The Burnt Men

Enforcers of fire

The hooded man strode up the temple steps, wreathed in quiet confidence. Two younger men followed in his wake, less confident, their hoods drawn down over their faces.
As he stepped into the temple, a priest scurried to greet him. "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but we're not open for worsh-"
The man drew back his hood, which brought the priest to a spluttering halt. Across the man's face was a twisted scar in the shape of a man's hand. When the man smiled, only half of his mouth moved.
"We're not here for worship." His voice was soft, polite. "Please, show us around."

The Burnt Men are a specialised sect of the Priests of Elian, the Ruler of Fire. They travel around Serukis in groups of two or three, checking in on the temples of the Elemental Monarchs and making sure they are performing to the expected standard.

History

The Burnt Men have existed for over a thousand years. For the first hundred years or so of their existence, they were merely Priests of Elian who took on extra duties. As the number of temples and settlements in Serukis grew, so did the number of Burnt Men. In order to better do their jobs, to be fair and unbiased, they began to separate themselves from their fellow priests.
In 4431 EA, the Temple of the Vigilant Flame was built for them in Whitecastle to use as a base. From there, they have continued their work overseeing the behaviour and leadership of all the temples in Serukis.
After 5139 EA, when Joshuan Rowe exposed the corruption in the Temple of Nereus in Lord's Rock, an even stricter code of conduct was put into place amongst the Burnt Men, so nothing like that would ever be missed again.

Becoming a Burnt Man

Prospective Burnt Men are chosen each year from the young boys who become novices at Temple of Elian all over Serukis. These chosen few are then sent to the Temple of the Vigilant Flame to serve out their term as novices there.
When these boys turn fourteen, they are assessed for their suitability to become Burnt Men. Those who are not suitable are sent to different Temples of Elian to become normal priests. Those that are deemed suitable enter two more years of intense training. During this time, they spend time in temples of the other four Lords to learn what's expected of their priests, as well as their continued study as novices of Elian.
When the boys turn sixteen, they are accepted into the ranks of the Burnt Men during a ceremony known as the Cleansing. During the Cleansing, the boys are branded with a handprint on their face by a priest who carries Elian's power - that is, the elemental power of fire.
After the Cleansing is complete, the boys are considered acolytes. The boys are assigned to mentors in pairs, and they accompany him on his travels across Serukis for the next five years. When they return, as every Burnt Man is expected to do every five years, they are considered fully-fledged Burnt Men. At this point, they may choose to split from their mentor or continue working with him. After ten more years, they are able to become mentors themselves.

Duties

The Burnt Men travel across Serukis, stopping at every settlement along the way and visiting every temple. They talk to the priests there and observe for several days to make sure everything is in order. They also talk to the people living in the settlement to see if they can find out any information the priests are trying to hide from them.
If they uncover wrong-doing in a temple, there are several outcomes. Most commonly, a note is made and the Burnt Men will revisit the temple in a few months, to see if improvements have been made. This is the case for temples who are not running at their best - whether they have too few or too many priests, whether the temple is dirty, or the rituals are not being properly observed each day.

In cases of crime or corruption, the Burnt Men have the power of stripping priests of their power and placing new priests in charge of the temple. In cases where the whole temple is corrupt beyond repair, they will close the temple down and send a message to a nearby temple of the same Lord, with the observation that the settlement needs some new priests.
If a particularly heinous crime is uncovered, the Burnt Men will sentence the offending priest to death. He will burn that night.

by Karl JK Hedin

by Adam Wilson

Hierarchy

The High Priest

The High Priest is in charge of the Temple of the Vigilant Flame. He makes all major decisions relating to the Burnt Men and to the worshipping of Elian.

The Vigilants

The Vigilants are a group of ten priests who stay at the temple at all times. Often, these men are older and have served a lot of time as Burnt Men.
They tend to the Eternal Flame, making sure that it remains burning. Two Vigilants will be guarding the Flame at all times of the day and night.
The Vigilants also lend their knowledge and expertise by helping to train and teach new novices. As they always remain at the temple, the young boys often have the closest relationship to these men.

The Burnt Men

Around a hundred Burnt Men are on active duty at any one time. They spend most of their time away from the temple, carrying out their inspections of other temples and priests.
Burnt Men are expected to return to the Temple of the Vigilant Flame every five years to rest and be rejuvenated.

Acolytes

Acolytes of the Burnt Men are those boys who have gone through the Cleansing. They work with a mentor to continue their education and training to become fully-fledged Burnt Men.

Novices

Novices are split into two distinct groups in the Temple of the Vigilant Flame.
The first group are those who have passed their assessment and are completing further study prior to their Cleansing.
The second group are the younger boys - some as young as five winters - who are just beginning their journey as Priests of Elian. Some of these boys will not become Burnt Men in the end, though each boy is treated as though he will until the day of the assessment.