WIP Sayings, chants, prayers and sermons from the Hammerites.
Chants/Proverbs
- Hammer, anvil, forge and fire, chase away The Hoofed Liar. Roof and doorway, block and beam, chase The Trickster from our dreams.
- Vigilance is our shield, that protects us from our squalid past. Knowledge is our weapon, with which we carve a path to an enlightened future.
- And the word went before him on a breeze carrying our salvation. Here at least is a man with a mind of a general and the heart of a poet, yet also with the hands of a builder. He will lift us up from the earth.
- And the faithful spoke, saying 'Lo, with the scepter of righteousness has justice been forged. If thou wilt hearken to the designs The Builder has made and keep his statutes, thou wilt share in his triumphs.'
- And The Builder said, 'If the foundation is weak, do you wail and gnash your teeth? Do you ask it to repour itself? Nay, you tear it down and begin anew. So shall it be with all My Children, whether they be Stone or Flesh.'
- Know, for though the Hand of The Builder doth still shape man and the world through our actions, there are legion who do not believe and wouldst tear down thy work.
- Know then to beware and combat these breakers, to armor thyself against their blandishments, and to strike through their lies and trickery.
- Because so many now build without consideration for the Master Builder, His mark is no longer upon the life of The City, and the taint of The Trickster will always seek entrance.
- The soul of a single virtuous man hath the worth of ten evil men, for canst not the virtuous man both slay the wicked and preserve his own?
- The hand of The Builder is in the smallest nail, the tiniest gear, if they be worked well. The hand of The Builder is in the tallest tower, the grandest bridge, if they be worked well.
- Those who adorn themselves with gaud and finery do mock The Builder who maketh their forms. An' wilt they regret their choice, when the end comes.
- And when the Trickster came, the man who hadst built his house of straw didst see it fall. And the man who hadst built his house of twigs didst see it fall. But the man who hadst taken care and built his house of stone didst laugh at the Trickster and was rendered immune to his beguilings...
- Thou canst build a chapel with twigs and moss...'tis not right to live in trees or caves...I thank Thee, oh Builder, for showing us the way....
- Wilt thou comest, when He calls? Wilt thou answereth when He requires it? Wilt thou go, and set all aside, that thou might take up His tools?
- Suffer not the thief to live.
- If thou hast a child, and teach him not of truth or of well-made work, then better hadst thou taken thy child and put out his eyes and ears, hath you done him such a great evil.
- And the secrets of the Great Anvil of St. Abrams, who smite the forces of the Trickster in the tens of thousands, were revealed to the worthy, and such is the legacy of the high priest...
- And The Builder said...'Smite thine enemies without mercy, for mercy is but weakness in disguise....'
- 'Tis not enough to read the Precepts. Any fool canst open a book. 'Tis the work of a lifetime to carry out the Precepts, and canst not be done with a single reading.
- And the Trickster with his venomous minions...hordes too numerous to name...but the worst is the human helpers of the Chaotic One...for they alone have the choice...and they have chosen oh so poorly....
- If a beam taketh six nails to place, then six shalt it be. If thou useth five, then be thou a cheap and careless fool. If thou useth seven, then be thou a wastrel with no pride.
- Karras's sin 'twas not his work, for it was well built and didst glory The Builder. Karras's sin 'twas in setting himself in judgment where The Builder hadst not.
- And the scales didst fall away from his eyes, and didst he cry out that he hath seen the light. And took he a hammer, and struck he about him, 'gainst his false friends, calling out to The Builder to save him, and was he saved.
- Measure thou twice, cutteth thou but once. Care in all things shalt save thee from waste and error.
- Glory to the righteous and death to the impious. To all things doth their reward come, and woe betide he whose just reward pleaseth Him not.
- And the man didst stand before The Builder, and didst the Builder ask, 'Wilt thou undergo trial and hazard, for Me?' And didst the man say, 'No, I do not wish pain.' And thus did The Builder slay the man, that he wisht not the pain of a true life.
- Once in a life, it is told, wilt The Builder ask thee for a task. 'Tis the greatest of honors, but, it is told, doth no man recognize the question when it doth come.
- Each year of thy life is the foundation for the next. The man who squanders his youth needs must build his life on a foundation of mud, and then wilt it collapse.
- He who measureth the worth of his life by counting his gold, is he who measureth the worth of a house by counting the grains of sawdust made whilst building it.
