The Cult of Sand (CShaH)

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Admits: The Cult of Sand admits only elementalists of the province of sand, though all races and both sexes are welcome within their organization.
Members: The Cult of Sand is not overly large, composed of no more than 30 members, half of which are male, the other half female. Humans easily dominate this organization, with only one elf counted among their current number. Most members are of good alignments, with a few leaning toward neutral. No evil-aligned elementalists are allowed to join this organization.
Initiation: The Cult of Sand watches for signs of powerful elementalists that study their province. They possess the great Sand Mirror, which constantly monitors the use of magics from the sand province. When a disturbance arises (caused by any 7th-level spell or higher that taps into the elemental province of sand), the Sand Mirror will reveal the location of the magic's wielder. Members of the cult are dispatched at once to contact the elementalist responsible for casting such a spell. The fact that the Sand Mirror recognized the character is enough proof of ability.
The cultists will then approach the caster of the spell, usually in a private place, and "escort" him to their private meeting area. The cult will have one very secluded room rented in a city where they are making contact and a number of farisan standing guard to prevent anyone from interfering in their business. If the contacted character makes a fuss, the cultists will quickly depart, using their powers and the confusion to make good their escape.
If the character agrees to sign on with the group, he must be ready to make his first contribution to the society. In the case of the cult, this involves the finding of unusual rock and sand formations in the deep deserts of Zakhara. Such locations are ideal places in which to study the nature of earth magic. After all, these things don't just occur naturally; most are so bizarre that there must be a magical explanation. This is one of the underpinnings of the cult: sand is innately magical, and in some areas this magic is activated. It is vital to the cult that these areas be discovered and closely examined to discover how this occurs.
Characters may take whatever supplies they need and are given a grant of up to 2,000 gp to outfit themselves and hire any assistants or guides that may be necessary. These searches for magically active pockets of sand can be quite lengthy. Many take as long as a year; in at least one case, the process consumed nearly a decade. A large reason for this is that most initiates to the cult aren't happy with finding small areas with vaguely unusual sand and rock formations. Instead, they scour the desert for the largest and most impressive finds, as this will increase their status within the cult. When sent out on this quest, characters are always given a small stone that will identify areas that have already been discovered and marked by previous members of the cult. This circumvents unnecessary delays caused by the need to continually check with the cult to see if an area has already been discovered.
DMs are encouraged to make the whole process an involved adventure. Elementalists should spend a long time tracking down myths and rumors concerning unusual areas in an attempt to make their contribution to the cult. Fellow characters can be drawn in as well. Other wizards may also find themselves involved, helping the character in order to discover magical lore that they may use to their advantage. The quest should be time-consuming and should lead the characters through a number of interesting encounters. It should culminate with a battle or dealings with some sort of magical creature. After all, dragons and geniekind may have already found these spots and chosen them for themselves. This adventure should challenge the abilities of the elementalist (and the rest of the party) and be suitable for a long series of adventures.
The finding of a special formation will also be considered the character's test. This is because the contribution that is made is so long and involved that it serves admirably as a test of the character's conviction, dedication to the society, and ability to carry out missions in a competent manner.
If the character manages to complete the search in a short time and/or uses magical aid that nearly does the job for him, the society will often assign another test. This will be something that the cult has been meaning to get to but just hasn't had the time to accomplish. For instance, the cult may have wanted to earn the favor of a certain dao but hadn't had the time or resources to undertake such a mission. The character would be told to go out and accomplish this endeavor, success indicating his worthiness to be a member of the group.
Description: The cult is a small but growing sorcerous society, established to protect its members from the predations of the Brotherhood of the True Flame. It was also formed as a means to enable its members access to more learning about the nature of their elemental province. So far, it has served both purposes admirably.
The cult is loosely organized, with a small council of three elementalists to keep records, collate data, and generally look over the work of the rest of the members. They are not, however, simple clerks. This council often manages to pull together several hypotheses into a strong theory, thereby directing the studies of other elementalists. They are all keenly intelligent and able to make grand extrapolations from meager data. This is why they are given access to virtually every bit of information that is found.
