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Action Id: 3624 Crisis: Participants: Valdemar, Lilia, Sina(RIP), Aureth, Vanora, Vayne, Edward, Cassima and Sanya
Status: Resolved Submitted: July 30, 2019, 7:24 p.m. Public: True GM: Apostate

Economic Resources: 15000
Social Resources: 3300

Action by Valdemar

For some time now, house Grimhall has been planning to build a school of theology at Grihem's Point, to teach Mourning Islanders about all of the Gods of the Pantheon and encourage more of them to become Godsworn. The time has come for construction to begin, and so Valdemar will be getting things in order to do this: finalizing the plans for the building, getting them out to construction crews, arranging for the import of any materials needed that are not produced at Grihem's Point, and so on. His focus is on building a grand structure worthy of the Gods, to inspire people to come and learn about all of them, not just Mangata. Vanora will be the face of the project, getting the word out about the school and coordinating with others who will be assisting with matters like finding instructors and support staff or once the school is open.


Action by Vanora

For more than a year the Grimhall family has been working towards building a school of theology the likes of which few places in all the Compact have ever seen. Called the Grihem Seminary and Philosophical Academy, it is even in its building stages referred to more commonly as the Grim Seminary.

Designs for the Seminary include a massive structure of locally sourced marble that gleams like a beacon from the top of a cliff providing stunning views of the sea, located just outside the bustling city of Grihem's Point that it can be seen by those in the city below. Interiors are to be beautiful and spare no expense, with large auditoriums for lectures and sermons and smaller classrooms dedicated to more discussion focused education. It includes a library that is well stocked yet still growing its collection, as well as several outbuildings such as a cathedral for religious rites and prayer, and housing for teachers, students, and other workers and their families.

For this initial groundbreaking and dedication, House Grimhall is focusing on the following:

1 Hosting Godsworn and Legates from the City of Arx in order to help design curriculum, perform the dedications when the Seminary opens for students, and in some cases to offer guest lectures and classes to the first class to begin their studies.

2 Spreading word of the endeavor throughout the Mourning Isles in order to drum up interest and fill the classrooms. This includes reaching out to recently freed thralls or those about to be freed, for either studying or working at the Seminary provides housing and meals to students without cost, and the same for employees in addition to a fair wage for their work.

3 Creating paying jobs not only for the construction of the school but for its ongoing maintenance, employing everything from assistant teachers and caregivers for employees children to groundskeepers and maids who keep the buildings at their best.

4 Emphasizing through outreach that the Faith is yet another of the traditional institutions that are so important to Islanders, and that Grimhall continues to invest in these that traditionalists in their holdings are able to see that though there has been great change with abolition, the Isles are not forgetting their traditions or the institutions that keep them in place.

For Vanora's part personally, she will be focused on spreading the word and emphasizing the traditions that the Seminary will be deepening Grimhall commitment to, those of the Faith. She will be traveling around Grimhall holdings as well as Grihem's Point itself to tell of the Seminary and invite students and laborers to come and be a part of it.


Action by Cassima

As the Minister of Income and Trade for Grimhall, Cassima uses her profound knowledge of economics and experience managing the finances of House Grimhall to set up a stable economic framework for building this grand school of Theology at Grihem's Point so that there is coin enough to pay for the import of building materials, the labourers and so on in this endeavour. She also drafts a financial plan for the smooth and sustainable running of the school when the time comes.


Action by Aureth

Aureth's principal position here is as a student of theology (with his mid-life career change) and as a designer of a comprehensive and thorough curriculum for the school, piggybacking upon the work of the other priests who are involved and utilizing his long experience as an educator to do so. He also dedicates his own time to the project where he can by aiding in the interview and selection of instructors "on the ground" (so to speak).

One of the things that he primarily finds it important to ensure is that new priests will be trained not only in theology but in the kinds of thing local seraphies need: basic agricultural knowledge, for example, simple economics, introductory teaching, and what training he can design in empathetic and active listening. It's super important that training for new priests take into account the actual nitty-gritty details of their jobs, not just theological questions but practical ones.


