Monvesian Culture: Temperamental Orders

Temperamental Philosophy is a major factor of human culture, and orders dedicated to one of its six divisions can be found throughout the human-controlled world--including followers from any race or nationality.  While the Temperamental Orders are not exactly united, the organization within each order follows a similar pattern--and the titles used by them are shared in common.

There are three classes of Temperamental Orders:  Religious, Military, and Arcane.  A religious order may operate solely on its own, but is typically accompanied by a military order.  An arcane order under this tradition does not operate independently, but in tandem with a military or religious order--often both. 

Religious Orders

There are three basic tiers of leadership in the temperamental orders:  Prelates (who govern an order), Ministers (who attend to particular congregations and institutions), and Teachers (who assist ministers and attend to branches of organizations and institutions).  These are almost always clerics--but not all clerics who associate with the Temperamental Orders are part of a religious order (many are part of a military order, see below).

The members of a temperamental order generally bear titles that reflect their sworn temperaments.  Religious titles come from the Notopolitan language, but have come into common use throughout Monvesia.

Prelates are chiefs among their orders:  Aerarch, Hierarch, Hydrarch, Litharch, Necrarch, and Pyrarch.

Ministers are interpreters of mysteries of the temperament: Aerophant, Hierophant, Hydrophant, Lithophant, Necrophant, and Pyrophant.

Epiphanies, manifestations of the mysteries of the universe, are the purview of ministers. Epiphanies from each sphere share a name similar to minister's titles:   Aerophany, Hierophany, Hydrophany, Lithophany, Necrophany, and Pyrophany.

Teachers are initiates who serve as guides in the ways of the temperament.:  Aeragogue, Hieragogue, Hydragogue, Lithagogue, Necragogue, and Pyragogue.  While teachers typically assist ministers or oversee small congregations of the order, some may we wandering proselytes or even chaplains to crusaders.

Below the teachers are the novices of the order.

Where multiple orders operate under a single denomination (such as the Universal an Metropolitan orders), there are other tiers of leadership--all of which are variations on the Prelate:

• The Pontiff at Senar is the supreme head of the five Universal Orders.  The Pontiff is "elected" from the Cardinal Prelates of the five orders to serve a life term.  When elevated to Pontiff, a new Prelate must be appointed to that Order.
• Due to the size of the Universal Orders, each has more than one Prelate.  The leader of each order is, therefore, called a Cardinal Prelate, and the others are Ordinary Prelate.  Each Prelate represents one of the archsaints and folk saints recognized by the Universal Orders.  Only a Prelate of an archsaint may serve as the order's Cardinal Prelate. 
• The Archons of the South and East are the six "Chief Prelates" of the Metropolitan Orders--one for each temperament, presiding over its four orders (one for each archsaint).
• Among the orders of the Akhnaphar (the Order of St. Jostin, the Society of St. Ignatius, and the Reorganized Disciples of Gygar), the most senior Prelate takes the title First (or First Prelate), which is similar in authority to an Archon or Cardinal Prelate.

There are five (or potentially six*) Universal Orders and 24 Metropolitan Orders.  These were once the same 24 Imperial Orders under the leadership of the Archons (called Pontiffs in Cuorria) and a Supreme Pontiff.  At the Second Senary Council, veneration of the Vacuous saints was deemed heretical by the Supreme Pontiff, and the Archons were divided in their opinion on the matter--the result was the division of the organization into two groups of orders.  Those which followed the Supreme Pontiff's rulings were re-organized under the five Universal Orders--making the Supreme Pontiff the only Pontiff.  The remaining orders followed the dissenting Archons; new Archons were elected as needed, and it was agreed to never again elect a "Supreme Archon."

*Officially, there is no "Universal Order of Vacuous Entropy."  This omission led not only to the Great Schism, but also formed the basis of the Disciples of the Lost Sphere--which takes its name from this lack.

Military Orders

Military orders are the crusader branches of any given temperamental order--including paladins and eldritch knights, but open to any class.  Military orders include both the defenders of churches and towers as well as adventurers seeking to further the goals of their temperament/order.

Fighters sworn to the service of a liege are called knights; and the knights of each noble constitute the equivalent of a military order.  

The highest ranking member of any military order is the Marshal.  The Marshal directly serves the liege or elder. Their full titles reflect their particular service:  Knight-Marshal; Avenger-Marshal, Hospitaller-Marshal, Ravager-Marshal, Sentinel-Marshal, Templar-Marshal, and Warden-Marshal.

Locally, the members of an order report to the Commander.  Smaller orders may not have a Marshal, and may instead be led by a Commander.  In temperamental orders, Commanders directly serve a minister.  Their full titles reflect their particular service:  Knight-Commander; Avenger-Commander, Hospitaller-Commander, Ravager-Commander, Sentinel-Commander, Templar-Commander, and Warden-Commander.

The Commander is assisted by Captains--one for each company assigned to a particular task.  In temeperamental orders, captains generally have more authority than teachers.  Their full titles reflect their particular service:  Knight-Captain; Avenger-Captain, Hospitaller-Captain, Ravager-Captain, Sentinel-Captain, Templar-Captain, and Warden-Captain.

The Captain is, in turn, assisted by Companions--who are the military equivalent to teachers.  Below them are the rank-and-file members of the order, called Bachelors.  Their exact ranks/titles follow the same formula above.

In the rare occurance that a knight or crusader becomes removed from his or her formal order, one becomes an Errant (Knight Errant, Hospitaller Errant, Warden Errant, etc.).  Often, this is the result of disgrace and the errant is attempting to regain favor or honor.  Others who have been disfellowshipped welcome the change.  "Errant" carries a smiliar cultural significance as "ronin."

Arcane Orders

Arcane orders are often called Towers or Academies--they are formal schools where wizards and bards can train in their arts.  

The head of an arcane order is typically called an Provost, who works closely with a local Minister and Commander. 

The Provost is assisted by a Docent for each of the wizard schools (including artifice) and bardic colleges available through that order. 

Below the docents are the Lectors, who bear titles based on their Sphere of training: Aeromancer, Artificer, Hieromancer, Hydromancer, Lithomancer, Loremaster, Necromancer, Pyromancer, and Valorist (see "Mages of Monvesia"). These may bear further designations as Adjunct, Associate, Assistant and Full, depending on their overall position in the order. Any magister (or virtuoso, if a bard) may be a lector--regardless of how they were trained.

Students of the order are adepts (or knaves)--many of whom are adventurers who revisit the order to meet with their mentors and be tested. Graduates of the basic program are magisters.

See Also

For more about the Philosophical Temperaments, see:

• Temperaments

For more about the Temperamental Orders and their members, see:

• Priests of Monvesia (Clerics)
• Warriors of Monvesia (Crusaders)
• Human Calendar & Religion

For more about what the Orders venerate, see:

• The Six Spheres
• Ascension in Monvesia (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
• The Akhnaphar
• Saints
• Planar Inhabitants of Monvesia

Edited June 25th, 2016.