Guild of Enki

Once upon a time the people of Elaqitan were led by The Flood to the shores of Naharin. They did not know, that it was a whole other world caused by the destruction of the Elaqitan portals and opening a gateway. But after their survival, the realization grew that they had done something terrible - destroying Elaqitan and taking life. With the help of the "Guild of Enki" it was necessary to protect this knowledge from now on and to preserve it at all costs.

The founding of the guild

The oldest known lore of the Guild dates back to the founding of the city of Eridu, which was established shortly after the arrival of humans. After some time, the first settlers sought salvation for their souls and developed the myth about the creation of the world. They devised the first gods and appointed Enki as their creator and city god, whom they wanted to serve from then on.

Coat of Arms on a banner
by Blue Fairy 74 and Midjourney

Coat of arms:

Dark turquoise tortoise with the head of an ibex on the shell in front of a white sailing boat on a light blue background.

Meeting place:
Temple of Enki

"Victorious is the shield of fate that withstands every storm."

Watchword-

Guild Goals

The first priority from the start was secrecy. Certainly, after two or three generations at the latest, it would no longer have been necessary, because no one would have been able to testify to the atrocities of the past. However, about 40 years after the arrival of the first humans, many travelers appeared from Elaqitan who, with their knowledge, could have destroyed everything the first settlers had built.
The people realizing that not all life had been wiped out and not all portals destroyed, which led to another but much more important goal - protecting the portals from within and without.
Under the guise of a mystical branch of Sumerian religion, the Guild sowed many seeds that would later worm their way into people's collective memory and slowly determine the everyday life of Sumerians and subsequent generations and cultures.

Enki

Enki and his symbols
by Blue Fairy 74 - Midjourneycollage

In Sumerian mythology, Enki was the lord of the earth, god of the Abzus (freshwater ocean) and springs, god of wisdom, cunning, arts, secrets and advisor to the gods. He belonged to the Holy Triad alongside An and Enlil.

He helped human survive the deluge and build an "ark". He made the land fertile and administered the divine world forces and world order with the Tablets of Destiny ("Me").

Its signs are the boat, the sea goat (Capricorn), the tortoise and the ram's staff.

Hierarchy and Tasks

High priest by Blue Fairy via Midjourney

High priestess by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

"We are the high priests of our city god and come from a noble family. We are responsible for the supervision of the Sumerian religion and the temple service. At the same time we are the highest advisors to our prince, which allows us to exert considerable influence on his government.
In the guild, the commander of the "Lance of Enki" and the three keepers of the "Sacred Pillars" of our association report to us, whom we have appointed to their duties. It doesn't matter whether it's a man or a woman. However, they must be of royal family or high nobility."

Keeper of advance by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

I am the keeper of advance and I am in charge of the direction of the three masters who are the best in their guilds.

The Master of Invention, the Master of Healing, and the Master of the Builders' Lodge oversee the development of their technologies, always bearing in mind that we are not ahead of our time, as we of Elaqitan have far greater knowledge."

Keeper of mysticism by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

"My task is to supervise the mysticism and the three sages of the legends, the sayings and the writings, which I select from among the priests of our temple.

We create the myths and legends that bear witness to our history and compose the songs and poems for our scriptures and chronicles."

Keeper of Diplomacy by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

"I command the lords of alliance, strategy, and portals, all of humble nobility. We weave the bonds between the city-states and our allies here on Earth through the art of diplomacy and intrigue.

This is the only way we can keep the secret of the portals, their technology and everything that lies behind them in Elaqitan."

Commander wearing a embroidered breastplate
by Blue Fairy 74 and Midjourney

"As commander, it is my job to oversee our two military units. I propose soldiers for the phalanxes, mostly drawn from the gentry or lower classes of society.

The Phalanx of Deception is responsible for espionage and camouflage of all kinds. The fighting phalanx is the toughest fighting force in our military and dares to take on missions where others fail."

The circle of guild members

All keepers, sages, and the commander also have apprentices who are chosen from all ranks of society when they were children. The entry age is usually between 7 and 9 years of age and the pupils have already distinguished themselves in the years before their appointment through extraordinary diligence, fighting spirit or high knowledge. They are trained in the individual pillars or the lance for about ten years according to the required knowledge and can later be promoted to a higher rank.

Sumerian chosen children
by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

Teaching trip to Elaqitan
by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

The inheritance of a guild member
by Blue Fairy via Midjourney

After the end of the training, the best among them are sent through one of the portals to Elaqitan to live there for a year among the humans and to fathom the reason for the keeping of secrets and the outrageousness of magic.

Sure, there are pupils who fall for magic and never come back. But those who make their way back fight even harder to uphold the Guild's goals after their ceremonial appointment as acolytes.

"By the springs of our creator Enki, Lord of Earth, I swear to keep and protect the secret of the portals and their world at all costs.

If I miss, may the gods punish me and my spirit wander restless after my death ."

Oath of the Acolyte-

The identification marks of the guild

Within the guild, the colors red symbolize the military, and the colors green, purple and blue symbolize the pillars of progress, mysticism and diplomacy.

Acolytes receive a tattoo on their left shoulder blade upon appointment, acknowledging their training in one of the three pillars - Tortoise (Dilpomacy), Boat (Advancement), Sea Goath (Mysticism) - or in the Lance.

Sages additionally wear an earring set with gemstones made of jade, rhodolite or lapis lazuli.

Sage of mysticism with sea goat tattoo and earring
by Blue Fairy 74 and Midjourney

Scepter of the High Priests
by Blue Fairy 74 and Midjourney

Keeper are authorized to wear an electrum signet ring of their respective pillar. The sigils are in the form of a boat (advancement), a sea goat (mysticism), or a tortoise (dilpomacy) on a round gemstone base of jade, rhodolite, or lapis lazuli. Additional insignia are council staffs, the heads of which have the same shape as the seal.

Commander receive an electrum pin depicting a sea goat holding a spear. The breastplate of the armor features an embroidered guild crest.

High priests wear a small tiara and a golden staff studded with precious stones. The coat of arms was worked into the pommel of the scepter under an aquamarine.