Action by Sina(RIP)

Archscholar Sina has been aware of the project to create a school of theology at Grihem's Point for quite some time, since the very early days of its inception. Therefore, she is more than willing to offer whatever aid she can when the time finally comes to set those plans into motion. Using all of the resources at her disposal as Archscholar, she will assist with providing learning materials, copies of texts, writing implements and more. She'll send a delegation of eight to ten Godsworn Scholars to Grihem's Point to begin with, so that they can help with the initial establishment of the school and remain to teach, if they wish. (Represented by 800 Social resources.)

Then, she will be journeying to Grihem's point herself, in order to give her official blessing to the School in Vellichor's name. She will also be teaching a guest lecture, which she will be calling, "Heeding the Call". During this lecture, she'll tell her own story of how she, a Mourning Islander, felt the pull to become Godsworn. She'll tell the story of her how her own mother was a thrall aboard her father's ship before it was destroyed, and how she, Sina, came to serve in the kitchens of House Thrax, and then became handmaiden to Princess Donella and then Princess Alarissa. How, during a tour of the Mourning Isles, she passed through Grihem's Point and heard the choir in the amphitheater singing praises to Mangata, of how the artists and disciples of Jayus of Escuma moved her, and how Mother Ailith inspired her throughout the journey. These things, she will tell them, are all a part of what brought her to the service of the Gods.

She'll tell them, though, that in the end everyone has a different story, and that story has, one way or another, brought them to the seminary. Whatever story has brought them here, she hopes that those choices will carry them to the service of the Gods. But if not, that's okay. To become Godsworn isn't an easy path. She will explain all that it entails, both the pros and the cons, and she will 'keep it real'. She will end by inviting anyone who wishes to ask her questions, to do so. And then she'll give her blessing and benediction over the first class of Grim Seminary hopefuls.


Action by Vayne

Vayne sets in place curricula for training new godsworn, using his considerable experience and skills to help godsworn be well-rounded servants of the Pantheon. This includes ensuring a wide range of books and other resources are available, of high quality. Lessons and education tracks are established, giving the new godsworn every opportunity to succeed. He also lends the Shrine of Tehom's considerable influence toward advertising this effort.


Action by Sanya

Sanya will be heading over to Grihem's Point for purposes of spreading word and outreach. She'll use her skill with words and her popularity among the people to encourage them (including former thralls) to study/work at the seminary as well as improve the work ethic of those working to build the school. She'll also aid in hosting the men and women of the faith that have come to help design the curriculum.


Action by Lilia

As Lilia's first major contribution to her new house, she is determined simply to help where she can. As the former Minister of Upkeep for the Telmarch, she has some experience dealing with infrastructure and public works and that plays into helping with the construction phase, organizing and keeping track of paperwork and otherwise dealing with boring, nitty, gritty details that are otherwise tiresome. As former Voice, she's used to letters and meetings and encouraging people to get with whatever program is being pushed, by whatever means necessary. At every turn she looks for ways to assist, always with the goal that the Seminary should be a triumph and a beacon of theology not just to the Mourning Isles, but to the Compact as a whole.


Action by Edward

As an investor, Edward will be on hand to help with logistics and managing supply for the materials that are used for the school. Specifically he has helped broker deals for House Grimhall in the past and knows how the ins and outs of their merchant business dealings more than most, so will make use of that information to help get discounted goods and materials that are still of the high quality that would be expected in the construction project.


Result

It's a massive undertaking, and the better part of a year is spent fully constructing the Grim Seminary, but it's a remarkable achievement once complete.

The response is strong, with many noble houses throughout the Isles nudging a member of the family to be among the first seminaries to study at the school, so that their houses can have another claim in support of a great institution. Of course, the response from former thralls who are struggling to return to their old lives is even stronger, and even with the massive size of the Seminary, the thousands upon thousands of responses make it difficult to sort them all into classes, but the Seminary manages. The Faith will most certainly grow, and it will make it possible to spread some of the parishes, and have better trained Seraphs that will make it less likely for there to be spiritual divisions later (with the resulting unpleasantness in heresies and crusades).