The council is not all for the good, however, as they have become somewhat greedy of knowledge. They control what information is disseminated to the other members and what is kept for themselves. They rationalize their actions as being best for everyone— who knows what some of these lesser wizards might do with the knowledge they are given? Information is spread through the group in measured doses and only after careful review by the council. This has served to increase the power of the cult's leaders and gives them a powerful bargaining chip with other members of the cult who might try to usurp their position.
Information is passed to other members in carefully scribed scrolls, penned through magical means by the council itself. These scrolls are distributed by farisan local to the cult, who would die before failing to deliver them. Members of the cult are expected to keep these scrolls safe and in a secret location to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
Though the cult is very loosely organized, without a standard hierarchy outside of the council, there is a definite pecking order. High-level elementalists will treat their less knowledgeable brethren with some disrespect. This is little different from the way wizards are all over Zakhara, but within the confines of the cult it has definite repercussions.
The high-level members of the cult have a tendency to monopolize cult funds and other resources. Low-level members are forced to defer to their more talented brothers, even if the high-level members aren't doing their job. There is much talk among some members of misspent funds and wasted research time. Some believe that the grants are given to obscure true knowledge by smothering it with fallacious information "researched" by members of the cult. This has produced some bickering, and the stranglehold the council maintains on information makes these accusations difficult to prove.
This is mostly based in the near-religious teachings of the cult. Members are instilled with a devotion to their element that borders on the fanatical. They are taught to meditate upon the land and feel the currents of magic that flow through it. These teachings reinforce the power of the council, as they are believed to be the only truly "enlightened" members of the cult. So strong is this indoctrination that members can have a very difficult time breaking their training to question the council. Player character members will often be regarded as rebels, as they will surely speak out against the injustices that they encounter. It may even be possible for them to right the wrongs they perceive, though this may put them in a difficult position. The council members are in no way ready to relinquish the power that they hold and will put up a very strong fight to retain their positions and the status quo. Characters will have to be very resourceful and persuasive to gain support, and will find themselves outcast if they aren't able to do this.
Despite its injustices and the inequities among some of the members, the cult is the best place for most elementalists of the province of sand. They are afforded access to knowledge that, while not as in-depth as they might like, is still not found elsewhere. They are also protected from the Brotherhood of the True Flame, the shadowy organization that is a threat to elementalists everywhere.
On this last, the cult is very well prepared. They have teamed up with a number of farisan, all of which are dedicated to Grumbar of the Earth, a cold god of the elements. These farisan are very rare, and their numbers are only just beginning to grow. They are fanatically loyal, having decided that the elementalists of the Cult of the Sand are the closest they are going to find to a sizable congregation devoted to their god. This is believed to be one of the primary reasons that this sorcerous society is known as a cult: to attract these particular farisan.
There are perhaps 500 farisan of Grumbar in service to the cult. There are close to twice that many that are not directly connected to the cult but which would come to the cult's aid if necessary. These men and women are the strong-arm of the cult, ready to fight and die for the sorcerers they work for and with. The fact that these farisan exist is not at all secret, though the cult itself is. Though the Brotherhood may be able to discover the cult's existence by the presence of so many farisan of Grumbar, they will also think twice about attacking the group. Even holy slayers cannot defeat an entire army on their own, and the Brotherhood isn't interested in starting such a conflict (at least not yet).
The cult's council is safely ensconced in the deeps of the High Desert, where they maintain a smallish fortress within a massive rock formation. This fortress is unnamed and is referred to simply as "the Home" by members of the cult. The Home is a massive mound of reddish stone. Wind and sand have eroded scalloped grooves around it. The sound of the wind whispering through these grooves is a low murmuring. Until one gets very close to the Home, it is impossible to detect signs of life, as there are only three men and their servants living here. Their quarters are very deep within the stone. The farisa that are quartered here stay in a deep concave hollow in the top of the stone, which is not visible unless one is high in the air.
