The Orderly and Affiliates

Founder/Leader: Order
Established: Unofficially 2000 BCE, officially 1700 CE
Permissions: Restricted (consult Auspice), Open for affiliates
Discussion: Discord Forum

The Orderly are Edeia who closely work with Order. During the Age of Magic, activities were largely focused on organizing and conducting research on Edeia, with Order making contact with other Edeia and began organizing research into their kind. This involved fairly small "research convergences," often involving the same expanding group, where they shared their findings. This group was the first to begin using the term "Edeia," though it would take some time for the term to spread. Throughout the years, a few Edeia would find themselves quite aligned with Order's goals and approach them more directly to discuss plans for the future; some of these became close collaborators, and were the early members of the Orderly before it was official. After 1700, once Order officialized the Orderly, some Edeia would more formally ask to join. 

In the Age of Secrecy, there were mainly two groups: those who work to maintain secrecy, and those who help Order crack the secrets of Edeiology. There were also those who were simply allied/affiliated with the Orderly. One group of affiliates became known as Seekers; these are Edeia who seek out new Edeia to inform them of the contract of secrecy and ask for agreement.

In the transition to Reunion, the Orderly and affiliates began to reach out to governments and other authorities to reveal themselves gradually and collaborate. The Orderly also gave Secrecy Permits under the contract to gradually reveal themselves to mundane society, generally as "hints" — for instance, letting one human or a small group of humans spot them or even film them in the wild before vanishing.

In early Reunion, the Orderly and affiliates worked closely with all sorts of governments to integrate magic into societies, begin research into magitechnology, improve policies, etc. 

In modern Reunion (2030 and after), with the establishment of the supergovernment and the United Council, most of the roles of the Orderly were integrated into the United Council. Many of the Orderly, including those that join in modern Reunion, can be considered permanent consultants. Members of the Orderly may also choose to serve a term as a member of the Council.

Leadership Roles

• Leader: The position held by Order. They prefer to make progress through negotiation and collaboration over force and command; they declined the title of "leader" for a long time, despite several Edeia deferring to them as an authority. They also play all the roles described in the Orderly affiliates subsection. 

• Management: The position held by Data after they joined the Orderly. They handle many administrative affairs and enable ease of collaboration through their fragmentation and parallel processing abilities.

General Roles

• Collaborator: An individual who works closely and/or meets frequently with Order, with their words carrying considerable weight in Order's considerations. 

• Consultant: An individual with less direct contact with Order compared to collaborators, but provides info, opinions, advisement, etc.

Additionally, they may have any of the roles described for the affiliates below.

Orderly Affiliates

The Orderly affiliates are those who align with Order's visions and assist with their goals, though they do not have a particularly close connection or collaboration with Order themself. You can have your Edeia in these roles without consultation.

These are some roles they may have: 

• Seeker: Edeia who seek out new Edeia to inform them of the Contract of Secrecy and ask for agreement during the Age of Secrecy. Those new Edeia could also choose to take that role not long after, as any who agree to the contract can ask for others to agree to it as well. See a list of Seekers here.

• Secrecy Permit: Secrecy permits are permits Order gave under the Contract of Secrecy to allow Edeia and other magical individuals to hint at their existence, such as by allowing themselves to be seen or filmed before vanishing. You do not need to ask permission so long as they would perform well; Order was extremely careful about who was given permits. See a list of those given Secrecy Permits here.

• Research: Those who conduct research on Edeiology, magic, and metaphysics. They may do their research at any time from the Age of Magic to the present days of the Age of Reunion, though in Reunion they often collaborate with ERA. 

• Negotiation: Those who negotiate with groups, societies, and governments as necessary to gain their agreement. In the transition to Secrecy, negotiators convinced Edeia and entire magical societies to agree to the contract. In the transition to Reunion, negotiators secured the cooperation of governments. In the years leading to modern Reunion (2030), they conducted the necessary negotiations to establish the supergovernment. 

• Enforcement: Those who ascribe to Order's principles on the how and why of enforcement and is willing to confront Edeia who oppose Order's goals, whether in Secrecy or Reunion. 

