Nek-Mo-Tih/Thought-leader

"So, the twelve of you come to the Temple of Chalant, I am Non, I speak for Chalant, and I declare you all unworthy!"
Two of the students lelft.
"I am Non, I speak for Chalant, did you not hear me?"
Two more students left.
"I am Non, I call you down as frauds and imposters, you are fake, not worthy to lead the Tih in battle or in their endless struggle for survival! Leave, before I grow angry!"
None left.
"I am Non, I call upon the rituals, sacred to Chalant since before any of you were born, begone, imposters, leave before I grow irritated!"
Two swayed on their feet, the two females, but they just sat down on their knees, all remaining eight.
"I see you are not intimidated, let us see if any of you can learn, step into the Temple."

Career

Qualifications

To be a Nek-Mo-Tih is an eight-year apprenticeship to three different teachers. First is the lower temple initiate master, then the middle temple initiate master, and then one is summoned to a major temple. The most fortunate are summoned to the four leading temples of Chalant, Traught, Whelmed and Concerted, where they become basicallly political clerks, leading others in thought through religion.

Career Progression

Once one is selected among lower temple initiates, one is selected for progressively harder tasks, testing for eligibility, for ability to perform hard choices, pets, siblings, are all choices that are under great scrutiny until one reaches the middle temple. In the middle temple, one is evaluated on the ability of character: "character is what you are in the dark".

Middle temple initiates are never unobserved, but they usually don't now how well, or how much. After a suitable period, one is called by a sponsor in one of the major/upper temples. To have a sponsor from one of the leading temples is a life changing event, probably equivalent on our earth to getting a full-ride scholarship to the Sorbonne, Tokyo University, MIT, Harvard or the like.

One becomes the creature of one of the four most powerful Nek-Mo-Tih in existence, because each temple can only speak with one voice, so each student chosen by a leading temple is chosen by its leader. Any chosen by a lesser Nek-Mo-Tih is drafted into a lower temple, to prevent confusion.

Payment & Reimbursement

Nek-Mo-Tih do not use money as we understand it, having a communal state of social being.

Each member of the community is contributing to the level it can, and each accepted member of the community's contributions are valued. If one is underperforming, one can be exiled, cast out, but that is extremely rare.

Other Benefits

The four temples are basically the leaders of the Tih, getting around the culturocracy restrictions of the Coalition by restricting their main art form only to initiates of the temples: miming. Their rules for mimes are so intricate, and the mime choreography so intense, they're usually classified with interpretative dance.

To be invited to a presentation of traditional mime by thought leaders is a great honour and privilege, only afforded a few, who are never allowed to forget just how lucky they are. It's usually a medium of exchange: you gained much prestige watching the mimes, now we expect something in return.

Perception

Purpose

The temples provide leadership training. The individual thought leaders provide leadership and their own magic to solve untractable problems. The other Tih provide muscle to implement plans and willing servants to the thought leaders they serve.

Social Status

By design, this replaced the hierarchy of the planet, in 500BK by comparative timelinnes. Around 450AK, the coalition recognized the Nek-Mo-Tih, as mimes, as the dominant Tih art form and the speakers for the rest of the planet, instead of the prior watercolours-based painters.

Demographics

Approximately 1.2% of the population is an initiate of one of temples.

Approximately 0.4% is an initiate of a leading temple. The planet is very sparsely populated, being more of a deathworld than a garden. The temple initiates routinely save the lives of their followers by predicting future monster attacks, and how to avoid them.

Each temple is led by a council of five, whose president is de-facto leader, by personal force of will and influence.

History

Was a controversial religion founded in 800BK, became influential in 500BK, and dominant by 400AK.

Operations

Provided Services

• Keep the most of your followers alive, they can't follow you dead

Dangers & Hazards

• You have to be with your followers to save them, you can be caught by the attack you're trying to save them from.

Type

Religious

Demand

It's built into the hierarchy of the Tih society, with the higher ranks at the top

Legality

A Nek-Mo-Ti's word is law over his followers. They have the power of life and death, that they are extensively trained to use wisely. Culturally there is an ideal of a noble lord, preserving their people and their way of life through magic and wisdom.

Famous in the Field

• Dis Traught