8.2.20 The Carnivalis Institute of Jestering
The Carnivalis Institute of Jestering is the foremost academy for madcap mayhem in Sapience. Built upon the Carnivalis family teachings spread to us by the great Silvestri Carnivalis, a man sent forward in time over six hundred years, the simple purpose of the CIJ is to spread the message that there can never be too much humour. All possible methods of entertainment are encouraged from art, literature, the theatre; anything is possible in the mind of a Jester. Upon his arrival, Silvestri was dismayed at the moribund nature of his present surroundings. A former court jester to the Seleucarian Empire, he found no one engaged in the ancient arts. Silvestri founded the Jester guild in 299 AF on the Isle of Delos amongst laymen, setting the standard for the passing of tradition. One century after the founding of the guild, the Carnivalis Institute of Jestering was prepared and thrust into the foreground, a shining example of the levity of all things. The CIJ itself is strictly neutral at all times to further the individuality of its members. A jester may live in any city they wish, worship any deity they wish, or scrap the lot of it and pantomime an epic butterfly war on the side of a highway. The only piety a jester makes is to their house, their mates, and to the ideals of mischief and merriment. No matter the foe, whether they use their acrobatic prowess, the devoutly secret art of mouse education, the mystic arts of the Tarot (given to the Occultists to aid them during the Burning Times), or prank-filled puppets, a jester's greatest enemy is always the tight lipped Greyface, and their greatest weapon is their mind.