It would be useful for me to codify the positions that exist within the organisations of the Temples in Eleris, both for my own reference and for any of you who have hopped on over to my wordpress blog to read the first few chapters of my draft.
Service in the Temples was equivalent to service in the public sector in Radiant society. The Temples were responsible for social policy, taxation, safety regulations, formal education, the military et cetera, distributed between the five temples. Emerging from the compulsory education track, graduates so inclined could submit their applications to the Temples for whatever field caught their interest. In exchange for access to what was, often verifiably, the best equipment and resources for research, the Temples required additional duties of their staff.
A breakdown of the ranks within the religious hierarchy is given below, along with their canonical average duration and age, although it is worth noting that the Radiant education system was primarily concerned about mental development than physical development; it was not unusual to find exceptional sparks ascending through the progression far faster than the norm.
Initiate (36 - 37): Fresh out of school, they spend a year learning about the organisation of the temple they are posted to, various responsibilities of prayer and basic exercises of the mind and body, as well as appropriate manners and mores for their temples. They are also introduced to the temple's infrastructure in preparation for their next phase.
Servant (37 - 42): In these five years, a Servant is tasked with the maintenance of temple grounds, from the landscaping, to the architecture, research equipment, dormitories, cleanliness and so on.
Disciple (42 - 114): Shifting away from a rank of responsibility, the Disciples begin a lengthy phase of study. At this stage, they learn about the many years of history and developments of the cultural traditions of the Temples. Religious and philosophical texts and ideas are studied, compared and debated to ensure a complete understanding of each Temple's ethos and how they integrate to form the supporting pillars of Radiant Society. In this phase, mental training is accompanied by physical and magical training, and greater Aleric powers are unlocked for Disciples than for the average populace.
Devotee (114 - 180): Devotees begin to specialise in a certain department of the Temple they are with. They study it in more detail, with more rigour and are subjected to the scrutiny of superiors that comes with perceived ownership. They are often given the menial ends of research work for their departments, and greater magical abilities are unlocked for them.
At this point, the career progression bifurcates. In the story, Lelia is a Senior Devotee, which is one of the two options available to those in Temple service.
Senior Devotee (180+): Those who are content at this level of power and responsibility will choose to remain as quieter, dutiful servants in their respective departments. They may be permanently attached to one Priest as a full time assistant, but they are also granted the freedom to pursue small independent projects. They may stay with the Temple indefinitely and are held to have completed their obligations at the age of 216. Some oversee the younger servants, or serve as substitute teachers for Disciples.
On the other path, there are the ordained ranks, which will progress on to higher positions of management. The first of these are the Acolytes.
Acolyte (180 - 240): An ambitious Devotee must catch the attention of a fully ordained Priest and bid to be chosen as their Acolyte. At this point, the Acolyte receives personal attention and guardianship from the Priest, and is trained in that specific realm of responsibility or interest. Acolytes are also burdened with the responsibility of planning and coordinating for ceremonial events and routine Temple duties. The three most promising Acolytes, in line to replace the High Priest, are specially designated as the First, Second and Third Acolytes.
High Priest (240 - 252): The High Priest is responsible for the overall management and policy decisions of Radiant Society. The five High Priests from the five Temples form the High Council and are at the top of the hierarchy for the active public service. This is a phase of intense societal responsibility and the High Priest often has to put aside any personal pursuits, right from when he was in training as First Acolyte. The term in this office lasts for a duodecade, or twelve years. Once the High Priest steps down, he is accorded priority in the temple above the other priests as recognition of the work he has done. This position is increasingly occupied by younger Priests, as it allows one to bypass the age threshold of 240 that is canonically required for a full Priesthood.
Priest (240/252 - 864): A Priesthood is granted upon an Acolyte reaching the age of 240, or upon the completion of a High Priest's term of twelve years. At this point, Priests are able to lead full research projects, are required to perform or participate in many ceremonial duties for the temple, and full magical autonomy is granted. Of course, they also have the responsibility of teaching the younger generation and possibly having to adopt a personal Acolyte.
Bishop (864 - 1296): A Bishop is exempt from any teaching duties, unless they wish to do so. They are granted the right to pursue what they will, directing Temple departments and research projects, reserving veto power for the Priests under their charge. At this point, most Temple servants will spend their days in poetry, philosophy, theatre, sculpture, worship or language construction, although some choose pursuits considerably more esoteric. They are no longer required or expected to have concerns for the basic functions of the world.
Elder (1296+): Elders are granted no longer required to participate in any duties both temporal or spiritual, absolved from any ceremony or responsibility to the Temple. They, while free to use any of the Temple facilities, are typically more engaged in virtual realities and abstract projects. A sizeable number choose to adopt the post-corporist stance and discard their physical bodies entirely. An Elder may also express interest in joining the Elder Council, though they are largely a dormant political body with most of the work left to the discretion of the High Council.
At any point along this progression, a servant of the Temple may decide to leave to join the private sector, though there will be penalties for those who either do not complete their time as Senior Devotees or as Priests. Furthermore, the ordained ranks will have their magical abilities restricted to those of a Senior Devotee, which may seem quite debilitating to them after centuries of growing accustomed to a high degree of magical sensitivity.
