The Order of the Watchful Eye

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The Order of the Watchful Eye

Type	A monastic order of Dwarves
Location	Gammelgard

About

The Order of the Watchful Eye came into existence shortly after the founding of the city of Gammelgard in 990 BR. The Order is based out of a walled cloister located on the outer edges of the town of Gammelgard. Access to the cloister is strictly forbidden to anyone but members of the Order.

The Order is composed completely of dwarves. As of 825 PR, no non-dwarf has ever been admitted to the Order. The Order is run by a Dwarven Grand Master who oversees a committee made up of the Head Masters representing each of the Houses that the Order employs and offers training in. The Grand Master also holds the Order’s seat on Gammelgard's Triumverat.

The Grand Master in 825 PR is Behlmore Goldvein. 5 Grand Masters preceded him going all the way back to the founding of the Order around 990 BR (a span of about 900 years).

Houses

There are six houses within the Order. Each member will ultimately fall into one of these Houses based on their skill sets. Some members of the Order are accomplished masters of their trades who have traveled the world and refined their skill. These dwarves are recruited to join the Order with the promise of resources to experiment and stability in housing and board. Yet other members are drawn into the Order as acolytes looking for training from these masters and hopefully become masters in their own right. It is common for Head Masters of each House to be drawn from the ranks of Masters. When a decision is made by the council, the Grand Master only votes when a tie breaker is necessary.

Cloister

The Cloister of the order is located in Gammelgard.

This collection of buildings surrounded by walls with high parapets overlooks the town of Gammelgard and the sea beyond. The cloister houses approximately 100 people that are exclusively dwarves. The occupants are a collection of Clerics, Paladins and Monks who follow and serve the causes of Moradin. Since the inception of firearms, Artificers have found a prominent role in the Order as well. Many of the best dwarven crafters of firearms, weapons and armor come to collaborate in the Cloister and sell their wares in the market of Gammelgard.

Access to the cloister by anyone not of the Order is restricted to the largest building in the complex, The Great Hall, which is accessed directly from the main gate. Any attempts to enter the cloister through another location or to leave the Great Hall and enter the cloister will be met with swift and harsh resistance.

Additionally, there are a cluster of smaller buildings that stand along with the Great Hall that serve as barracks, a barn, a small smithy and a kitchen to support any persons working for the Order.

Order of the Watchful Eye Kitchen

The Order's Kitchen came to some notoriety around the mid 820sPR, in part to so many adventures passing through to hunt mutated orcs and goblins, dragons, and to fight the shadows. It is unclear if the kitchen’s food was particularly good or just "less bad" than that of the surrounding area. In either case, the kitchen staff had their work cut out for them, serving the adventurers and refugees from the events of the region. Many adventurers prefer taking jobs out of Gammelgard because it comes with a free night’s stay, a hearty breakfast, and snacks for the road.

After one notable adventure, the owlin Búho attempted to teach a Gammelgard cook Rose how to make chocolate. In a comical-yet-depressing series of events, the entire kitchen caught fire and had to be evacuated. Although there were no casualties, Rose was quite shaken (but retained her job). It took several weeks to rebuild the Order’s kitchen. Now, a sign hangs outside the kitchen door stating, “authorized personnel only” and in smaller handwritten scrawl form disgruntled guests “but why” and “curse you Buho.”

After the shadows receded in 826PR, there was an influx of customers looking specifically for muffins, which puzzled many locals. Word on the street was that a quarterfinalist from that year’s Tournament of Fist and Fury, Spinel, had mentioned how much she liked the Gammelgard muffins in an interview and fans took note.