Members of the cult are encouraged to stay on the move, preferably in small groups. These groups are afforded protection by a number of farisan, though these warriors may be called back to the Home in times of trouble. Members are also encouraged to return to the Home if they find themselves in trouble. While this may attract attention from dangerous elements outside of the cult, the protection of its members is a higher priority.
If anyone dreamed of attacking the fortress, they would find themselves in a hopeless situation. The Home is solid rock, and its only entrances are labyrinths carved by dao. These entrance tunnels can easily be guarded by less than a hundred men, who could fend off thousands. The Home is also well supplied, and a freshwater spring is located deep within the living quarters. There is added difficulty as well in that the attacking force would be far from most oases and would have a near-to-impossible task before them in regards to supplies. The cost of maintaining the caravans to supply a force of men large enough to take the Home would force even a prosperous nation into poverty very quickly. For the time being, the Home is virtually impregnable.
Like most elementalists, the members of the cult avoid attracting too much attention to themselves. Many are masters of disguise and masquerade as warriors of one sort or another. Those that do reveal their true nature are the ones most often seen trying to help out in any way that they can. They may serve as defenders of villages and are generally dedicated (or "devoted,") elementalists (see Chapter 1).
The cult is the most understanding of all the elementalist sorcerous societies. While they believe that the element of sand is the most powerful and the most useful, they can also see the benefits of other types of elemental study. They have a keen interest in all knowledge and are more than happy to discuss the nature of their own school in exchange for information about another. They aren't disparaging to those that study other elemental provinces, though they do try to impart the wisdom of their position to those with whom they discuss such things.
The cult's members aren't quick to fight, but they stand by their convictions and their fellow members. While they don't look for trouble, they will do what they can to defend themselves. And they never, ever, forget a malicious insult or violent action against one of their own.
Goals: The cultists simply want to study the sand and discover its magical properties. This is their primary, motivating goal. What most individuals in the cult do not know, however, is that the council wishes to use this power for itself. The council knows full well that mastering the art of sand magic would elevate them immensely in terms of power. All other elements are found in some parts of Zakhara, but the sand (and hence the power of the sand) is everywhere.
This doesn't mean that the council of the cult is bent on world domination. Rather, they wish to be the reigning magical power in order to rectify the current squabbling among wizards and their societies. They believe if they can amass enough magical power, the council would be able to settle disputes with an authoritative voice and prevent societies like the Brotherhood from killing other wizards. This goal of achieving a sort of unity throughout wizard society is a lofty one, if somewhat misguided. It is doubtful that the council would be able to maintain an impartial stance if they ever achieved the position they desired and would most likely become as ruthless in the enforcing of their ideals as the Brotherhood of the True Flame. The council thinks differently, however, and busily seeks to increase its power through better understanding of the sand and its magic, as evidenced by the nature of the contributions and tests demanded of initiates by the cult.
Its second goal is the protection of its members from outside violence and defamation. The cult is currently trying to increase the number of their farisan. A larger military would be able to protect the current members more easily and would allow expansion of the cult without the fear of being unable to protect large numbers of new initiates. The primary difficulty in this is centered around the low level of acceptance of Grumbar among most enlightened peoples. The cold gods don't really encourage worship and do nothing for those that do worship them.
To increase the popularity of Grumbar, and thus the number of farisan available to the cult, the council is seeking out the few priests that venerate the god. These priests are then supplied with men and money and sent out to spread the good word of Grumbar. Such priests have been discouraged from building temples just yet, as the cult feels that their efforts are better spent on missionary activities. Once Grumbar has achieved sufficient status to satisfy the cult (perhaps 2,000 worshippers), the first temples will be built. For now, priests of Grumbar are noted as curiosities and are not taken seriously at all.
The worship of Grumbar is not encouraged within the Pantheist League, and the cult's priests and farisan have stayed clear of this religiously intolerant land.