Ortho: The Beginnings

The son of Didaridin and Alae is a solem power, manifesting most often as a dark haired young man with cold eyes in the robes of a laywer or judge. Of the Lords of Order he is the youngest, not counting the interloper Ina. He rarely expresses any emotion unless he is in the middle of passing judgement on an individual or situation, and is known as a downright joy-killer of a god. He approaches every situation with the logic of a lawyer, and like his father will tolerate no crime - though he defines crime by the law as opposed to his father's moral definition. Tyerusus would judge Didairdin for his past crimes as he would any other but an agreement with Alae (and his own lack of comparative power) prevents this.

The temple of Tyerusus is a place usually found in conjunction with a city courts or law library, and rarely stands out signifgantly from any of those governemental buildings. Temples are usually built of dark polished marble or granite. The temple serves as a meeting place for the judicial representivites, and those in good standing with the Schools of Ethics will often recieve more hospitality than other citizens of Ortho. The temple provides overnight lodgings for laywers, jurors, and others who are in the midst of dispensing justice in accordance with the law.

The clergy of Tyerusus are required to have an understanding of their local laws as well as the ethical philosophies that are involved in creating laws to govern a community, clerics will often spend time lecturing at the local School of Ethics.

There is an ongoing rivalry between the clergy of Tyerusus and that of Didaridin, reflecting the rivalry of the two dieties as Tyerusus belives Didaridin to be a criminal at large. While the clergy of Tyerusus will not go out of it's way to prosecute followers of the Iron Handed, they do tend to closely review their actions. They especifically follow up on those who serve as local law enforcement to ensure that they follow the letter of the law exactly. The temple of Tyerusus also provides it's own security, there is a small sect of the temple dedicated to defending the temple grounds and persuing investigations. They have been known to refuse assistance from Didaridin's followers regardless of the needs of the moment. The temple of Didairdin holds no ill-will towards Tyerusus, if perhaps a little pity.

The temple of Tyerusus has no large celebrations or holidays as such things are considered a waste of time in the dispension of justice. Instead the temple will often hold a small celebration after the successful completion of trials, inviting the attending judge and lawyers of both sides to partake.

History/Relationships:
Tyerusus is the child of the union of Alae and Didaridin, and it has certainly left its mark on him. He holds a fierce hatred for the acts that brought he and his sister into being, and only with the gentle intervention of Alae has this hatred not consumed him entirely. Tyerusus instead has thrown himself headlong into serving his position in the pantheon, much to quiet worry of his parents who care for him regardless of his beliefs.

Dogma:
Time must not be wasted. The crimes of the guilty must be punished. The pleas of the victimized must be answered. Justice must be swift, through, and above all else accurate in its dispension. A victim of the court is a greater victim than any other.

Saeduenical, the bitter, the angry, the wrathful, the paranoid - she has many names but none are whispered openly by their speakers for their own good. The Lord of Watchfulness is the third of the triad of power in the Lords of Order.

She is patron of all operations on Ortho that root out the cause of dissention. She claims responsibility for keeping the weak from succuming to evil, for finding the roots of disharmony and ripping them out, and for burning away the seeds of discontent that bring about traitors. She is an expert at manipulations and at applying the law to her benefit.

Her avatar often takes the form of a dark haired woman, pale, with reddened lips. Reports conflict regarding the source of the red - be it blood or her natural coloration. She dresses conservatively at all times, and holds herself in the most formal and polite manner. She is said to be beautiful if a little cold, and to speak kindly even to those who question her actions.

The temples themselves would be mistaken for jails if it weren't for the face that they are generally too large and too grandly constructed to be so. They are often made of iron and black marble, highly polished. The doors and every window of a temple of Saeduenical is barred, and often locked unless worshippers are coming and going at the time. According to doctrine, this is to protect the goddess from the taint of corruption.

Her clergy are mostly concerned with policing the Harmonium, the Schools of Ethics, the Ortho government and anyone else in a position of power for signs of 'corruption' as they define it. Of course they also look for lawbreakers in the populace, and for the roots of corrupting disharmony amongst the people. Visits with the clergy are uncomfortable for any they suspect of ill-doings, as they will question every detail explained to them in an attempt to reveal the hidden agendas of the guilty.

Clergy members are required to undergo a personal review each year by their highest in the temple. Those who have wavered from the path of the goddess are asked to enter private meditations within the temple grounds to find themselves again. Rumors that the occasional cleric does not return from these meditations are flatly denied. As the temple would say "Confrontations with personal demons have been known to take some amount of time".