Supergovernment and United Council

Leadership: Changes throughout the years
Established: 2030
Permissions: Open
Discussion: Discord Forum

The supergovernment is an international governing body of reunited society that has some degree of authority over all formerly mundane countries as well as magical societies that joined with reunited society. Order and the Orderly play a notable role as permanent consultants and administrators. Many others, including humans, other mortals, supernatural beings, and Edeia have positions, which are mostly volunteers that pass a qualifying exam (literacy, understanding of current policies, etc.) and then are picked randomly for election.

There are about 50-100 members in the United Council at a time, with a term lasting five years; these terms do not all start and end at the same time and may stagger. You may have any of your characters serving a term in the United Council if you wish. There may also be non-elected participants, such as administrators, consultants, volunteers in less important roles, etc. These may not have time-limited terms. You may have your characters in these roles without consulting Auspice, but if you are unsure whether or not there is a particular role, please ask. 

Divisions

There are all sorts of divisions in the supergovernment, including but not limited to: 

• Public Health: Handles policies that affect the physical and mental wellbeing of citizens. Includes matters of regulating food labeling, measures against contagions, etc. 

• Accessibility: Handles policies as well as research, development, and deployment of magitechnology that can accommodate all sorts of beings who wish to be part of united society. Can include devices that restrict individuals' dangerous elements, requirements for magic contract agreements, and more. 

• Economy: Handles policies that relate to the economy of united society. 

• Integration & Cultural Affairs: Facilitates integration between magical and mundane communities, preserves and promotes cultural heritage of both types of societies, mediates cultural conflicts and misunderstandings, etc. 

• Infrastructure: plans, manages, and maintains public transportation networks, including the teleportation system that links the core cities of united society. Also oversees infrastructure for energy and resource distribution, waste disposal and environmental impact, etc. 

• Registry & Documentation: Handles policies and procedures regarding the Registry, working along with Data. For instance, the ruleset Data follows in regards to creating basic Registry individuals for others was made in this division.  

• Crisis Response: coordinates responses to emergencies such as natural disasters and large Edeia-related incidents.  

• Ethics & Oversight: Reviews policies for ethical implications, monitors use of magical power in governance, investigates abuse of magical authority, and ensures fair treatment of all beings.

Roles

• United Councilmember: A member of the central body of authority in the supergovernment, with a term lasting five years. You may add your Edeia if you feel they are suitable (and would pass the Qualifying Exam); please indicate their term in their Years section - note that it does not need to align with 0s and 5s of years. 

• Administrator: A member who assists with administrative processes of the supergovernment's operations, including management and dissemination of information, recruitment of new supergovernment employees, relations with other sub-governing bodies and societies not part of reunited society, and more. 

• General Employee: An individual who holds a position as a regular employee of the supergovernment. They have all sorts of roles - secretaries, human resource management, minor administrative duties, communications, and more. 

• Consultant: A member of the supergovernment without governing authority, but can advise councilmembers on policies and actions. They can attend council meetings and have smaller meetings with councilmembers. 

• Enforcement: A member of the supergovernment that enforces its policies and laws. Includes Edeia who subdue and contain Edeia on behalf of the supergovernment, non-Edeia who handle more mundane cases, those who work in the intersocietal justice system (investigators, lawyers, judges, etc.), and those who work on a more legal angle (e.g. putting pressure on sub-governments and other organizations). 

• Volunteer: Non-paid volunteers in the supergovernment who might assist with a particular person or fulfill some missing need. (All other positions do receive compensation in credits.) 

Umbris

Leader: █████ (X)
Lifespan: 1475 - 2016
Permissions: Open 

Around 1473 onwards, X began to seek out other Edeia with abilities and dispositions that would be helpful for maintaining Secrecy. Those who agreed to work with X would join what would come to be called Umbris, bound by an anonymous contract that essentially outlines their cooperation while allowing significant leeway in how exactly they plan to maintain secrecy. The contract does not prevent an individual from breaking its terms, but X would be able to know if it occurs. You may have your Edeia join Umbris after a meeting with X without consulting Auspice, but you may consult them if you want more details about the interactions or a proper relationship with X. Communications in Umbris typically happen via one-on-one meetings between members (including X), or via magical messages. X generally handles most of the correspondence with the Orderly and other affiliates, but you may have your Edeia take on a more collaborative role if you wish. 

