"When Drovan was selected to apprentice with the Facekeeper, he was very excited and I was excited for him. The training started to consume more and more of his time and it did become a strain on our relationship for a period. We both understood how important the work was for all of us and I understood how important it was to him."— Reigus Tendalten
Keepers of the Machine God
Surrounded by the heavily fortified walls of the
Bronze Fortress lies the greatest creation of the
Machine Priests,
Djnet, the Face of Bronze a god crafted by the hands of mortals - or so they claim. Deep through the rock of the skyisland lie the tunnels and caverns that support the machinery that comprises the
machine god; it is the duty of the facekeepers to maintain these machines.
Joining the Facekeepers
As with most tasks among the
Machine Priests, those who will train to become facekeepers are chosen by the highest members of the organization. Often chosen are those who are the most dedicated to their work - even at the expense of their own well being - and those who are the most fanatical among the organization.
Significance
The facekeepers are highly respected among their colleagues but outside of the
Machine Priests are unknown - as is the existence of
Djnet. They are called upon to officiate the most important ceremonies and to speak to new recruits - almost always young children taken from their homes with the promise of a better life.
The Mark of Greatness
In each year, the
Face of Bronze will answer only a small number of questions posed by the
Machine Priests - though if any outsider could get to it, it would answer them as well. Each time a question is answered, the machinery that makes up the
god is strained far beyond its limits and requires repairs before another question may be posed.
The best facekeeper crews are able to work quickly enough to increase the number of times their
god will speak in a year - by one or even two - greatly increasing the rate at which the
Machine Priests can get answers to difficult questions or otherwise unobtainable information.
Stub Article
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Old Article
This article was written in the past and does not meet my current standards for any number of article quality, layout, or content.
In-Progress Article
This article is being worked on, perhaps not at this very moment, but it is being worked on.
From One to Many
While there is now a head facekeeper that oversees the work of many others, it used to be tradition that there would be but one and their apprentice. This lasted only until both were killed in an accident, leaving only the untrained to read what few notes there were and work out the rest themselves.
The Keeper's Mark
Upon the completion of their training and induction into the keepers, members are given a tattoo depicting the main array. Most commonly this is on the hand - as they repair the god with their hands - or the head or neck. These are traditional location and not strictly enforced, any member can choose where they want their keeper's tattoo.
"The documentation is much better than it was when the master keeper and their apprentice died. Despite that, there are still gaps in our knowledge and people do say that Djnet hasn't been the same since the incident. Though, no one here now was alive back then."— Drovan to Reigus
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