The Order of Egeria
Nothing is impossible
Pink & Silver | Chimera | Macungee, Wincor
Egeria in History
The Order of Egeria arose not from marble halls or glittering towers, but from the primordial swamps of eastern Wincor. Life in those wetlands was fickle, shaped by shifting waters, strange flora, and a soil too sodden for farming. To survive, the early Egerians turned not to plow or spell, but to ingenuity. They coaxed cures from mosses, drew nourishment from roots that would poison others, found metals in the marsh, and learned to balance life against decay in a land where both thrived in equal measure.
From the peat bogs came their first elixirs—balms that knit torn flesh, draughts that eased hunger, tinctures that warded off swamp-fever. Where others saw danger, the Egerians saw opportunity, and through countless experiments they learned to bend the volatile elements of their homeland into tools of survival. Their methods were strange to outsiders, but in Wincor they became indispensable.
Life in the swamps was not hard, merely different—and so too were its people. The Egerians cultivated flexibility of both body and mind, able to adapt to change as naturally as reeds bend in the wind. This adaptability soon earned them renown beyond their home. Word of their potions and inventions spread, and soon Egerian alchemists traveled to distant cities and courts, where nobles sought their concoctions and kings valued their strange wisdom.
Unlike other Orders, the Egerians did not hoard their craft for the wealthy. Their pride lay in the work itself. They gave elixirs to the needy freely and charged little for their services, believing that discovery was reward enough. For this, they earned both love and suspicion—love from common folk who relied on their generosity, suspicion from those who wondered why anyone would ply such power without demanding coin in return.
Over the centuries, the Order grew into a recognized institution, its name synonymous with creation and curiosity. When something new must be devised, when a mystery must be unraveled, or when something too dangerous to be left alone must be destroyed, it is the Order of Egeria that is summoned. They are as likely to be found in their halls in eastern Wincor as they are trudging through distant mountains, markets, or battlefields, always in search of new reagents and rare phenomena.
Today, they are regarded as Chalameria’s foremost alchemists, tinkerers, and non-magical experimenters. Their minds wander where others fear to tread, and their hands shape wonders out of chaos. Yet for all their genius, they remain children of the swamps—restless, resilient, and ever willing to dive headlong into the murk in search of something extraordinary.
Egeria Today: Alchemy Amidst Strife
The Order of Egeria has long been seen as the heart of invention and discovery in Chalameria, but in these troubled times their role has shifted from idle curiosity to urgent necessity. War and corruption twist the land, forcing Egerians to push their craft beyond the laboratory and into the battlefield, the marketplace, and the very veins of society.
Restorers of the Broken
Egerian alchemists are called upon to stabilize what war destroys. They mend shattered weapons and armor with quick-setting alloys, concoct tonics to ward off hunger when crops fail, and purify water tainted by battlefield runoff or necrotic blight. Villages living under the shadow of corruption look to Egerians for potions of resistance that blunt plague, decay, or fear. In such places, their brews often mean the difference between survival and ruin.
Weaponsmiths of Innovation
Though not magicians, Egerians are pragmatists. They forge alchemical firebombs that burn hotter than dragon’s breath, acids that chew through cursed metal, and smoke vials to conceal troops or disrupt undead hordes. Some Egerians have devised mixtures that mimic magic—powders that burst into lightning arcs, oils that ignite with a whisper of flame, and salves that bolster strength like enchantments of old. These creations are controversial, often feared, yet indispensable in desperate campaigns.
Experimenters on the Edge
The corruption sweeping Chalameria has made reagents unpredictable. Cariosus oozes where it should crystalize, Nightshade blooms in impossible hues, and ley-touched minerals pulse with unstable energies. Rather than shy away, Egerians rush toward such chaos, cataloguing, testing, and—sometimes disastrously—harnessing these strange phenomena. Many Egerians carry the scars of failed experiments, but such risks are the price of discovery.
Dealers in Secrets
Knowledge is as valuable as coin, and Egerians sell it freely. A new explosive compound, a method of preserving food, a way to shield soldiers from plague—each discovery becomes a bargaining chip in a land where trust is thin. Their reputation as neutral experimenters allows them to move between factions, but this same neutrality makes them suspect: mercenaries of knowledge who may one day sell their genius to the highest bidder.
Healers and Poisons
For every poultice brewed to knit bone, another poison is distilled to cripple generals or sow terror. The Order does not dictate morality, only inquiry. Thus, some Egerians become heroes who keep armies alive with restorative elixirs, while others descend into shadows, crafting venoms that whisper through courts and battlefields alike.
Keepers of Curiosity
Above all, Egerians remain true to their core drive—curiosity. Even in war, they find wonder: the beauty of a spark leaping from a new metal, the elegance of a reaction no one has seen before. In a world drowning in corruption, their experiments embody both hope and danger, a reminder that discovery is neither good nor evil—it is simply power, waiting to be wielded.
