Beryl: Hierarchy

At the beginning of the Facets of Beryl, as the church is called, after that fateful moment when Beryl was released and the witnesses began to recount the legend of Beryl and its sudden, vibrant truth, the faithful wrote down the requirements of their church. The structure was associated with gemstone cutting to please the new goddess. And this structure has continued, unchanged, to now. It should be noted that Beryl is one of the youngest gods and one who, as the literal mother of her people, is much closer to her clergy than other gods might choose to be. In the Facets of Beryl, the offices hold steady; this is not an organization that changes. Rather, it is the faithful that rotates through. For like any precious mineral, the Deep Mother requires that all of her children be faceted and polished.

Each office is staffed by clergy in a certain stage of their training. As they master their duties, they move upward in title and responsibility; a new facet is cut into their knowledge. At the pinnacle, the Diamond is the shining example of one who has been through every angle, rotation, and depth of the process.

Forming the base of the faith is the Pavilion, made up of clerics, mages, and even some rogue and melee types. The newest members are called Greenstones. After that are the Malachites, Fire Agates, and Aventurines. The head of the Pavilion is called the Chisel. The Chisel is always an Aventurine appointed by the Diamond. The newest recruit in any temple is given a special name until the next newest member takes their place; they are called the Culet. It is a position that involves some friendly (but never harmful) hazing.

After the Pavilion is the Girdle, encompassing the Phenelopes, Amethysts, Feldspars, and Garnets. The leader of the Girdle is called the Scale and is a Garnet appointed by the Diamond.

Beyond the Girdle are the Stars, comprising Alexandrites, Topazes, Sapphires, and Fire Opals. The head of the Stars is the Loupe, a Fire Opal appointed by the Diamond.

The Rubies make up the Table. Each Ruby has equal voice, and when the group is entitled to make decisions, it must be by majority vote. The Rubies answer to the Emeralds and do not have titles beyond Ruby.

The Crown is the Diamond and his or her Emeralds.

Elections and Organization

While the organization seems simple in structure, the expectations for each stage are challenging. To rise to the next title, one must have a grasp of all the duties involved in their rank, as well as be able to carve or chisel a perfect example of the gem that represents them.

• Pavilion: Greenstone, Malachite, Fire Agate, & Aventurine

  New to the faith, the duties of the fledgling members are to catalogue lore and history, study and record important events, act as assistants, and learn the arts of mining and gem crafting. They do not travel much but are expected to apply themselves to the history of the Facets and begin practicing the art of stealth. Special attention is paid to the history and methods of the dark elves. The Chisel is an Aventurine preparing to take the next step to Phenelope. The final stage of the process is to work one-onone with the Greenstones and Malachites'assuring their learning is coming along, to make suggestions on teaching methods, and to groom the other Aventurines to pass through the position.

• Girdle: Phenelope, Amethyst, Feldspar, & Garnet

  Advancing in their studies, the members of the Girdle learn the finer points of gem crafting and mineralogy. They also expand on the stealth tactics learned in the Pavilion and begin in-depth studies of the religions of Baraeon Ca'duz and Vierdri'ra. The Scale is the best and brightest Garnet. Ready to move forward, the final step is again to shepherd others, provide assistance if a clergy member is having difficulty, and apply some of the things learned by taking trips to mine gems in dangerous locations.

• Stars: Alexandrite, Topaz, Sapphire, & Fire Opal

  Stars are grooming to become Rubies. They must be able to mine for the gems that allow them to advance as well as cut and polish them and show mastery of all the history and lore of Beryl. They must be versed in dark elf battle tactics and be able to come up with defensive maneuvers in case of attacks. This level focuses on the individual, and study is usually solitary unless groups are formed to mine. The Loupe must be able to determine where in a given deposit a gem might be found and learn concave faceting along with his or her other duties. They form the gem raiding groups and led battle simulations against mock dark elf aggressors.

• Table: Ruby

  The Table is made up of Rubies. Theirs is a mentoring position, having spent a very long time earning the honor of Ruby of Her Perfection, they act as mentors to the younger clergy. They are themselves mentored by the Emeralds. Since they must be able to cut a perfect ruby gemstone as well as facilitating the rise of students through the grades before applying for Emerald, time as a Ruby may be very long. They must apply all they have learned in decisions and scenarios and are judged by the wisdom of their actions. In this level, they are allowed to begin researching the spell that will eventually lock their wisdom away in a gem; although, they may not use it. The final incantation is kept secret to prevent irreversible mishaps.

• The Crown: Emeralds & Diamond

  The responsibility of the Crown is to oversee all doctrine, to select the heads of the orders, and to decide a response to challenges and important situations involving Her Perfection's Facets. They are the highest level of decisionmaking, with the Emeralds assisting the Diamond in factfinding and occasionally in dealing with specific situations. Final decisions always fall to the Diamond in case a consensus can't be reached. The Emeralds are assigned geographical oversight of areas of the world, mentoring of individual Rubies, information gathering, and special assignments. They report directly to the Diamond. There may be any number of Emeralds but there can only be one Diamond. Emeralds are allowed full access to the Beryl's Wisdom spell and taught advanced methods of faceting that produce gems of perfect quality.

Emerald Broken Chisel survived the attack on the Festival of Diamonds by hiding. He desired the office of Diamond for himself, but he realized Darkglow's decisions brought about a better result and has graciously moved aside remaining an Emerald. He is middle-aged, with a rare but robust full head of white hair, and is actively involved in training the Rubies to move upward and replenish the ranks of the Emeralds.

Emerald Quillwem of Alindor, the first non-Deep gnome to ever rise to this level in the Facets, is special envoy for temple communications. After his assistance in finding the dark elf assassins and protecting Darkglow and Broken Chisel, his place as an Emerald was assured. He is a wood elf who freely admits to a lifelong fascination with gems. Although he came to the faith late, he has risen quickly. He is in his adult years with scars on his face and body that speak of a life of adventure.

The Diamond is the Deep Mother's representative on Layonara and is elected by the Emeralds from their ranks. He or she holds the position until death or retirement. There is only one Diamond at any given time.

Diamond Darkglow was voted into office by the remaining Emeralds after an attack during the Festival of Diamonds near Stone, which resulted in the death of the previous Diamond. He is an older gnome who is beginning to stoop and is considered a quick thinker. After his ordeal, he is more security-minded than ever, and because of the fact that a Deep gnome helped facilitate the attack, he has put more restrictions on advancement with more clergy time spent mentoring (observing). He has assisted in the rebuilding of the Phenocryst, and he reinforced several smaller temples in addition to the Batholith.