Highguard hearth magic

The household use of bells endures with the belief that the wind carries the breath and words of the departed, and that the bells can speak for those who have no breath or voice. In practical terms, the sound of bells ringing encourages the Highborn to remember the words of dead people who are important or inspirational to them.

For similar reasons, the Highborn hang wind-chimes in their doorways to bring back memories of those they have lost, and the echoes of wisdom from earlier days. Meditating to the sound of wind chimes is said to help to attune one to thoughts of one’s ancestors and prior incarnations, and allow the dead to “speak” to the living through their memories.

Escon is the Highborn Egregore. He (or she) has three primary interests; to embody the Imperial Faith and commitment to Virtue, to promote the martial spirit of Highguard, and to expand the knowledge of the Nation. The spirit encourages competition, but as a means to the end of promoting and encouraging Highborn in the pursuit of excellence, rather than as an end in itself. Most of all, Escon encourages the people of her (or his) Nation to embrace their history and pursue Virtue with every part of their being.

Escon appears very much like a priest, hooded and wearing a robe – sometimes with armour but never with a weapon. Always his (or her) hair is covered, and the lower half of her (or his) face is covered with a thin veil of fine cloth. In all aspects Escon wears a wide sash of braided black and white cloth, and is equally likely to manifest as male or female.

Escon always tries to help people make up their own minds and come to their own conclusions, through careful questioning and encouragement to examine motivations, actions and beliefs. This is not done to demonstrate intellectual superiority, but rather to encourage the Highborn to develop his or her own powers of deductive reasoning. Escon is quite capable of making definitive statements when the situation demands it.