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I'm curious as to whether or not there are any Oghman-style books, myself. I've been reading the Avatar Series for help with the whole Mystran thang, but are there any for Oghma?

The trial of Cyric the mad or something like that, the followup to Prince of Lies.

I'm fairly certain the 4th Avatar book, The Prince of Lies, has some Oghma in it. Twilight Falling by Paul S. Kemp also has one of Oghma's "Chosen" of sorts, but the book only has a chapter at best with him in it. The Cleric Quintet deals with a Church/Monestary that has the faiths of Oghma and Deneir, but it was also written before alot of the faiths were extremely fleshed out so some pieces of what is said might not make much sense. Such as Priests of Oghma being avid wrestlers.

The Ring of Winter also has a good example of a priest of Oghma within it and some prayers.

Was wondering..how would a priest of Ogma act? Would they be writers, mainly healers, more like bards? Just wondering what the roll of a priest in the Ogman faith is.

(Edit)

They also tend to help and encourage bards. They don't harm or kill any bards, nor stand by idly while another does so (though this is usually practiced by all members of the faith, priests would do it moreso, I think).

Priests of Oghma:

While I don't play one, I have read the Crucible, and Prince of Lies a few dozen times, so I can offer a bit of opinion.

They are seekers of Knowledge, and they preserve it as well. One of the biggest duties of their faith is storing and defending works, so they may be passed on, and never forgotten.

They also quite often act as teachers as well, spreading information to any who wish to seek it. One of the big things that I love about Oghma personally is his neutrality. In a Temple of Oghma you'll find everything from how to save baby kittens, to books on the darkest Necromancy.

He's like Mystra in some ways, whom, while generally a good aligned deity, doesn't care if you use Magic for good or evil, as long as you use magic, and spread it's use to others. Oghma's is very similar.

If you ever have the chance, read Prince of Lies. It offers an INCREDIBLE look into the aspects of faith, as how deities are so focused upon how they see things, they cannot even comprehend most often, how other deities see thier own. Of course, Oghma is the one that figures this out.
*grin*

Just my two cents on the Binder and his priests.

In the Ring of Winter we are given a description of a Oghman priest, as a kind, wise and helpful personage. Its the little things in most novels and application of themes and observances. Take for example the many scholars from various forms of society found in some of the fr books.

Well thank you all. Youve helped me quiet alot!
So basicly they are wise keepers that store the information
and pass it on to inlight others of knowledge?

Well, that's part of it yes.

They are also pillars of the community who keep the status quo and see to the maintenance of balance. Very law abiding and terrific wrestlers.

Of course this is in my own opinion and might vary. I see them this way and they could very well be quite different. What makes a follower the way they are is how they interpret the teachings of their god and the doghma and ethos of their church.

Because I was bored, and this thread was on my mind, AND I just happen to have my FR Campaign Setting book handy....

For your perusal, the portion of the Entry on Oghma that pertains to his church: Please keep in mind that some things have most likely been changed for FK by the creators and admin cause it works better for their game. It's their game, they can do that


The church of Oghma is responsible for the accumulation and distribution of books, scrolls, knowledge, and lore. The clergy consists of cloistered sages and archivists who analyze, file, and copy the temple's archives, as well as travelleing clerics and bards who seek out new knowledge to bring back to the temples. Most temples support themselves by selling maps (never intentionally inaccurate) spell scrolls, and scribework. Oghma's clerics pray for their spells in the morning. Midsummer and Shieldmeet , two days when agreements are made or renewed, are holy days to Oghma.

The churches two daily ceremonies are the Binding, performed in the morning and involving the writing of Oghma's symbols during silent prayer, and the Covenant, an evening service in which works of wisdom, songs, and new knoledge are shared aloud with the deity and present clergy members and worshippers.

History/Relationships: Oghma is an old deity with ties to many other planes. He is served by deities of knowledge, bards, and artifice and is allied with Mystra, Azuth and Lathander. He opposes Talos, Bane, Mask, and Cyric for they seek to corrupt knowledge, destroy it, or hoard it for themselves.

This is the important part

Dogma: Knowledge, particularly the raw knowledge of ideas, is supreme. An idea has no weight, but it can move mountains. The greatest gift of humankind, an idea outweighs anything made by mortal hands. Knowledge is power and must be used with care, but hiding it away from others is never a good thing. Stifle no new ideas, no matter how false and crazed they seem; rather, let them be heard and considered. Never slay a singer, nor stand by as others do so. Spread knowledge wherever it is prudent to do so. Curb and deny falsehoods, rumor, and decietful tales whenever you encounter them. Write or copy lore of great value at least once a year and give it away. Sponsor and teach bards, scribes, and recordkeepers. Spread truth and knowledge so that all folk know more. ENver deliver a message falsely or incompletely. Teach reading and writing to those who ask (if your time permits) and charge no fees for the teaching.

I cut out the parts that weren't pertinent, to focus on it, Hopefully that helps some folks understand Oghma a little better.

Well thanks,
that sure helped me.

Gwain wrote:Very law abiding and terrific wrestlers.

Not necessarily Gwain Oghma's priests are of neutral alignment which means they are in the middle of the spectrum of "Law" and "Chaos".
However they can be of Good or Evil alignment.

Though my post was written little more than a year ago...I've read and seen several examples of Oghma wherin he has attempted to maintain a balance in the world of toril. As of note, I've only described examples that I have seen in both literature and within FK. I was speaking in the sense of a general direction towards god and ethos and not in the sense of the priesthood. Oghma is a dedicated deity that holds to a balance in the world of knowledge and discovery he sees as precious. This is what I mean, Though it was explained with much more detail in Talamar's post following mine and it was well shaped throughout this entire thread. What I mean is that though my earlier response only described a fraction of the wayone should act. In essence I tried to stay in the context of the post which was originally used to provide manywonderful sources through source books and novels to learn about Oghma. I hope this helps.

On a final note, Canon in FR is a strange thing, with the establishment of things evolving as time unviels more, I go with this and learn as much as possible and try to keep an open mind to the subject at hand. Though in all honesty I'm ready to accept stone set canon when it is set down.

I don't mean to offend, I just want to add clarity to my answers on the forum that I had previously submitted.

Wow, I cant beleive no one has mentioned this yet. Or maybe I just havent read close enough.

In the Cleric Quintet, by R.A. Salvatore, Cadderly grows up in a monastary devoted to Oghma and Deneir. You see a wonderful range of priests of Oghma. Especially their pro wrestling abilities.