The temple of Saeduenical focuses heavily on eradicating the worship of the Lords of Chaos, Kibajij, Chal, and Ghanalim - the three Lords that Saeduenical sees as the greatest threat. When a cleric of Saeduenical speaks of 'evil' in the world, it can be assumed they speak of chaos and the Lords of Chaos.

History/ Relationships:
Saeduenical is a paranoid figure, her vision obscured by her own inner fears. In fact, she most fears her own children Chal and Ghanalim that she brought into the world, and trained. She gave them the knowledge of ruin and murder, destruction and assassination - but she also gave them cause to hate her. As a result it is their agents and their actions that she sees surounding herself in Ortho.

Kibajij she hates more than she fears, as a thief and blames him for the betrayal of their original pantheon. It is her opinion that the Lords of Order have not gone far enough to secure their world against the influnece of Chaos and it's bearers. What it would take to make her feel secure though is unknown.

Dogma:
Everyone has a little bit of evil in them, and therefore all are suspect. Evil must be tapped, like sap from a tree before the roots may be ripped out and removed. It must be guarded against at all times, and sought out to be destroyed in order to protect others. The fight against evil is a greater fight than any other, sacrifices may be called for and should be surrendered as the willing price to pay.

Baelae is one of the younger and weaker members of hte Lords of Order. He is the musician of the Lords, and sets their feet and those of their followers to the beat of music and march. The Dummer is the patron of the organized musical arts - marches, choirs, chants and drumming. He watches over his followers with the practiced eye of a musician, working to keep them inspired and happy within the ranges of his composition. Baelae, with tolerance, will allow his musicians to learn of the less orderly musical and artisitc forms as well in no small part because he believes they should be exposed to the other forms to learn the contrast and what makes his preferred music better. That he can't quite bear to loose all traces of his ex-lover Jislana is not something he will openly admit to any other Lord of Order.

His avatar, when he manifests is often that of a wiry youth with an easy smile and spikey blond hair. He is often seen carrying a small drum or a set of sticks, and is generally dressed in a simplistic bardic tunic. Baelae's avatar can blend in with other musician easily save for one trait that stands out in a crowd. He habitually taps on things in rythmn, generally a complex pattern that one has to listen to for quite some time before it becomes apparent.

Baelae's temple is generally attached to the Bardic colleges such at the College of the Choir, and it's clergy are often found lecturing or tending to the bruises and blisters the musicians gather. The temples may also be found in large cities, or near any central point of government - providing for the nobility or for gorvernmental entertainment needs. Unsually there are also a few small monastaries that are restricted to only clergy or musicians seeking inspiration. These monastaries may be found in some of the most picturesque places on Ortho, overlooking valleys, seascapes, or mountian ranges.

All clergy members are required to understand the basics of musical theory, though they are not required to be performers. The clergy will also provide information regarding jobs and places to stay to bards that come through the area, especially those in favor or graduated from one of the Colleges. If desperate a bard in good standing may ask for a few nights grace under the Lord's roof as well.

Baelae's temple holds a few festivals. The first is Marching Day, when the bards of the land that follow this god will turn to their patrons and work to compose or reinforce their will. This day is the most martial of Baelae's ceremonies as it is in commimeroration of the day that the Pantheon split. Music composed on this day is intended to reinforce or support the spread of Order. A heretic splinter group within the Temple will write an additional song on this day, generally dedicated to themes of lost love or love's betrayal.

The second fesitval that Baelae holds is a weeklong summer event of drumming circles and other musical events. This Week of Song is often held by the Colleges as a time for students to demonstrate their skills, and make a little extra money on the side. Some colleges will even use the week's performances as something of a final exam before graduation. Instrument makers often see this week as their best week of the year to sell their wares.

The temple holds festivals in conjunction with every other temple of the Lords, in addition to their own. Baelae provides the entertainment or background music for each.

History/Relationships
The drummer used to be a mortal bard, and worshipper of Jislana. It is her dancing that he set to music and the rythmns of her body that lit inspiration first in his heart. In her honor he crafted the first drum, and delighted her with the tones he pulled from it. The two became lovers and she set him at her side in the pantheon.

Unfortunately as the years passed, their love matured and then eventually soured. She discovered that he was too slow to change, and reluctant to take the risks she took. He discovered that she was simply too hard to pin down and rely upon. These differences could have been the basis of an understanding between them, as they would temper each others extremes - but instead the two lovers quarrelled. The last time they spoke to each other was when the pantheon split into the Lords of Order and the Lords of Chaos.

