This order of priests worship no god in particular but watch the heavens for signs from the beings beyond. Housed in grand cathedrals that are both places of worship and great observatories where the grand cosmos can be witnessed. In the center of study are reproductions and scaled models of great spheres, moving in paths matching that of their celestial partner, in smaller scale though. In this way, the seasons can be measured, the years, months, days, hours and minutes correctly pronounced. Certain conditions of the moons and favorable positions of stars and planets are predicted and discussion and research are the order of each day. Because of the knowledge of the stars and the planets beyond and how they affect or will affect the world the priesthood is consulted by many, from farmers to Kings. Though not a superstitious practice, the priesthood will log auspicious signs, like passing comets, and tie them to the events of the world, that they can watch for those events to repeat for good or to prevent them happening again.
The one major taboo and most punishable act is to forge or change records for favorable or negative result, which is punishable by death or expulsion.
New Submissions
Commenters gain extra XP from Author votes.
Extra bonuses go to those that spend all votes in between refreshes.
2009-04-17 08:34 PM
Link: [5748#71386|text]
2009-04-18 05:38 AM
Link: [5748#71391|text]
b) needs a lot of work - you should flesh it out; better you move this to the "in work" section.
c) A sub should be longer than one paragraph.
2009-04-18 05:42 PM
Also, it is in Request Advice. Try to help.
2009-04-18 11:32 AM
Link: [5748#71393|text]
-Mike
2009-04-18 04:58 PM
Link: [5748#71397|text]
2009-04-18 08:25 PM
Link: [5748#71402|text]
The devices, I'm afraid, need to be researched. You should decide, whether they have telescopes or not (don't have to be very advanced). Either way there will be your intricate models and the far descendants of Stonehenge-like recording of key stellar constellations. You could detect some fantasy additions like magic detectors to recognize the most important events, if it feels appropriate.
Then: Bronsial the Sleepy. An important figure, looks always tired, he famously retires for only one hour a day. Advisor of kings, patient observer and a frequent unofficial speaker of the order, he is all over the place. He resembles a long, slightly wobbling nail, a too large head with the body as an afterthought.
2009-04-19 01:29 PM
Link: [5748#71405|text]
Are they centered in one place or spread around the world?
How many of them are there? Just a handful or hundreds?
How are they identified? Would you recongize on one the street or just know he is a monk.
Perhaps small device instead the huge ones might be useful. Those along the lines of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism
You might have travelling bands of these monks going to observatories like Stonehenge or other standing stones.
Perhaps this order is actually the pawn of an elder god that can only be free of its prison when the right allignment of things in sky occurs.
Perhaps these are the survivors of a religious group that stopped on eof the above. They are constantly checking the night sky for signs that someone else might be releasing something.
2009-04-19 04:40 PM
You have given me some great directions for things I missed