The Order of Imagination
Monk Business
The Order of Imagination is a religious and cultural group dedicated to traditional arts of entertainment and storytelling. It has existed, more-or-less unchanged, for as long as anyone can remember. Monks of the order seek to minimize (and eliminate) all aspects of their lives that may distract from pure artistic expression. To that end, each individual gives up their past identity upon joining the order, all but starting a new life as a monk.
The monk's new identity is determined by a unique pattern painted on an ivory-white mask, which they wear at all times while in public. According to the order, a face unintentionally conveys information that is not at all useful to the art: beauty (or lack thereof), desires, and urges can all distract from the art of the performance, so it must be hidden away.
The pattern on the mask is the expression of its bearer's character. It is so intrinsically linked to the monk that monks will paint the same pattern on a large head-shaped egg, which they carry with them from town to town to put on display in the local temple, a tradition that also helps communicate who's in town (very practical for a group that uses no words). This is a big part of why monks of the order tend to hate imitators: there is so much culture and background behind the scenes that outsiders stick out like sore thumbs, their performances shallow.
Silence is Golden
Each monk takes a very strict vow of silence upon joining the order. Monks will never speak, of course, but you will also never hear them clap, never hear their feet fall, never hear them so much as catch their breath (unless, of course, the monk intends for you to, as a part of their performance). The monk learns to master control over every twitch of a muscle, every prop that they carry with them, every garment that they wear, and even their heartbeats, to create the most perfect performance. Monks tend not to communicate using words. To the Order, there can never be a language that can properly convey the complex combination of of emotions and feelings that a person feels at any given time, or the struggles of their soul. Words, then, can only aid in putting one's feelings in a box and limit expression. There have been some examples of monks who would lower themselves to written communication using words, but the text is often heavy in personality with supremely expressive calligraphy.No Shortcuts
As a rule, monks consider themselves to be above the use and practice of magic. Their traditional art form is so ancient and so real, whereas spells can only hope to replicate it. Their belief is that magic is a crutch, a cop-out for those whose bodies or souls are not adequately prepared to rise up to meet their challenges. Therefore, they believe that magic users are destined to become tired and lazy, their minds growing out-of-sync with their bodies. If a monk plays an instrument or performs some magic trick as part of their performance, you can be assured that there is no magic involved, just years of hard work and practice.We Live in a Society
Of course, like any organization, the Order of Imagination has to exist in the real world, which means interacting with the rest of society. The Order demands much of its monks, and their strict lifestyle very much clashes with basic social norms. To this end, monks will usually have "handlers" following them around, assisting them in their interactions with the rest of the world. The general public tend to have very different reactions to the monks.- Most commonly, people are just generally creeped out by the monks. They are silent, masked individuals who behave completely differently from everyone else.
- Some people just wonder why the monks waste their time developing such precise control over their bodies and minds, just for the purpose of entertainment instead of something "useful".
- Others, presumably, are entertained by the monks, taking it at face value.