Baelae has not taken a lover since that time. It is suspected in the pantheon that he still loves Jislana, and in truth he loves just as much as he hates her. Baelae has not additted this hurt to any of those in the pantheon, not Alae nor Ina.

Dogma
Life follows a rythmn, you just have to be still and listen for it. Set your actions to a seady pace and things will get done, the music will steady your hand and speed your step.

I assume Orthoran Common is a amalgamated language created by and pushed as an intraglobal/interprovincial language by the Harmonium...Are there hundreds of human languages (as on earth, which doesn't have a common language although English might be the closest) or have the provinces pushed a common provincial language with local dialects?...What mother tongue and bonus languages are PCs gonna take...

The Harmonium's Take:
The Fox is the most clever of the Lords of Chaos. He is a tempter and seducer of the innocent and uncorrupted. Kabajij most favors corrupting those in a position of authority into misuse and abuse of their power. He will use deceptive visions to lead his victims astray. Those who fall to the lies of Kabajij may be redeemed, and should be brought to the temple of the Lord of Watchers for redemption.

The Dark:
Kabajij is in fact just as much the trickster the Harmonium claims he is and will target those in authority for his pranks. But generally he targets those who are already abusing their power. He is not a malevolent creature, though the Temple of Saeduenical and Rialondru would say otherwise. He is wise, clever, and generally has the best of intentions for Ortho. He believes the Lords of Order have abused their power to an extent where for the safety of all they need to be removed from the pantheon at risk of stagnating the world.

Dogma:
Live. Laugh. Smile. Dream.

The Harmonium's Take:
The lord of visions is a source of tainted inspiration and insanity. His presence is felt in his influence on the gifted young, and of artists. Lanimin is an open door to insanity for these vulnerable members of society. He is the father and root of lies. He encourages fantasy and reckless abandon - bereft of practicality. His followers swiftly become unstable and irrational bringing harm often to themselves and occasionally to others. A follower of Lanimin will starve before he finds fortune in his art. For their own safety and future security, those who are vulnerable to this Lord of Chaos should receive careful training and tend closely to the traditions of their art. No artist should be abandoned to Lanimin's harsh care.

The Dark:
Lanimin finds inspiration from pain as well as pleasure. Suffering and joy go hand in hand for this god, for without both an artist has nothing to channel his art with. Lanimin is not a comfortable god to follow, as he will allow his worshippers experiences that are not always for their own good. Lanimin dislikes the stagnation that the Lords of Order bring to his art. More so he has built up a great deal of resentment as he has seen many artists, with the skill and inspiration for greatness, be convinced to be little more than 'normal'. For every artist that is convinced to abandon his path by others, be it for his own good or their own comfort, Lanimin tattoos their name upon his skin in remembrance.

Dogma:
Life itself is your inspiration, live it. Do not fear what you see before you, take it within yourself, change it, and give forth a new vision.

The Harmonium's Take:
Chal is a vicious and reckless rabble-rouser. Her followers will often attempt to infiltrate many levels of society in an attempt to destroy civilization from within. She will stop at nothing in her attempts to bring down the Lords of Order, civilized society and the Harmonium itself. Her lies are often found surfacing in the Schools of Ethics, where they are shown for what they truly are. She glories in the destruction of those things that are symbols to Ortho and is responsible for the destruction of the second moon. The temple of Saeduenical will kill clerics of Chal on sight, their souls are long damned and irretrivable.

The Dark:
Chal is the patron of free thought and not all of that thought is comfortable for the Harmonium to be exposed to. Questioning of authority is Chal's role, and she does actually glory in breaking down stagnant societies. Chal believes that a rebirth of society is good, refreshing to Ortho as a whole and necessary for continued existence. She was one of the first to step away from the pantheon of Ortho, believing that the old way was a failure.

Dogma:
What is built up must come down eventually. Questioning authority is not the same thing as destroying authority - both have their place. Take what works, and discard what doesn't.

The Harmonium's Take:
Perversion in it's highest form. She delights in seduction, torture, corruption and sickness. Worshippers of this goddess are sick in the mind, and often in the body, a reflection of their twisted goddess. Her worshippers will freely commit the most horrific of actions - killing and torturing repeatedly, when they aren't out spreading disease and corrupting the underage. The corrupted victims of Namaneil, and the clergy and worshippers of the goddess are often the subject of sinhunter missions. She has a fondness for serial killers and sadists.

The Dark:
The Harmonium is right.

Dogma:
Does it feel good? Do it.