Taldor--The Eye
Part of the Taldor Campaign.
The Order of the Unblinking Eye
Overall Alignment: Historically Neutral, now Chaotic Good
Common Classes: Wizard (Diviner), Cleric (of deities associated with dreams, prophecy, fate, etc), Adept, Expert
Rarer, but not unheard of: Witch (Ancestors or Portents patron), Oracle (Dark Tapestry, Heavens, or Lore mysteries), Sorcerer, Bard
Never: Any class without access to divination spells
Favoured Deity: The Eye has no common culture beyond their shared profession, but said profession naturally leads those inclined towards religion to gods associated with dreams, prophecy, and knowledge.
Sigil: Members mark their shops and wear pins in the shape of a single stylized eye, though the exact stylization varies from person to person.
In times of trouble their sigil can be used to covertly pass messages by mundane means; an open eye gazing straight ahead is the standard position of the sigil, variations can subtly convey a few specific messages. A sigil gazing to the right means trouble is afoot, no aid yet needed, but other Eyes should be wary A sigil gazing left means the one who bares it is in immediate danger and in need of help A sigil depicted with no pupil means the bearer believes they are being watched, by either magical or mundane means. An eye sigil depicted as closed means the seer who bears it believes they are beyond help and will be killed or captured soon, other members should keep their distance
General Overview
The Age of Lost Omens is an inauspicious one for many on Golarion, Seers and their ilk in particular. The Unblinking Eye was once a major political force in Taldor, but time and tribulations lead to the order publicly disbanding and going underground. Little more than an obscure bit of history, for the past few hundred years the Eye’s power and stability has waned greatly, nearly at the brink of collapse until a recent surge in activity bolstered their ranks and kicked them back into an active mode.
Formally disbanded generations ago, those who still remember the name of The Unblinking Eye most likely know them as a guild of traitors who tried to circumvent the Great Purge and and were disbanded in disgrace, while a scant few may know of their more illustrious beginnings in the service of the crown. Their current existence is unknown to any outside their own ranks, and their continued survival depends on maintaining this anonymity.
One of the first things an initiate of the Eye is taught is that while the truth is at the center of all that they do, it is rarely useful in its raw form. Most people only hear what they want; warning a noble that their ‘innocent little’ affair will cause an irreparable rift between two houses that will persist for centuries, or telling a craftsman that letting his safety procedures go lax will lead to a fire that will destroy two whole city blocks will go unheeded until it’s too late. Couching your warning in vague portents and ominous prophecies, letting the subject of such visions think they’ve figured it all out on their own is far more effective. Often the ‘readings’ a fortune teller of the Unblinking Eye gives bear no resemblance whatsoever to the actual future they’ve seen in the cards, instead crafted from whole cloth to suit the one hearing it.
When divination is not enough, the Order of the Unblinking Eye also employs more mundane methods of information gathering. A fortune teller can glean even more than they give from those who come from readings, observing reactions and reading between the lines of the questions their petitioners want answered. Still others take a more direct approach to information gathering, employing stealth and legerdemain to simply break into the estates of those they need to investigate. The order does not sell or exploit this information, normally, but uses it better understand how to manipulate those that need to be manipulated. Things can get particularly tricky when an important person needs
They now pull the strings from the shadows, trying to subtly influence those in power or positions to make change to prevent Taldor’s further decay and right whatever injustices they can.
Notable Historical Members of The Unblinking Eye
Grand Prince Leontius Sapphiano, The Veiled Queen (Bard/Alchemist)
Leonitus Sapphiano was a lazy, drunken lout whose rule would have been disastrous had he not been shipped off to distant lands by his twin sister Leona, who proceeded to disguise herself as him and take his place as Grand “Prince” upon their father’s death. Her true story exists only among the personal records of one of the first Eyes, in an otherwise dull and dry journal collecting dust on the shelves of whatever library or university her collection of tomes was willed to upon her death. It’s probably for the best; most Taldans wouldn’t believe that one of their storied monarchs - an undeniably effective one at that - had secretly been a woman. Given the length of Taldor’s existence it is unlikely that Leona was the only Grand Prince with a false beard, but that has little bearing on her personal story.
At the start of her reign she was young and impulsive, realizing not long after she covertly seized the crown that her position was precarious at best. Though quite gifted in the realms of mundane disguises, all it would take was one little slip-up for the wrath of both the royal and senatorial houses to fall upon Leona’s young head. Unable to rely too closely on the famed Lion Blades for fear one of the perceptive agents would unearth her ruse, she called upon three of her associates, close friends from her days spent in at the Arcanamirium in Absalom. While Leona’s studies has been focused on potions, poultices and strange elixirs, her comrades had concerned themselves with more traditional forms of the arcane arts. The three of them, two diviners and an enchanter, were appointed as advisers to the prince and acted as intermediaries between Leona and many of the political functionaries she otherwise would have had to personally deal with on a daily basis.
Calling themselves the Unblinking Eye, the wizards safeguarded Leona’s secret for decades, allowing for an unusually progressive and prosperous reign. Though the fact that she never married nor “fathered” an heir raised some eyebrows, Leona adopted a brilliant young man from a minor royal family and named him as her heir, and when she finally left the mortal world the Eye’s services passed on to him.
