Religion and spiritualism on the Hume continent is sparse but not rare. In fact, on the mid-continent only few don’t believe in the origin stories that The Order spread, but at the same time it didn’t consume the attention of the populace in the same way religion had on earth. It was more just accepted and ignored.

At least, in many places that was true. But in the lands bordering the The Temple Order, that couldn’t be further than the case. The Innate Lands, as it’s known to outsiders is a large swathe of land bordering the marshy coast, it holds not just the Temple Order where the highest of The Calling reside, but the most devote of its believers, and even its hidden training sanctum.

It’s viewed as something of a mixture between cult and utopia to those who know of it, yet its secrecy is maintained enough such that it never shows too much sign of one or the other.

The Order understood the power of rumor, if nothing but wonderful news ever strayed through its border, then inevitably the destitute might overwhelm their gates. It’s better that they were viewed as enigmatic, rather than simply righteous.

The theory was originally suggested by a young oracle who quickly rose to the leading rank of ‘Archus-Ancestor’. And after her passing it was continued by the predecessor who now stood on the pearly dais.

While matriarchal in leadership, The Order isn’t without men entirely. Statistically it would likely count at six to one. Instead of leadership, their role mainly revolves around the training sanctum, as well as the various distribution markets.

If a labor task couldn’t be handled with magic or means, then it was relegated to the men.

While perhaps seeming unfair or strange from an earthly perspective such as yours; the equality was an accepted one in The Order, and even across the Innate lands.

Perhaps the ever-present need, by leadership, to maintain The Orders numbers accounted for some of the acceptance in the other half.

But none would admit to a lustful thought while in the process of their duties, it was simply work like any other.

As one such male made his way from a sealed chamber near the peak of The Temple Order, a sudden appearance nearly sent him skittering to the ground in fright.

Few could express such mastery of control apart from the blind seer. As her dull eyes opened and scanned her new surroundings, she passed her gaze over to the twenty-year-old Sub-Sacristan.

“The Ancestor will want to take her dinner in private tonight,” The old woman told him with a slight smile.

Before the man could even gather a response to the odd statement by the stranger, she had already begun walking away towards the stairway leading to the top-most floor.

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It was not a place he could enter, and if she truly did belong there, then stopping her entry would be one of the worst mistakes he could possibly make. So, he had no choice but to watch the elderly woman calmly ascend the stairway up to the highly secured private quarters of The Order’s matriarch.

Rounding the top of the ornate spiral stair, the blind seer parted a thin veil shrouding the doorway.

“How’s our guest?” The seer asked without even bothering to alert the inhabitant of her arrival.

“Oh,” The thinly gowned woman muttered in suppressed surprise. “You see better than I, why ask it of me?”

“I mean the guest I brought you to watch.” The seer returned with a shake of her head.

Realizing the mistake, the ancestor chuckled with a nod of her head. “The little one is doe-legged but walking now. She’s returned to us, but her complaints are now ceaseless. I have seen through her return, but it’s never followed a clear path.”

“I’ve seen it in different eyes. It will pass as it needs. Don’t slow her escape once the winds blow west.”

“I see.” The ancestor stated with a slight bow in her head.

“Good,”

“Regarding the Gaurdian Heir…”

“It’s seeing to itself.” The seer simply put to assure the woman. “The flow has changed, you should begin to see the ripples soon.”

“I don’t like leaving it to chance like that. It would safer here if…”

“Remember yourself at the age, selfish, righteous, all-knowing. If she wishes to steer the ship with a salad bowl, why stop her.” The seer reasoned with a shrug. “No outcomes stray from the path.”

“If you speak it.” The ancestor returned with an uneasy chomp at her lip.

She wasn’t so willing to leave strings untied, perhaps the blind seer was right, and the winds will tangle them sufficiently but The Order preferred acting rather than simply waiting.

The two were sides of a coin. The Order harnessed its visions primarily to act, while the ‘Wild Seers’ who were less associated with The Order were more interested in simply watching and weaving.

They say the difference between ‘a Seer’ and ‘an Oracle’ is overconfidence. But don’t say it around one, they tend to have trouble figuring out who it’s supposed to insult.

“Is your side prepared for the conference?” The blind seer asked as an oracle arrived with a pair of platters stacked with food.

“Mhm,” The ancestor chewed out with a nod between bites of thick bread. “We considered marching via Hiritis, but King Chur and the Gortint’s weren’t very receptive of opening their gates, even to us.”

Shaking her head to herself, the blind Seer stifled a chuckle. “I can’t see it, so you must not have been too serious about the idea.”

“I know. But imagine,” The ancestor chuckled, waving a heel of bread with crystals glimmering at the corners of her eyes. “The Orderly Crusade marching directly through imperial mud. The old men would be rolling in their graves.”

“But you’ll go via Kinsig Harbor instead?”

“Mhm,” The ancestor again nodded after wiping her eyes and replacing her breadcrust to the tray set beside her chair. “We reached an agreement with Prince Haritig to lease two dozen ships for the year with option to continue. We will send four thousand Crusaders and a thousand will come from the prince’s troop.”

“Good,”

“Will you have involvement?” The ancestor asked, unsure what exactly the Blind Seer was plotting in regard to the once in a lifetime conference. Both had clear objectives that, in this case, coincided. Or so she believed, but she still couldn’t see through the old woman in the same way she couldn’t with her successor.

The Blind Seer smirked at the question and her stormy eyes roared with life.

“I will have voice.”