When lightning struck the man, turning him to ash and cinder, Sora did not look
surprised. “We must remember,” she told the onlookers, “that even Order stems
from the Gods. It is them we worship.”
—The Torvar, “Sora’s Sermon”
Rigor: Spiritual
Focus: Abstract
Color: Black
Adjective: Soraphic
Overview
The Soraph (followers of Sora) believe that all Order stems from the Gods, and therefor, the greatest good man can achieve is through worship of the pantheon. Devote yourself to the Gods, they believe, and your life and works will be orderly. They are the theologians of the Connovar and work to make certain that Order is not sought for Order's sake alone.
Structure
Soraphic monks take on a variety of vocations as the protectors and interpreters of divine will; some study specific elements of the Torovar, others spread Order through evangelism in small villages and towns, still others investigate miracles, seers and prophets, making determinations about who is indeed touched by the Gods and who is Mad.
Though their interpretations run the gamut from conservative to liberal, they are, as a body, the most traditional of all of the sects and their hierarchy reflects this. The political structure of the sect works from the top down. The Abbot chooses the Prior, and the Prior chooses the three Deans. When the office of the Abbot falls vacant, the Prior automatically rises to fill the post unless all three Deans unanimously vote to bar the ascension. Needless to say, since the Deans are appointed by the Prior, such a vote very rarely occurs. To prevent abuses, the Deans themselves are not allowed to be considered for the position of Abbot in the vote that follows such a veto. When a veto does occur, all monks of the sect vote for the new Abbot from among their own number, with each monk receiving a number of votes equal to their years of service.
The three Soraphic Deans oversee, individually, the following three areas of monastic life: Interpretation of the Torovar, Evangelism and Investigation. The special office of the Soraph is the Inquisitor. The Inquisitor ranks just below the Prior, but is appointed directly by the Abbot (except in the case of the Connovar monastery where the Abbot may be of a different Sect). It is the Inquisitor's job to prosecute violations of the monastic code and enforce penalties on the monks found guilty of such crimes.
Special Vow
In addition to the traditional vows of obedience and poverty, Soraphic monks take a Vow of Diligence.
Rituals
(to be determined)