Once the Age of Secrecy began, X was often wandering the mundane plane in disguise, keeping an eye out and corresponding with their information network, which included humans who were entirely unaware of magic. For the most part, members of Umbris operated independently and only contacted each other when they needed the specific abilities of other members or if an incident was too significant to cover up with their own power. You are welcome to have X come assist your Umbris member with an incident without consulting Auspice, or have X be the one to cover up any other breach of Secrecy in mundane society.

After the Age of Secrecy, Umbris was disbanded. If your Edeia was a member of Umbris, you can mention some light interactions with X, like a letter or a quick check-in, without consulting Auspice. 

Roles

Your Edeia may play multiple roles; not all of these are exclusive. 

• Umbra: Those who work to maintain Secrecy through preventative measures, whether this involves social engineering, preventative magic (i.e. using magic to conceal or disguise a location), locating magical individuals and those who know about magic, and more. The "shadows" that conceal the truth.  

• Ignis: Those who handle covering up breaches of Secrecy that occur, which can involve things like memory alteration, restoration of infrastructure, media control, and more. The "fires" that burn the evidence.

• Anonymous: This can be combined with other roles. Those who are anonymous do not disclose their part in Umbris to others; only X and those they personally inform are aware of their membership. 

• Collaborator: Those who more overtly participate in Umbris, potentially appearing when X confers with the Orderly and affiliates. 

Ideation Academy

Manager: Data
Established: 2020
Permissions: Open
Discussion: Discord Forum

Ideation Academy is comprised of Edeia and other individuals who collaborate and teach others, often within Abstractions. It is not physically based anywhere, but individuals may build their own facilities if they wish. Additionally, existing mundane and magical educational organizations may choose to affiliate or merge with Ideation Academy. 

Ideation Academy is managed by Data; all staff members must first register with Data and have their subjects be approved. All students and staff receive a data-cube.

Roles

The following roles are possible, and one member can have multiple roles: 

• Instructor: Generally, instructors have regular classes with fairly high frequency - around once a week at least, though some might be less often but with longer classes. They usually have a curriculum, lesson plan, or something similar.

• Guest Lecturer: Guest lecturers have a lot more freedom than instructors. They might just give one seminar a year, maybe a few times a year, maybe once every few years. There is no curriculum - they could just have a discussion about a certain topic, for instance.

• Counselor: Counselors for Ideation Academy may help students with mental health, their plans for study, their plans for the future, etc.

• Organizer: Collaborates with other organizers to plan out curricula and create recommended schedules for students.

These are all generally referred to as "staff."

Edeiology Research Associaton (ERA)

Leadership: Changes throughout the years
Established: 2016 (officially)
Permissions: Semi-Open
Discussion: Discord Forum

The Edeiology Research Association, often called the ERA, is an organization that focuses on researching and understanding the nature of Edeia. It oversees several independent groups, but also has its own groups and facilities. One of its main bases is the ERSS, the Edeiology Research Space Station, a base in Earth's orbit that was built around 2030 through the shared efforts of mundane engineers and Edeia. 

Groups that are internally part of the ERA are guaranteed a place in one of ERA's facilities if desired, but the group can also build a new facility or have no physical base (i.e., if they travel considerably for field work). 

Applying to join an ERA group or the central ERA administration is much like applying for a job, with certain individuals handling recruitment and onboarding. It is not competitive since there is plenty of research that can be done and there are resources for the staff, but there are quite stringent qualifications, including higher education and previous research experience. Those who want to lead their own ERA group are usually asked to conduct research in another ERA group first, unless there are no groups suitable for them and they have experience leading a research group in a different organization. There are some cases in which an entire group can merge into the ERA. 

