The Iverites
The Lake Mekub is common to all the peoples residing on those shores, owned by none but relied upon by all. Connecting the Makuubi to eachother and providing nourishment to many of the settlements on the shores, the lake is central to life. Yet the lake is huge, unknowable, and often dangerous. Trips on the lake can be hundreds of kilometers, and many islands litter the surface of the water.
On these islands often reside Iverite monasteries, often doubling as lighthouses. Among the Marseist Makuubi, it is believed that the sun god's wife is the tides and the moon, and she rules the lake. Unlike her husband, Iver is thought of as bestial and almost mad. The priority of each captain on the lake is to keep the moon goddess' gaze away from them. She is distracted with offerings so that the lake remains placid. The Iverites officiate these rituals, ensuring that Iver remains placid. Particularly important voyages often employ Iverites on board to protect the ship and its passengers from the lake.
As the lake and its islands are not considered the domain of any but the gods, the Iverite monasteries are not subject to the authority of any lord or prince. Their operations are funded by customary tribute from those that sail the lake, and those that fail to offer tribute are subject to Iver's whim and retribution. These politically independent monasteries also make a convenient pressure valve for city politics, as excess sons and daughters or the kin of disgraced nobles can be sent off to the Iverites to live dignified lives as monks of the moon goddess.
Worship
Though Iver is not exactly worshipped, even by the Iverites, the Iverites memorize and conduct many rites to placate the moon goddess. In many cases, the Iverites pray to the father (Marse) or the daughter (Shie) to impart wisdom and calm upon the lake. Particularly well known are the silver plate rituals, in which an offering (often of grains and fruit) is lowered on the surface of the water on a silver plate on a bed of reeds. The time it takes for the plate to overturn or for its contents to be swept into the lake are taken as a sign of the goddess' mood.
Priesthood
There is no central body of Iverites, as each island monastery operates under its own authority with its own head priest. The Iverite hierarchy is further divided into the disciples, the general priesthood, and the venerables. Venerables are those who have served in the monastery for at least 30 years, and the head priest is generally elected from the venerables by a secret ballot of all priests. However, Iverite monasteries are so bound by rules and tradition that head priests rarely make important decisions and are mostly called upon to manage the day-to-day running of the monastery.
Joining the Iverites requires that the prospective disciple arrive to the monastery they wish to join, with a message from a guardian, a village elder, or a prince assuring that the disciple is not guilty of any earthly crime. The joinee must then take an oath to serve the Sun God, renounce their mother and father, and to never serve a prince. These rules safeguard the political neutrality of the monastery, ensuring that the Makuubi princes will neither come to them for favors or to retaliate against a monk for wrongs committed in a past life.
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