There is no definite proof on when and how this secret order is formed, for the founders took their secrets to their graves, or why took the moniker of "Keepers" among themselves. Only their purpose, to seek the most powerful and cursed magical artifacts or items that may contain catastrophic powers to safeguard the multiverse and hide them from wrong hands at any cost. And will stop at nothing to seize them by any means necessary. Besides their primary objective, the Keepers also record history in a pure objective form and guards that knowledge with their lives for generations to come. All keepers share a scholarly virtue about importance of knowledge, truth, sanctity of life and natural order. Despite all their virtues Keepers are rather skilled in the arts of subterfuge and masquerade for they make the most excellent thieves and actors, as it is seen as a necessary path to keep the harm to a minimum and not to bring attention to the order. Therefore every Keeper that is accepted is given a symbolic yet practical ceramic mask to remind them of their role and purpose. Keepers do not have an official hierarchy or any form of ranking but elderly Keepers mostly tend to The Library and treated as figures of authority and guidance, where the younger Keepers attend field missions, expected to prove themselves. Keepers mostly consist of Rogues, Rangers, Wizards, Bards, and a very few selected Warlocks, all having their parts to play in the order, be it spying and scouting, or breaking and entering. Almost all of the Keepers are Humans or at least Half-humans with an ambition ignited by their shorter lives, maybe to engrave their worth to stone or to paint a path to understand their true standing in universe, aided by a low number of Elves that dedicated their long lives to the noble cause of preserving history and knowledge, among with a few willing exceptions of other sentient races, persistent as much as them.
*Inspired by the original Thief trilogy*
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose one of among Arcana, History, Medicine, Plus one of among Stealth, Acrobatics, Deception
- Tool Proficiencies: One type of Artisans's tool, and one of Thieves tools or Disguise kit
- Languages: two of your choice
- Equipment: A set of fine clothes, a Hooded lantern, a bottle of black ink, an ink pen, a set of artisan's tools, a diary, a scroll case, a ceramic mask to hide your identity and a personal black parchment containing the keeper ritual, that its writings visible from your and only your mask, and a belt pouch containing 8 gp.
Your order has a main fortified underground base at directly under a major capital for safe keeping of collected artifacts, known as The Library where most keepers are located (Discuss with your DM to determine it's location appropriate to the setting of the game) and many similar, yet humbler in size, hideouts at most of the other cities where keepers can exchange information if present and have a respite, discuss plans without prying eyes and ears in relative comfort that may have old books or scrolls containing relevant information about your current task. These underground sanctuaries are protected by a magical mist causes short-term memory loss and illusory pathways to misdirect outsiders away from the sanctuary to prevent anyone locating them. You know the whereabouts of these locations and can guide your trusted friends with a secret ritual through the mist without any of the side-effects except one, the company you brought will forget these locations after their first three days outside the sanctuary, but not the existence. You must be careful with who you choose to bring along.
Spell List
Keeper Affinity: Your time with the Keepers allowed you to get familiar with a few spells that is tailored to your needs and might aid you on the field.
(If you are a multiclass character with multiple spell lists, these spells are added to all of them.)
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| Cantrip | mage hand, minor illusion |
| 1st | feather fall, illusory script |
| 2nd | detect thoughts, pass without trace |
| 3rd | haste, slow |
| 4th | freedom of movement, greater invisibility |
| 5th | legend lore |
Suggested Characteristics
You are part of the secret order of the Keepers. You are expected to resist to temptations of cursed power and never endanger your brethren or your home. But who are you? A Teacher gathering information at the local university from your colleagues by day and a sneaky thief getting ready to infiltrate a manor by night? Or a bard collecting local folktales and deducting which is myth and which is history? Or just a simple commoner masquerading your way as a noble in a city promising political power to a rich and snob artifact collector to get his vault open? But most importantly how did you become one of them? That is for you to decide. The following section includes some suggested reasons that are appropriate but only meant to be examples and not definitive.
D6 - Reason
1. I was a street urchin looking for a dry place to rough it for the evening. I must have been passed out from hunger that night, when I opened my eyes, I saw the hooded figure by the desk, writing, and found myself in the sanctuary of Keepers. Now that I am all grown up, fed and trained by them, i will honor my debt with service.
2. I was a young noble of a minor house. One night as I was pacing around the manor thinking about a poem, I saw one of them by our family sword, and suddenly had a bag over my head as they whisked me away. Rather than having people think my family lost the sword and be disgraced, I chose to have them think I stole it and disgrace myself. I can never go home...
3. I made a deal with a devil. To free my soul and void the contract, I must steal an artifact that devil wants from The Library, with the devil's help I killed a Keeper and assumed it's form, no one can know my secret. No one.
4. I was born to the order, never had a proper life outside the sanctuaries but always had a little taste when I'm outside pretending to be a commoner. This duality of personality is driving me mad.
5. I was the most famous duelist in my small town, was. Until I crossed paths with one of the Keepers and got bested by them, but not before I cracked that mask and saw the face lies beyond. It was either my life or to become one of them, and I gladly did to learn their techniques of fighting.
6. I spent 8 years in the Feywild studying the magical artifacts and fey magic in the name of Keepers with the assistance of Elven kind. When I returned back, 80 years have passed! Almost everyone I know from the order is dead and it is on the edge of ruin, I must save it!
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