Any member of reunited society can do legal Edeiology research so long as they have the necessary certifications and approvals from ERA, though academic institutions and other organizations may require their own qualifications. Training includes sapient subjects training, magical subjects training, magical objects and materials training, and more. There can be illegal Edeiology research that is done outside the purview of ERA, but joining ERA can bring opportunities for more resources, access to Edeia, funding, collaborations, and more while also helping with ensuring the validity of findings. 

Beyond the ERA, there are independent research groups. They may have their own internal review board (IRB) trained by the ERA; the ERA thus does not directly oversee and approve all legal Edeiology research, but the IRB needs to approve and document research activities according to ERA standards.

The ERA's purview does not include independent researchers and groups of magical society(ies), though these groups may collaborate or affiliate with the ERA or the research groups it regulates. If these independent research groups of magical society want to present their results and/or publish in reunited society, they must be certified by the ERA. 

Leadership and Structure

The ERA is led by a board of 5 core leaders and 8 research division directors. They are selected either by nomination or through an application. 

Certain Edeia may volunteer or apply to become nominators; they are approved by the ERA's board and the supergovernment. They are able to nominate non-Edeia members of mundane/reunited society who would then go through a standardized review and training process if they wish to join the ERA board. Edeia who submit improper nominations will generally be dismissed by the board. 

Others who are not nominated can submit a separate application, which would be reviewed by the board and, optionally, the Edeia nominators. Board members can also submit recommendations; the person in question would then submit an application that would be marked as "recommended by [board member]." 

The core leaders are almost always selected through applications, recommended or not, while research division directors are selected through a mix of nominations and applications. Incoming board leaders will often spend at least a year shadowing and being mentored by the person they are taking over to familiarize themselves with their responsibilities and the culture. 

Each board position is generally held by a non-Edeia individual, though if they Actualize they can keep their position until the end of their term if they wish. Each term is 5 years; this can be renewed once easily, and to no limit with the approval of the rest of the board and supergovernment. 

In addition to the board, other consultants and advisors may be present in board meetings, who may or may not be Edeia. These individuals advise the board on research priorities, magical and mundane law, and more. 

Auspice may make human NPCs to fill some of these roles at certain points in time and they may accept proposals from prominent community members for ERA leadership. However, due to the board's nature of having several positions, all of which are temporary, you may for the most part mention these individuals by their title in character backstories and assume that someone is there. 

Core Leadership

• Board Chair: Oversees overall direction and governance.

• Chief Research Officer: Coordinates research initiatives across departments.

• Chief Administrative Officer: Manages operations, funding, and relations with the supergovernment and other organizations.

• Ethics Director: Oversees research ethics and safety protocols.

• Public Relations Director: Manages communication with both magical and mundane communities

Research Division Directors 

Fundamental Studies

• Director of Actualization Studies: Oversees research on the Actualization process, identification and support of ideated individuals, memory retention/loss patterns, and other areas related to Actualization. 

• Director of Idea Magic Theory: Oversees research on the core mechanics of idea magic, idea development and manifestation, limitations of idea magic, and other topics related to idea magic. 

• Director of Fundamental Metaphysics: Oversees research on the fundamental metaphysics of the world of Ideation, including the nature of souls, the ethereal plane, universal inertia, and matters regarding Firmament. 

Applied Research

• Director of Morphological Studies: Oversees research on Edeia forms and transformations (fusion, fission, Ambideia, etc.), physical manifestation patterns, the relationships between form and power, and other related topics.

• Director of Environmental Impact: Oversees research on the effect of idea magic on spaces, the creation and existence of magical environments, intersections of magical and mundane environments, and other topics of magic and environments. 

• Director of Artifact Studies: Oversees research on objects created or influenced by idea magic and magitechnology development.

Historical & Social Studies

• Director of Historical Research: Oversees research on uncovering and documenting the history of magic, from the beginning of the universe to contemporary history. 

• Director of Social Impact: Oversees research on the integration of Edeia and other magical beings in more mundane settings, the effects of Edeia and their magic on mundane populations, and cultural and sociological studies.

