 

 

 

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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”.