Service in the Temples was equivalent to service in the public sector in Radiant society. The Temples were responsible for social policy, taxation, safety regulations, formal education, the military et cetera, distributed between the five temples. Emerging from the compulsory education track, graduates so inclined could submit their applications to the Temples for whatever field caught their interest. In exchange for access to what was, often verifiably, the best equipment and resources for research, the Temples required additional duties of their staff.
A breakdown of the ranks within the religious hierarchy is given below, along with their canonical average duration and age, although it is worth noting that the Radiant education system was primarily concerned about mental development than physical development; it was not unusual to find exceptional sparks ascending through the progression far faster than the norm.
Initiate (36 - 37): Fresh out of school, they spend a year learning about the organisation of the temple they are posted to, various responsibilities of prayer and basic exercises of the mind and body, as well as appropriate manners and mores for their temples. They are also introduced to the temple's infrastructure in preparation for their next phase.
Servant (37 - 42): In these five years, a Servant is tasked with the maintenance of temple grounds, from the landscaping, to the architecture, research equipment, dormitories, cleanliness and so on.
Disciple (42 - 114): Shifting away from a rank of responsibility, the Disciples begin a lengthy phase of study. At this stage, they learn about the many years of history and developments of the cultural traditions of the Temples. Religious and philosophical texts and ideas are studied, compared and debated to ensure a complete understanding of each Temple's ethos and how they integrate to form the supporting pillars of Radiant Society. In this phase, mental training is accompanied by physical and magical training, and greater Aleric powers are unlocked for Disciples than for the average populace.
Devotee (114 - 180): Devotees begin to specialise in a certain department of the Temple they are with. They study it in more detail, with more rigour and are subjected to the scrutiny of superiors that comes with perceived ownership. They are often given the menial ends of research work for their departments, and greater magical abilities are unlocked for them.
At this point, the career progression bifurcates. In the story, Lelia is a Senior Devotee, which is one of the two options available to those in Temple service.
Senior Devotee (180+): Those who are content at this level of power and responsibility will choose to remain as quieter, dutiful servants in their respective departments. They may be permanently attached to one Priest as a full time assistant, but they are also granted the freedom to pursue small independent projects. They may stay with the Temple indefinitely and are held to have completed their obligations at the age of 216. Some oversee the younger servants, or serve as substitute teachers for Disciples.
On the other path, there are the ordained ranks, which will progress on to higher positions of management. The first of these are the Acolytes.
Acolyte (180 - 240): An ambitious Devotee must catch the attention of a fully ordained Priest and bid to be chosen as their Acolyte. At this point, the Acolyte receives personal attention and guardianship from the Priest, and is trained in that specific realm of responsibility or interest. Acolytes are also burdened with the responsibility of planning and coordinating for ceremonial events and routine Temple duties. The three most promising Acolytes, in line to replace the High Priest, are specially designated as the First, Second and Third Acolytes.
High Priest (240 - 252): The High Priest is responsible for the overall management and policy decisions of Radiant Society. The five High Priests from the five Temples form the High Council and are at the top of the hierarchy for the active public service. This is a phase of intense societal responsibility and the High Priest often has to put aside any personal pursuits, right from when he was in training as First Acolyte. The term in this office lasts for a duodecade, or twelve years. Once the High Priest steps down, he is accorded priority in the temple above the other priests as recognition of the work he has done. This position is increasingly occupied by younger Priests, as it allows one to bypass the age threshold of 240 that is canonically required for a full Priesthood.
Priest (240/252 - 864): A Priesthood is granted upon an Acolyte reaching the age of 240, or upon the completion of a High Priest's term of twelve years. At this point, Priests are able to lead full research projects, are required to perform or participate in many ceremonial duties for the temple, and full magical autonomy is granted. Of course, they also have the responsibility of teaching the younger generation and possibly having to adopt a personal Acolyte.
Bishop (864 - 1296): A Bishop is exempt from any teaching duties, unless they wish to do so. They are granted the right to pursue what they will, directing Temple departments and research projects, reserving veto power for the Priests under their charge. At this point, most Temple servants will spend their days in poetry, philosophy, theatre, sculpture, worship or language construction, although some choose pursuits considerably more esoteric. They are no longer required or expected to have concerns for the basic functions of the world.
Elder (1296+): Elders are granted no longer required to participate in any duties both temporal or spiritual, absolved from any ceremony or responsibility to the Temple. They, while free to use any of the Temple facilities, are typically more engaged in virtual realities and abstract projects. A sizeable number choose to adopt the post-corporist stance and discard their physical bodies entirely. An Elder may also express interest in joining the Elder Council, though they are largely a dormant political body with most of the work left to the discretion of the High Council.
At any point along this progression, a servant of the Temple may decide to leave to join the private sector, though there will be penalties for those who either do not complete their time as Senior Devotees or as Priests. Furthermore, the ordained ranks will have their magical abilities restricted to those of a Senior Devotee, which may seem quite debilitating to them after centuries of growing accustomed to a high degree of magical sensitivity.
