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 Background Profile: The Order of the Ethereal Void |
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Message:
 | composed: 20-12-2021 20:40 |
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I promised you that, post-finals, I'd begin to write about some of the groups, locations, and people located in Ultima 9: Redemption. While many things should remain a secret for the sake of interest, there's something to be said about sharing the world to keep up that interest.
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With the fall of the Fellowship under Batlin, many of the charitable works provided by its members came to an end. Lord British attempted to fill the void by volunteer and government efforts, but with only limited success. At the same time, mages across Britain began to focus on better understanding the Ether to see why it continued to be in disarray. Their scholarly work thus became sporadic, and only a handful of royal academics in conjunction with the monks at Empath Abbey were available to transcribe works.
As Imbalance Storms continued to periodically sweep across sections of Britannia, off-worlders were unexpectedly brought from the other worlds located within Britannia's pocket of the Ether. Among these foreigners were a handful of monks dedicated to understanding all aspects of the Ether--entirely and utterly devoted to expanding knowledge of this all-pervading force. They came to Lord British, holding an audience with him to explain the intent of their organization, the Order of the Ethereal Void. What was discussed is not known, but Lord British agreed to help this Void Priests create a temple on Britannia--the Temple of the Ethereal Void.
As construction of the Temple began, a sect of these monks began to offer many of the same charitable services that the Fellowship once oversaw. Non-denominational workshops and classes were offered to the lay community, meals and construction work to Paws, and scholarly collaborations with those of a similar interest in Britannia. In addition, the Temple began to offer membership to those men and women who were interested in better understanding the workings of the Ether and, by extensions, themselves. With time, the organization came to be seen as pillar of the community and its public members respected and trusted. With the invasion of the Atarkans, the Temple stayed entirely neutral. As their black armies and the mages of The Guardian rolled over Britain, a wide bearth was given to the grand Temple and its members left unharmed. In the wake of the Empire's control of Britain, there is a tentative understanding between the Atarkans and the Temple that is not understood. Suffice it to say, the Atarkans saw the value in keeping this and other Britannian institutions in place to keep the populace reasonably comfortable in their culture.
Regarding the Temple organization itself, a person who joins the organization becomes a Novice of the Order. Novices are typically assistants for research endeavors, scribes, and receive instruction on developing their connection to the Ether. After a span of time (typically a few years), Novices become Acolytes and are given more responsibilities and continue studying the 'basics' of channeling the Ether's power. Finally, when the Acolyte demonstrates sufficient knowledge of the Ether and can illustrate their ability to channel it, he or she speaks with Donovan-Acalephe, one of the master trainers of the Order. He is responsible for assessing the best path for the Acolyte to take in developing their understanding of the Ether. Based on this understanding, he assigns the Acolyte to one of seven groups, called 'cabals.'
The cabals are responsible for conducting almost all of the internal and community business of the organization, through a meeting called the Consilium. Members vote in a parliamentary fashion, though members generally follow the opinion of their cabal's leader. Most members spend the entirety of their tenure as monks (typically their natural life) as cabal members.
The seven cabals are, very briefly, thus:
The Cabal of Sensus: those who focus on the interactions between sentient beings, called Feelers.
The Cabal of Cogitatio: those who focus on the mind and brain, called Scholars.
The Cabal of Aetherius: those who focus on structure and order, called Celestials.
The Cabal of Barathi: those who focus on disorder and chaos, called Infernals.
The Cabal of Daath: those who focus on hidden knowledge within the Ether, called Mad Ones.
The Cabal of Nihil: those who focus on divination and time, called The Uncreated.
The Cabal of Prime: those who focus on the physical world, called Terrestrials.
For those who show determination and zealous dedication to the Temple, cabal members may go on to become leaders of these groups. Alternatively, depending on the cabalist's talents, they may go on to become master summoners, master trainers, master healers, etc. These masters eschew their allegiance to their cabal. In recognition of their high rank and also to distinguish them from the different robe colors of the cabal members, these masters wear red robes. Others in the Order typically call these members 'red robes.'
Finally, depending on the dictates of the Ether, a red robe may go on to occupy the highest rank of the Order. These Void Priests are transformed by the Ether through an undisclosed ritual. These Void Priests are distinctive in that their hood is always lowered, where all that is visible of them is a pair of bright, bewitching gold eyes. These Void Priests are thus called The Flagrantiae, literally those whose eyes burn from within The Void/The Ether and bring its power and knowledge to others through these selected mortal vessels. The Flagrantiae are rarely seen in the lower levels of the Temple and almost never attend the Consilium. They only intervene in the affairs of the Order and direct its course when the Order is directly threatened.
* * *
And that is a general overview of the Order of the Ethereal Void.
Direhaggis
Lead Writer/Editor
2D Art
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| Message:
| composed: 20-12-2021 22:38 |
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Very good (says as he scribbles down ideas for his own neverwritten projects)... just kidding, except for the good part.
I bet Mythran would teach at the temple...
I´m getting home sick...
- The Traveller -
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| Message:
| composed: 20-12-2021 22:57 |
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Kultan
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| | Favourite Ultima: Ultima 7 Black Gate |
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Ahhh finally, something to pore over and think about. Thanks, DH!
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| User Profil |
| Message:
| composed: 20-12-2021 23:30 |
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-Direhaggis- 
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| | Favourite Ultima: Ultima 7 Black Gate |
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Thread Starter 
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I try me best. More to come soon. In the meantime I'm taking full advantage of being on vacation to push hard on working through the main plot.
Direhaggis
Lead Writer/Editor
2D Art
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| Message:
| composed: 21-12-2021 07:03 |
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Inition
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| Favourite Ultima: Ultima Online |
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| User Profil |
| Message:
| composed: 27-12-2021 12:10 |
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Van Hailm
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| Location: Mulhouse, France |
| | Favourite Ultima: Ultima 6 The False Prophet |
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A good question to ask is what kind of relationship do the Atarkan Empire and Temple of Etheral Void share. After all they could be a threat to their temporal power in Britannia. On the other hand they have Cabals... as do the sorcerers of the Empire...
"Spirituality is not blind Faith" ~ Van Hailm ~
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| User Profil |
| Message:
| composed: 27-12-2021 20:23 |
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-Direhaggis-
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| | Favourite Ultima: Ultima 7 Black Gate |
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Thread Starter
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It's a very good question.
The best I can offer is that there is no Order of the Ethereal Void on Atarka, only the Cabal mages. Of course most of the Atarkan populace has never seen a Cabal mage.
During the invasion, the Order made it expressly clear that they were strictly neutral and only performed a set of civil functions. As far as anyone knows and what the Order says, the monks don't strictly practice magic.
So for whatever reason, the Temple was spared and the Atarkans have allowed the Order to continue most of their duties for the populace--which basically include what the Fellowship in Ultima 7: BG used to do.
Direhaggis
Lead Writer/Editor
2D Art
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