History

During the period of transition from Secrecy to Reunion (2000-2016), many mundane individuals and organizations who learned of magic began to try researching Edeiology and magic on their own. However, with the lack of regulations and resources, these efforts were largely unsuccessful and also sometimes caused harm to others and the environment. The Orderly discovered this and discussed potential measures; Akasha proposed the establishment of a formal research group for involving the mundane, allowing for better regulation of research activities while incorporating mundane society into the realm of magical research. This suggestion was backed by Data and Iota, and the Orderly agreed to work towards establishing what would become the Edeiology Research Association. 

During the negotiations between the Orderly and mundane world leaders, the ERA was thus presented as a way for mundane society to learn more about magic. The world leaders agreed, and the early ERA was established as an organization of primarily mundane individuals—the Orderly and other affiliated Edeia were more of consultants and external collaborators, at first. 

As Reunion came and society went through the tumultuous transition period to integrate the magic and mundane, the early ERA worked to establish regulations and guidelines, put a stop to unethical research, and centralize research efforts and resources. As the organization gained its footing, Edeia who were interested in collaborating with mundane society in research efforts became more deeply involved, and the presence in power of magical individuals in the ERA grew. Like the rest of the changing world, it shifted to an organization of not just mundane society, but of the reunited society. 

With the growing presence of Edeia in the ERA and the growing power of the Orderly, the ERA leaders considered how to plan for the future. Around 2022, they established the nomination system for the ERA, which continued to evolve over time. 

As the years passed by, more independent groups and researchers were acquiring certifications from the ERA, joining the ERA as an affiliate, and/or merging with the ERA as a group. Larger research institutions created Edeiology branches and departments with the ERA, and Edeiology was firmly established as an academic research area in society. By 2035, all above-board Edeiology research in reunited society is documented and under the purview of ERA.

Roles

Roles in the ERA can be as follows: 

• Board Member: A member of the ERA board. Please consult Auspice for this role. 

• Group Leader: A leader of an internal ERA research group. 

• Researcher: One who conducts research as an internal member of ERA. 

• Advisor: An individual, typically an Edeia, who does not carry leadership/authority in ERA but can attend board meetings and research meetings to offer their insight. 

• Affiliate: An individual who leads or is part of a group affiliated with ERA. 

• Nominator: An Edeia who is able to nominate individuals to become part of the ERA leadership. 

United Space Exploration Association (USEA)

Leader: Changes throughout the years
Established: 2061
Permissions: Semi-Open 

The United Space Exploration Association is the center of efforts to explore space, allowing humans and other beings to wander the stars. National space programs were absorbed into USEA, though some still consider themselves part of a subgroup. USEA and those part of it build advanced spacecraft to explore the vast reaches of space. These spacecrafts can be fairly small or very large, and are capable of faster-than-light speed and instantaneous communication using magitechnology. 

Most of space exploration involves researching the characteristics of other objects in space, such as planets, moons, stars, asteroids, etc. It is largely an academic/scientific venture, one to discover the curiosities of space. There are restrictions on building structures, as well; generally, the spacecraft is sufficient to act as a mobile base. Temporary and mobile pods are often used, and orbital bases are sometimes built. Sometimes, they collaborate with ERA or other Edeiology researchers. 

This is a relatively small part of the lore as most important things occur on Earth, but this information is here if you want it. You may freely add your characters to USEA, though they should be qualified. 

Roles

Roles in USEA can be as follows: 

• Leadership: Core leadership of USEA. Not strictly defined, but it is a board of varying size consisting of both Edeia and non-Edeia. Please ask Auspice if you want to propose a character as part of the leadership; it is more flexible compared to ERA.  

• Administrator: One who helps with administrative aspects of USEA, including managing data, assisting with communication, and more. 

• Division Leader: A leader of an internal USEA division. Most of these are leaders of national space exploration programs that merged into USEA, including those of mundane nations and magical societies. They are relatively few, but you can create divisions and division leaders if it makes sense. The Primary Division is the original core USEA division, not coming from the merge of an existing program. 

• Team Leader: A leader of a research team in USEA. Research teams can be based on Earth or they may have a shared USEA vessel that travels through space. 

• Researcher: One who conducts or assists in research as a part of USEA. 