Nailah Farid, Herald of the Rising Sun (Cleric of Sarenrae/Sorceress)
For many generations the Unblinking Eye served as the Grand Princes’ eldritch seers and advisors. Though they lacked the Lion Blades’ martial prowess and stealth, with a few exceptions, their members wielded far more powerful magics and their skill sets were more focused, at the expense of versatility. Over the generations, however, the primarily female order lost favor with the crown. Men who resented seeing women in such positions of power chipped away at the order’s status until the group’s royal associations were forgotten entirely. By Nailah Farid’s time the Unblinking Eye was an independent organization of Diviners, still holding together (though just barely) despite the blow Aroden’s death and the onset of the Age of Lost Omens had dealt to Seers of all stripes.
Though a devout follower of Sarenrae and an ethnic Keleshite, Nailah was nonetheless fiercely loyal to Taldor and its people, so when her visions and those of her follows began to fill with horrible omens of death and destruction, to took her perhaps longer than it should have to identify the oncoming tragedy. There was no time for diplomacy or bargaining; Nailah and other members of the order began spiriting Sarenrae’s faithful out of Taldor, quickly and quietly saving all they could. When swords were finally drawn and temples began being put to the torch the order dropped all pretense of subtlety, using magic, stealth, and guile to evacuate any and all they could. Defiant to the end, Nailah was one of the last people put to the sword. She was slain by Grand Prince Stavian I himself, chained and on her knees before the steps of the palace, her final words claiming that his line would end in disaster and ruin, and that history would remember him as a monster. Nailah’s name and almost all mentions of the order were stricken from the history books, now forgotten by all but a handful of scholars.
Maibe Farid, Herald of the Setting Sun (Oracle/Rogue)
With Nailah dead and no small amount of suspicion falling on the Unblinking Eye in general, leadership fell to the dead cleric’s young daughter, Maibe. While not a devotee herself, it nonetheless pained her to publicly and vocally denounce her mother’s actions and faith. She officially disbanded the order, stripping their banners from the guildhouse with one hand, while leading the Eye underground with the other. She lived out the rest of her public life as a quiet scholar, careful to toe the party line as the eye of the royal court was constantly on her, watching for any sign that she might follow in her mother’s footsteps. Beyond their gaze though she desperately struggled to keep the order together, leading and protecting the greatly diminished order of Seers behind a curtain of subterfuge.
Forced to work in secret, under Maibe’s leadership the Unblinking Eye evolved from advisors to puppet masters, operating under the guise of fortune tellers, prophets, mystics and the like. Rather than present their knowledge directly, the underground Eyes were forced to find other ways to prevent the disasters they foresaw.
Notable Members of The Unblinking Eye
In progress
Esta Avarae, (Cleric of Desna / Bard )
As far as most can tell, Esta has done little in the two years or so she’s spent in Oppara, aparently content to enjoy her new rank and privilage. She reads Harrow cards for the wealthy and influential, who find her charming and exotic but frankly a bit of a fool
Kale Elissos, Spy in the House of the spymaster (Lore Oracle 7/Rogue (Carnivalist) 7)
Native of Oppara, former peasant, left to find her fortune and returned when she heard Esta, who she’d gone on a few adventures with, was there. Spying on Ebb’s guy/teaching at his school under Verina’s identity
Verina Merosette, The Cloistered Scholar (Expert/Aristocrat)
((Note: Verina is specifically tied to Kale and has no further affiliation with or knowledge of the Eye and its dealings))
Nervous little shut in academic, lets Kale use her name and face in exchange for favors.
Ellinniel Vanos, (Wizard (Diviner)/Alchemist)
Elf, CN Weirdo, doesn’t really give a damn about Taldor, just likes watching society change
Aelia, The Eyes of the Streets (Druid (pack lord)/Witch (Dreamweaver))
Angry teenage street rat taken in by a now-deceased member of the Eye
Strengths of The Unblinking Eye
Prescience - It’s hard to sneak up on those who always see you coming
Fierce loyalty - While not technically banned, if the order’s continued existence ever comes to light its members will likely not fair well, especially when their societal manipulation is discovered. This leads to an impressive degree of loyalty from all its members, above and beyond their devotion to the order’s cause in general.
Weaknesses of The Unblinking Eye
Squishy little mages - though many members have a bit of skill with blade or bow, their mystical leanings afford little time for true martial training
Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves - the vast majority of the members of The Unblinking Eye come from the lower castes of society, and those few members of more privileged ranks can do little to directly aid them without giving away their common ties.
Wait, weren't you dead? - The Order of the Unblinking Eye publicly disbanded after their then-leader's interference with the Great Purge got her cut down by the Grand Prince himself. Though never officially banned, the fact that they've been existing in the shadows for the past 200 years would look highly suspicious if it ever came to light
Pulling the strings - A small group of uppity peasants have been secretly influencing the wealthy and high-born of Oppara and, to a lesser extent, Taldor at large, for ages and in the past two years have been particularly active. Hard to not see how this would upset the Bearded if the truth ever came to light.
Foreign Relations Worth Noting
Members of the Eye occasionally have visions of people and places outside of Taldor and attempt to get word to them, but don’t have the resources to spread their influence beyond Taldor’s borders.