The Path Forward in a New World
Chalameria is changing. The swamps that once defined the Egerians taught them to adapt, and that same lesson may now guide their future. The Order stands at a crossroads:
Guardians of Renewal – They may take the mantle of healers and rebuilders, restoring what war and corruption have broken. Picture a Chalameria where every village has an Egerian-trained apothecary, famine is blunted by ingenious tonics, and clean water flows even in blighted lands.
Harbingers of Fear – Or they may embrace weaponcraft, becoming prized by warlords and kings who covet their volatile inventions. In this path, the Order risks becoming feared as merchants of destruction, their neutrality traded for coin or power.
Keepers of Balance – Perhaps the truest Egerian path lies between. To them, discovery is sacred—not good, not evil, but possibility. They might act as mediators between warring powers, offering aid where it preserves balance and dismantling that which threatens the world entire.
The new world will not be kind, but the Order has never relied on kindness. They are children of the swamp—resilient, restless, and unafraid to plunge into the murk in search of the extraordinary. Where others despair, the Egerians see another problem to solve. And in this age of ash and corruption, their hands may yet shape Chalameria’s future.
The Chimera: Mercurial Patron of Transformation
The Chimera, a creature of boundless metamorphosis and duality, stands as a potent symbol within the Order of Egeria, a faction aligned with those who seek to transmute themselves and the world around them. Revered as the patron of Alchemists, Misfits, and Artists, the Chimera embodies the eternal dance between chaos and control, creativity and consumption.
Its essence is defined by an insatiable hunger, devouring all that it encounters—knowledge, power, material wealth, and even the hearts of those who court its favor. Yet, this voracity is counterbalanced by the Chimera's equally profound ability to embrace hibernation, slipping into a state of complete inertia to rejuvenate and transform. This rhythm, this oscillation between Gluttony and Temperance, is the beating heart of its power, known as the Boon of the Chimera.
The Chimera’s allegiance is fickle. It is neither good nor evil but instead reflects the nature of those who wield its power. It challenges its followers to strike a balance between indulgence and restraint, knowing that both excess and abstinence have their costs. The Chimera's ever-changing nature serves as both a warning and a promise. Whether it becomes a destroyer or a muse depends entirely on those who dare to court its favor.
The Kingdom of Consumption – A Warning
Take heed, for hunger left unchecked does not fade—it grows, restless and insatiable, waiting to consume all. Should Chalameria abandon balance for greed, the land may descend into a kingdom of consumption. The Chimera’s Boon, once a blessing of wisdom and resource, may twist into a curse of endless want. Knowledge, once pursued for enlightenment, may be seized only for control. Resources, once gathered for survival, may be hoarded for dominion. Power, once meant to protect, may be wielded only to dominate.
If sharing withers into suspicion, and cooperation gives way to rivalry, the land will be stripped bare. The wells will run dry, the vaults will overflow with unused wealth, and still the hunger will not end. The strong may gorge themselves while the weak wither, yet even among the mighty, fear will reign—fear that someone, somewhere, holds more. The Chimera, once guardian of balance, may writhe in torment. Its gifts, distorted by excess, may bring not prosperity but discord. Its wisdom, once a light, may drown beneath desire. Should greed rule unchecked, the Boon itself will falter, no longer a guide but a snare. If this shadow falls, Chalameria will not walk a path to glory, but stumble into a pit of endless want—a kingdom of hoarders clutching treasures that can never fill the void.
Beware, for the seeds of this fate are already sown in envy and excess. If left untended, they may grow into ruin.
The Boon of the Chimera
I slumber, yet I do not fade. My strength lies woven in the roots, the rivers, and the skies of Chalameria. Though my form is restless, torn between harmony and hunger, fragments of my power remain—waiting for those who would walk in balance. The Order of Egeria are my chosen stewards. They alone understand that my gifts are not without cost, and that virtue must temper desire. When the people act with restraint, when they share rather than hoard, when they temper their cravings with wisdom, I allow them to touch the remnants of my Boon.
Predator’s Patience – Once per event, one may call upon me to gain a Resist Poison or an Evade, for survival belongs not to the reckless but to those who endure.
Hunter’s Respite – Alternatively, one may claim from me a single stealth Recharge Prowess once per event, for knowledge is to be renewed, not consumed.
But know this: when discord festers, when cruelty triumphs, when selfishness and corruption spread, I recoil. My gifts wither in the hands of the greedy, for I will not feed those who only devour. Thus it falls upon the Order of Egeria to guard the path of balance. If they falter, if the people surrender to excess, my Boon will slip from their grasp, and only hunger will remain.