• Sentinel: An individual, typically an Edeia or other being capable of unassisted space travel, who travels alongside USEA vessels to guard and oversee them. 

• Voyager: One who travels into space as part of USEA, who are not also Sentinels. 

• Advisor: An individual who does not personally conduct research as part of USEA, but may advise groups on research and logistics.  

Ritual Worshippers

Leader: Ritual
Established: around 10,000 BCE
Permissions: Semi-Open 

There is something of a cult of Ritual Worshippers, but they are not widely organized and do not have major gatherings. Their existence is not known to the general public, though perhaps there are some theorists out there who believe in their existence. The status tends not to be hereditary and they do not seek to "convert" others, but a parent can share their beliefs with their children if they wish, under a ritual oath of secrecy—where they can only share information to others also under the oath.

Lifestyle

Ritual Worshippers generally continue living their mundane or otherwise typical life. Becoming a Worshipper does not take away their free will and does not consume their way of life. Generally, it involves dedicating some sacrifice of some sort once a year, whether an animal sacrifice, some of their blood, their best home-cooked dish, one of their belongings, etc. The more precious, the stronger their dreams the following year. 

Ritual will give them dreams of rituals to suit their needs and fit their sacrifices, though these are sporadic and generally infrequent. If they have immediate need of a new ritual to solve a problem, they may make a sacrifice and a prayer to Ritual the night before, and a suitable ritual will be given in the dream. 

They are also under an oath to not share anything they learn related to Ritual or rituals unless the recipient is also under an oath of silence. They will be physically prevented from communicating such information. 

Mundane Ritual Worshippers usually do not see Ritual themself—only in dreams. Edeia Ritual Worshippers may occasionally get visits from Ritual, though you must discuss interactions with me. Note that being a Worshipper is not the only way to interact with Ritual directly. 

You may have your character be a Ritual Worshipper without consulting me, though note that it is extremely unlikely for them to Actualize while still continuing to be one. You can ask if you are interested in this occurring, though I may not be keen on it. Ritual will usually strongly encourage departure in their dreams if they sense their "godly potential." 

You can also mention interaction with a Ritual Worshipper without consulting me, but your character would have to take an oath of silence to learn anything from them; their knowledge cannot be freely shared with others. 

Entry and Exit

All Ritual Worshippers undergo a ritual that marks Ritual's eye somewhere on their body; it is only visible to other Worshippers. They may learn how to do this from a dream influenced by Ritual, or from another member.

Ritual only begins influencing dreams of those who strongly believe in their existence and ascribe to their philosophies regarding rituals; they also mostly influence nonmagical individuals. If the individual newly develops an Idea, then Ritual will often appear in a dream and give them a choice to leave and find themself, or stay. 

If they want to leave, they can undergo a cleansing ritual that removes the mark on their body; they have the choice of making the memories associated with Ritual hazy, like a far-off dream, or they can keep the memories under an oath of secrecy. Any memories not associated will remain intact. As a note, they can leave at any time—if they begin to feel the desire to, then they will dream of the cleansing ritual. If they Actualize, the sealing properties of the cleansing ritual weaken and they may remember Ritual on their own, if they want to. Ritual may sense memories returning and appear in a dream or even as themself to restore the rest of the memories if desired. For an in-person visit, please ask me. 

If they do not leave, it is often very difficult for them to Actualize; very few have successfully done so while remaining a Worshipper due to Ritual's powerful influence over them. Upon Actualization, their status as a Worshipper will be lost (due to the metaphysical "cleansing" properties of Actualization), though they will retain their memories as a Worshipper. You must discuss with me if you wish for your Edeia to Actualize without ever being cleansed. 

Edeia may choose to once again take Ritual's mark on their form as a "Worshipper," though they must ask Ritual directly and you must discuss this with me.  This can occur whether they were a former Worshipper that underwent cleansing, they Actualized while still being a Worshipper, or somehow came to know about Ritual Worshippers after Actualization. Generally, this status means that they can share rituals with others (usually under oath), detect other Ritual Worshippers, and continue to receive dreams from Ritual if they enter a dreaming state.