Alignment: Any neutral
Symbol: Two crossed hammers over a sword
Discipline: Mangled Gear
Oath: Warsmiths enter into the group by crafting an impressive piece of equipment in a display of their skill and dedication and placing it before the masters of the Brotherhood in a show of loyalty. It is at this point that they are tattooed with the mark of the Brotherhood, which is created with an animate needle operating in time with the initiate as he utters the following oath:
The works of an artist should be tools to benefit all entities, never to be confined to a certain side nor nation. It will be my duty to spread the teachings of technological advancement across the world so that artificers will no longer be bound to secrecy by their creed, so that every innovation can be disseminated for the good of all. All beings are worthy to understand innovation, and I will ensure that no creature is deprived of the benefits of mechanical progress.
Allegiance Benefit: Members of the Warsmith Brotherhood gain a +2 bonus on all checks made as part crafting a piece of equipment, and gain a +2 bonus on all checks made to identify equipment. In addition, they may exchange one discipline they have access to for the Mangled Gear discipline. A Warsmith who intentionally keeps secret techniques from the Brotherhood loses the benefits on skill checks. He may re-enter the group and thus regain the benefits by disclosing the secrets he has kept as well as by revealing a new technique he himself has discovered.
Description: Arms races often define conflicts, with all engaged factions constantly attempting to devise new weapons to gain the upper hand. The sciences are often compromised in the name of warfare, the greatest minds of a generation exploited in the name of victory. As a deterrent to this, a group of master weaponsmiths and arcanists met in secret to exchange their most powerful and deadly techniques with each other, giving the others no reason to fear for enemy craftsmen using a technique beyond the others. The lives saved by this organization by averting panic and paranoid escalation are many, but this is far from what the Warsmiths pride themselves on. To the warsmiths, the most important virtue in their work is the spread of knowledge, the sharing of arcane and mechanical techniques so that everyone can benefit from their employ. The mission of the warsmiths is to create a world where technology and magic enable every creature to want for nothing, making all conflict unneeded and thus enabling the advance of the sciences in a sensible, human manner. If reaching this goal means putting themselves in the line of fire, the warsmiths are absolutely willing to wind up in a few fights and deliver some hurt.
Warsmiths are permitted in all but the most extreme societies, for a leader would be foolish not to accept a constant inundation of new technologies. Some warsmiths even fight for their nations on the battlefield, and are widely lauded for their expertise in creating equipment and adapting to dangerous circumstances. However, no warsmith is to keep information from other warsmiths, and will regularly meet to disclose any new discoveries and information which they believe could benefit the cause of the organization. All politics end when two warsmiths meet, and even those on opposite sides of a conflict are expected to put away their grudges to exchange knowledge. The leaders of the warsmiths are the most experienced among them, the craftsmen who have made the greatest discoveries or have endured the greatest hardships in the name of obtaining and sharing knowledge. Their leadership is mostly that of teachers, explaining the values and techniques of the organization to younger recruits. Many of the high council also serve as chroniclers, organizing great libraries of information regarding magic and technology.
Common Tasks: Warsmiths are often expected to collect or smuggle information out of secretive nations so as to balance the playing field. If the warsmith serves a nation, they are asked to disclose whatever their contemporaries are working on. In other cases, these duties may involve going behind enemy lines and collecting intelligence on certain groups. In addition to this, warsmiths are expected to create and discover in their own accord as well, working on experiments either magical or scientific or creating new pieces of equipment which they believe can benefit intelligent life overall. It is also customary for warsmiths to meet with other members whenever the opportunity presents itself, exchanging whatever knowledge they have acquired.
Available Services: As many of the warsmiths are immensely skilled artisans, one can turn to them to acquire powerful equipment and magical gear if they wish to purchase it. The warsmiths do not discriminate as to who they sell to. What’s more, the Warsmith Brotherhood owns many vast libraries of martial, scientific, and magical lore, and is more than willing to share its knowledge with any who possess an inclination to learn.