E ada sindo Ranks

Ivore was a light in a darker time for many aki n'di ori. She fought against the weight of tribal dictates that stated those from lesser tribes should bow to the greater, that those of lesser means should bow to those of more, and that the two lesser genders had no place in the martial sphere.
Through her fledgling sindari, she emphasized that empathy and justice should not be the sole purview of the aristocracy while all others suffered. When the e ada sindo broke from the Flame after her death, those ideas formed the basis of their order.

~ Pendarrin, Genophyte of the Iovan Palace School, Soline

E ada sindo Ranks:

by Genophyte Pendarrin

All artwork by Shade Melodique
unless otherwise stated
featured image: biletskiy, Envato

Brief Comment About Catak:

History

When Ivore first created the Kan (trans. the Flame) martial order with Kykini Cede, Flame Dragon of Kassak, she had difficulty attracting aki n'di ori to the art. Not only was she of a lower caste who should not participate in anything war-like, she was a young woman. Families forbade their excited children from joining the strange order (because who would not want to practice an art co-created by a dragon?), and the aristocracy was particularly harsh in their assessments of its viability. When she accepted non-aki n'di ori into the ranks, that added to the dislike.
Ivore found the sentiments frustrating. She had punched against them her entire life, and becoming the Flame Dragon's companion had not changed the prejudice. She had traveled throughout Ay a di galay and witnessed the eagerness in women to join, but knew few would give up their tribes, their families and their friends to join a fledgling sindari.

Women found a way around their tribes and families and joined the Kan practicing at the Glass Volcano in Yerrist so they did not have to follow aki n'di ori strictures. Ivore wanted more women to remain in Ay a di galay, but understood their hesitation, especially that of the reta mi kator.
Reta mi katori (trans. vexing folk) were women who often challenged hierarchy and authority by holding those of means accountable for their terrible acts. Most were shunned, some exiled, and when they heard about Ivore's lean to justice, they traveled to the Glass Volcano to join the new sindari. Ivore, impressed with their drive, formed a sub-order within the Kan and only allowed women to join. These women vowed to uphold justice.
After Ivore passed, a push from outside entities attempted to make the Kan resemble every other sindari. Khethti, Ivore's husband, refused to let her order fall so soon after her death but realized it was only a matter of time before practitioners bowed to pressure and cast aside her teachings.
He spoke with several members of the order, and between them and Navari (his and Ivore's daughter), they prepared a split. After he passed, the sub-order officially broke from the Kan and became the E ada sindo.

The announcement of the new order met with confusion. E ada sindo? Why call the order Justice when all martial orders practiced some form of it? And why could only women join? That irritated aki n'di ori society in general, for, despite past tradition, contemporary martial orders were exclusively male.
The women, however, saw potential. Martial orders originally developed to protect the people and bring justice to those who would otherwise do without (both perpetrators and victims), and they wanted to uphold Ivore's ideals and return to that. An obvious way to emphasize that point was in the rank titles.

Ivore was fourteen when she became Kykini Cede's companion, and twenty-four when they formed the Kan together.
The new sindari rose at a time when the aki n'di ori were going through great societal changes (forming the four mega-tribes from the dozens that existed, hoping that would stave off the Condi menace), and the tribal peoples, looking for stability, turned to ancient cultural mores to counterbalance the new and frightening.
In the end, forcing the 'lesser' of society to bow to the whims of the greater did not create stability, but more strife. This sent even more disenchanted young men and women into the Flame ranks.

Rank Titles

• E ada sindo
• E ada sindo translates into Jonnese as 'Fair Hand'. It means 'Justice'.
  The name is a purposeful choice. Sindo comes from the same Kilchik root as sindari, sindess, which literally means 'hand', but is nearly always used to refer to a fighting hand, one that holds a weapon (or is a weapon itself).
  As they bring justice no matter one's age, social standing, and family and tribal connections, the women see this as apt. Non-followers almost exclusively call any woman of the order by this title, no matter their official in-house designation.


• E su van'di
• E su van'di translates as 'new person', or initiate'. These are members who have not passed the e tori kani tests. Most fall between the ages of six and eighteen, with progression marked by sash color (dark red, yellow, orange, bright red, white, blue, which is the same color scheme Ivore used for the Flame).
  Unlike other orders, there are no age restrictions for initiates. Many women past child-rearing years join as they now have time to devote to the sindari.


• E tori kani
• E tori kani translates as 'dark flame person'. It's a play on the fact Ivore also created the Flame order, but while the Flame walked a bright path, the bringers of justice have a darker one to follow.


• E ada sindo doru an'dikor
• E ada sindo doru an'dikor translates as 'Justice by Weapons', and is the only title to post-date the order's inception. Ancient smiths designed arms to battle twilight creatures during the Dark Wars (summoner-started conflicts spanning 3000 BGI to 1000 AGI), and families passed them down generation after generation. Many women who inherited the weapons joined the e ada sindo and, after retirement, passed them down to others in their family who also joined. In doing so, these swords, axes, knives, spears, etc became symbols of the order, and are now known as e ada sindo weapons.
  Because of the weapons' family and tribal connections and their rarity, e ada sindo doru an'dikor are among the most highly respected members, and often become e nadi and e vedi.


• E nadi
• E nadi translates as 'hardened person'; e ada sindo who bring justice must become hard, to deal with all they see. They are the second-in-command of local kidon. The most honored e nadi is the woman who holds the title for the Dodi on palace kido.


• E vedi
• E vedi translates as 'thoughtful person'. While the order is known for martial prowess, intelligence and the ability to see through deception are critical to their work. They are the commanders of local kidon. The palace e vedi is the woman who oversees the entire order, and while tradition states that the palace e vedi is no more or less important than any other e ada sindo, modern adherents call her kan qi vedo'rin, or Flame of Thought.
  To prevent misunderstandings and denote authority, all e vedi wear a gold sash.


• E ada sindosina
• E ada sindosina translates as 'old justice', not in the sense of age, but in the sense of previous. They have retired from the order, but the aki n'di ori still revere them for their sacrifice during service. Often e ada sindosina become advisors to local officials, religious orders, and guilds.

E ada sindo are detectives who have the discretion to solve problems in any way they see fit.
Historically, they have taken complaints from the community when local guards or leaders refused to act, investigated them, and jailed or executed criminals, depending on the severity of their crime. In modern times, they've taken on crime syndicates (and won), and brought a prince who attacked women to justice.
They are known for their lack of fear and their fierceness in battle. Aki n'di ori respect and revere their strenuous training and other martial orders have incorporated some of their ideas into their own teachings.

The Rakan government gives e ada sindosina a stipend to honor their service. Any who have served, but do not receive a stipend, are looked upon with suspicion because it is assumed they committed some terrible travesty and were driven from the sindari.
Unfortunately, that is not always the case. A woman only needs to offend the 'wrong person' to end up punished in this way. As much as the e ada sindo claim to uphold their past ideals, they, too, are not what they once were.