The Order of Oculus

Values and Goals

The Order of Oculus is the name of the devout followers of the God of knowledge and history. Instead of typical clerical practices of prayer and offerings the Order of Oculus expresses worship of their God through practice of his values. That is to say instead of Churches they built libraries and communication centers all across Centoria. The also believe in the principle that knowledge is a basic right, and all sentient life deserve to be able to learn from the last, thus their libraries and other buildings are open to any who wish to enter. The goal of the Order is to pursue, collect, and preserve all of history, and so as time continues to move forward their goal will never truly be attainable until life as it is known comes to an end.

History

The Order of Oculus was created centuries ago when the founding member realized the possibility for collecting knowledge in their life times would be easier accomplished as a group than as separate individuals. As their first library was constructed they were referred to by many name until eventually the Order of Oculus stuck. As the years progressed their open door policy and overall charming demeanor lead to an increase in the recruits of the Order and generally in the amount of worshipers of the God of knowledge. They branched out across the continent creating places of worship in every kingdom until they were one of the most well established religions around. The generally shared a friendly relationship with the worshipers of other gods, as they were eager to collect information on other religions and share such information freely. The Order became extremely powerful and remained such for a very long time.
As the Holy Empire rose to power The rising Emperor felt the best way to ensure his power over conquered lands was to destroy, to the best of his ability, all documentation and knowledge of cultural history of the kingdoms he seized, believing that if people could not remember how things were before being united under the Empire then they would be resistant to rebel and return to old ways. Also, in service of the god he worshiped he destroyed all places of worship and texts depicting other gods. Naturally, this put the Holy Empire and the Order of Oculus on opposite sides. While the order was powerful they were not trained for combat as the army of the Holy Empire was and quickly lost ground. Libraries were destroyed and literature burnt. The Order of Oculus was reduced to creating hidden bases and safety locations for their historical records. By the end of the war the Order was diminished to a tenth of their numbers and most of the historical records they held were gone. The Order of Oculus was driven under ground.
In recent history as the Holy Empire is driven back by rebellions and inner conflict the Order has begun to come out of hiding. They have begun tracking down the stashes of information they have hidden over the continent and are in the process of uniting it all in a home base. Burned by recent history they are no longer open about their worship or knowledge. They are secretive and untrusting to outsiders. Instead of open communication the hide spies all over the kingdoms, trying to influence minor regulations to allow them to operate smoother.

Accomplishments

The Order of Oculus has been credited with many accomplishments including but not limited to:

The creation of the first map of the continent to include details of the far off side of the continent

The first written record of all the God, their names, and their tenants.

The first long range form of mechanical communication.

The first translation text between different languages.

A map depicting what animals and plants were capable of growing in specific regions.

Hierarchy

Pupil- Lowest level. New recruits to the order, they are given little to no knowledge about the inner workings of the order. Unprooven and untested they are encouraged to explore the world and document fascinating experiences. A person can be at this level for years, until they are knowledgeable enough to take on responsibility in the order.
Irised- Tasked the the upkeep of buildings and documents, they are trusted to care for the knowledge the order manages to collect. They are also charged with supervision of the scribes and as a middle man so the scribe never discovers the location of a knowledge cash.
Retine- knowledge able in seeking information and caring for documents at this level they are specifically tasked with seeking out specific documents and specific knowledge. They are allowed a voice and a vote during small council meetings. A Retine can petition to join the spy network and collect knowledge and provide influence that way. However when a member becomes a spy they forfeit having say in matters involving the council and several precautions are taken to ensure they could not divulge information regarding the order.
Opticore- This a a position few will hold in the Order. A current Opticore looking to step down will select a Retine and train them. These members are the controlling force of the order, they decide what the Order's movements and goals are and they make decision for with a majority vote that supersede the small consul decision if necessary. They are also charged with the care and upkeep of artifacts and knowledge deemed to dangerous for the rest of the Order to know. There are ever only five Opticore at a time.

"I am a devote Follower of the teachings of my God, to the point of heresy. Knowledge is important, so that we as a people may grow and move forward we must know to never repeat the mistakes of the past. All my life I have worshiped my God and pursued history and that has led me to this moment. Now I know why our God wishes to gather knowledge. Now I know, there are some things even the God of Knowledge cannot be allowed to discover." - Taken from the diary of a newly instated Opticore

Related Professions

• Hawkshaw