The Order of the Earth’s Prayer

"Once there was nothing but The Lost, a place of swirling chaos and oblivion. In this ever-changing vacuum nothing could or would exist. It was a place of simultaneous chaos and stasis. A place of infinite possibility that existed all at once simultaneously and thus contradicting itself with a lack of purpose born of inperpetuity Yet in this place opposed to meaning, the being Nénar emerged. It asked if anything was possible, could not there be a space with purpose? And so, Nénar, a being of earth crafted from their very body the continent, from their tears the rivers that flow, and from their lips poured beings of consciousness and purpose. In so doing Nénar broke the one convention of the Lost and forever separated themselves from it." - Excerpt from the first tale of Nénar

Devout followers of Elizamism, the Order of the Earth's Prayer is the dominant religious institution of Marsétan and the governing body of the district of Cynórm. They believe that conscious-kind was created by a being known as Nénar. In doing so conscious-kind have ascended out from the Lost and now reside beyond it. The order believes that this gift of life given from Nénar has left in conscious-kind a piece of the being in their consciousness. In death this piece is either returned to Nénar to rejuvenated the land or if the person turns away from them, the piece is cast down into the Lost. Thus, the conversion of conscious-kind to Elizam is a matter of existential concern as the failure to give back to Nénar is seen as directly contributing to calamities such as The Split. For this reason they are aggressive in their spreading of Elizam, often putting them at odds with the other districts of the city.

Structure

The Order of the Earth's Prayer has three main bodies: the clergy, the archivists, and the administrators. Each has their own head, the head minister, the head archivist, and the Head of Administrative Affairs. All three bodies are overseen by the The Grounded One, the head of the order. All three wear robes, often of a cotton-like material, in shades of sand dune beige with reseda green trim. Each body has their own vestments adorned with an additional colour, with the clergy wearing cardinal red, the archivists lavender, and the administration a resolution blue.

The Clergy

The clergy are responsible to tending to the ceremonial responsibilities of the order. This primarily includes operating the various temples of the order, providing basic healing services to citizens, and spreading the influence and stories of Elizamism throughout The Ristarcan Peninsula. Only clerical members of the organization are eligible to ascend into the role of the Grounded One. For this reason the clergy is considered by many the most honorable and prestigious body of the order.

The Archivists

The most rambunctious, rebellious, or independent members of the order often find themselves funneled into archivist roles. The archivists are responsible for organizing and maintaining the Order of the Earth Wind's archives. This is a significant undertaking due to the massive collection of texts and artifacts that are held by the order. In addition many archivists are also responsible for venturing across the city and peninsula to gather and secure additional items for the collection. Rarely called on for official business, the archivist stream is used to continue to benefit from talents that would be unlikely to follow the political and social directives of the order.

The Administrators

As the district of Cynórm has grown up around Cynórm Cathedral, the Order of the Earth's Prayer has stepped into a governance role. The Administrative core handles the governance of the district as well as many of the high level financial components of the order.

Key Roles:
The Grounded One: Aoric
Head Minister: Gilly Fairbairn (she/her)
Head Archivist: Hazaem Brightstone (he/him)
Head of Administrative Affairs: Gaatha Dawnbrace (she/her)

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Related Ranks & Titles

• Head of Administrative Affairs