- Art thou the hammer, or art thou the nail? From the view of the beam, 'tis all the same. But for the nail, 'tis very different.
Sixth Forger
- Make thou a fortress of thy heart, for thy most valuable treasures art those words given to thee by the Builder.
- Each moment of thy life hath a choice - accept the trial the Builder hath set for thee, or lay down thy burden and die.
Rite of ordination of MasterForger
- A rod of iron, in the flame, is transfigured and is no more. Thou canst never return unchanged from the forge.
Prayers
- When I was cold, Thou taught of hearth and roof-beam. When I was hungry, Thou taught of pot and cauldron. When I was beset by foes, Thou taught of spear and shield. Thy hammer pounds the nail, holds the roof-beam. Thy hammer strikes the iron, shapes the cauldron. Thy hammer in my hand, unto my foes.
- Then didst the Builder lay down His Hammer, and take His Chisel to hand. Smoothed he the rough gem, and shaped it to His will. For each task hath its tool, and every tool, a task.
- If thou hast eyes to see the glory of the Builder, but do not, then pluck them out.
- Lay stone upon stone, pile foe upon foe, ‘til thy Builder's work is done.
- Aid me, Master Builder, in all the things that I must do. Guide me, Master Builder, and for all my days I'll serve you true.
- Builder, let Thy plan take form in me. Builder, let Thy hammer strike me and grant me shape, and wilt I not flinch or cry out. Builder, I submit to Thy forge.
- Thy will shalt be done, Master Builder, in the great things. Thy will shalt be done, Master Builder, in the small things.
- Saint Maximil, watch thou over the blades, that they keepest their edge. Saint Tobias, watch thee over the counterweights, that they never shift. Saint Graimal, watch thee over the boilers, that they burn neither o'er hot nor o'er cold.
- Oh most stern and able Master Builder...who resides above in the great building without flaw, look down upon your humble servants as we endeavor to serve you and uphold your ideals...
- Blessed am I, Builder, that I mayst do the work Thou chooseth me to do. Blessed is the nail that Thou askst me to strike, and blessed is the heathen when he receiveth the grace of my hammer.
- Builder, let my hand strike true. Builder, in the work I do.
- Shield me from the Chaotic One...the Trickster in the woods...who lures the fool and entices with drink and promise of plenty... 'Tis a ruse...and 'tis your soul he's after....
- Let my hand be steady, oh Builder, let my hammer fall in righteousness on the brows of heathens and miscreants, oh great Master Builder....
- Builder lead me against the dark towards the light,
Fire of the forge, water of the chalace, hammer of the god.
Prayer of the Wallbuilder
I am a Wallbuilder. Let my walls endure, from season to season, year to year, and age to age. Let my walls stand, while families toil, armies march, and empires fall. I am a Wallbuilder, and my walls will stand always as a shield against evil. This I pray, that will the Master Builder grant.
Prayer of Consecration
O Master Builder! We ask Thee to bless our brother who hath died in Thy service. Forgive him the transgressions of his living days, and look with favor on his works in Thy name. Plumb and plane, fire and forge, purify his spirit and draw from him all which does not meet Thy plan. Take him to serve with Thee in Thy Home where he may rest in peace eternal.
Hymns
Be ever diligent, For thine enemies are a multitude, And sin never sleeps...
Sermons
- The Trickster's works, such as they are, are made of the unformed stuff of the world, not the proper materials the Builder hath taught. Fire and water, earth and air—these are for the Trickster as brick and beam are to us. But, like their master, they are flawed. His Maw is anchored by raw elements, and therein lies its weakness. Destroy each of its anchors with its opposite, and the Maw must then follow in their wake.
- Ware thee the rock of crystal, the song of doom. The heart of mortal man is weak 'gainst its siren call, and temptation beckons. As nearer thou drawest, the rock waits, until thy heart is close for its strike, and thy fate is sealed.
- Having pledged our honour as shield over Air, we must be mindful. Let it be locked away and safe, but ever in view of the faithful. Future generations are hostage to our care.
- Only the virtuous can withstand The Builder's Trial by Fire...the sinful are consumed.
- Beware the minions of the Trickster, for they revel in chaos. Seek they to undo thy works and subvert thy thoughts.
- The undead are most abhorrent to us. Their flesh is putrid, and the mark of the Trickster is upon them.
- All of the days in the full span of thy life, are but an hour of the Builder's time.