Sita Alorum
to protect The Six from blasphemy, as The Six protect us from ourselves
The Sita Alorum stands at the heart of Austurian culture, overseeing the use and misuse of the most powerful natural force in existence: magic.
It is the collective body of the Uma, the center of all magical knowledge, the source of all magical training, and most importantly the protector, and enforcer, of the great Six Books of magic that define and permeate all life in Austur.
Public Agenda
The Sita Alorum's primary purpose is to oversea the administration of The Six, and ensure the devout following of it's doctrine by every human being on Ashvaarya.
The Uma have four major functions within Austur.
education
enforcement
political
social
History
The Uma began as an informal collective of women in the Steel Kingdom before the disolution of the monarchy, and the nation's assession to unification under the Austur Declaration in 550AS.
In the culture of the western mountains before unification, the Uma were only a semi-formal collective of older women who took responsibility for both overseeing magical education amongst the general population, and advising the various Princes, lords, and of course, the Steel King himself.
Though the Steel Kingdom professed to despise the easterners dogged obsession with the seperation of The Six, the Uma quietly and unofficially taught a similar seperation within western culture, purely out of practicality. This meant that when the muada war began and the various human nations and settlements along the River Rothum were forced to unite against their common enemy, the Uma, and the Steel King's chief advisor, the Umkuula, were in a prime position. Though the exact methods are not known, the Umkuula made an arrangement with the Curiya of the Landen Council. If the Umkuula could convince the Steel King to give up his throne and sign the Austur Declaration, the Curiya would in turn grant the Umkuula a power almost equal to his own.
The arrangment was made and kept, and the creation of the Sita Alorum was written in to the foundations of the Austur Declaration.
The Umkuula was retitled Maitr and decreed the most 'blessed mother', and she and her Uma were granted total control and jurisdiction over all magical training and enforcement of The Six, across the whole of the newly united human nation of Austur. As a part of the unification and reorganization of Austur, when the nation was divided into fifteen provinces, with fifteen capitals, a Kuul Okan was built in the heart of each city.
From that point forward, the Uma ensured that every human child was properly trained to control their magical abilities. They were also careful to observe the magical discipline of the guilds to ensure the separation of The Six, and even aided the Mageguard in the investigation of those suspected of blasphemies against The Six. Uma officiated at weddings, funerals, and all major festivals, and of course Umkuula were responsible for the silencing at every capital's Memorium ceremony.
Demography and Population
The Sita Alorum, and it's members, the Uma, is the only officially gendered organization in all of Austurian society.
It was a stipulation from the last Umkuula of the Steel Kingdom upon agreeing to unification, that not only should all Uma be women, but they must also all be grandmothers. Men tended not to be capable of discerning the social nuance needed to enforce and observe the enforcement of The Six, and were not considered nurturing or understanding enough to be effective teachers and confidentes.
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