The Orders are communities and organisations, often religious or spiritual, characterised by a shared worldview. The best known Orders are massive agglomerations made up of many different factions that strive to achieve a common purpose through dedicating their lives (either fully or partially) to a particular concept or tenet; merging and analogising traditions and theologies in order to be more inclusive.
The modern Orders began as a Domarian-led initiative to unite like-minded faithful despite interplanetary distances and the differences of language and culture. By focusing on common ground and not their disparities, the logic employed was that a fluorescent-skinned nomadic envoy would feel more at home in the metropolis of hirsute dwarves when he learns that they, too, subscribe to the worldview of the Awed Order. Gradually this shifted from mere classifications to an active effort by these communities to document and support each other.
While they do have shared beliefs, there is still variety. Order members accept that deists, theists, agnostics and atheists can still find commonality.
There are hundreds of Orders, often the result of charities and foundations seeking further validation and tax assistance, but the seven largest Orders are listed below in no particular order:
Lightseekers [Glowing Order]: Dedicated to experiencing all that life has to offer. Hedonism tempered with realism, the pursuit of joy and sensory delight.
Sanctum Circle [Contented Order]: They see the universe for what it is; a loving entity to be trusted and admired.
Endless Path [Awed Order]: They see the universe for what it is; a source of endless amazement and astonishment. But they recognise that surprises aren't always pleasant, or enviable.
Wayfarers [Wary Order]: They see the universe for what it is; a series of random obstacles that can only be bested with preparation and resolve. A source of endless distractions that must be overcome.
Void [Despairing Order]: Believers in the purifying power of grief. They accept the uncaring horrors of the universe and face them head on with compassion and acceptance.
A-Paths [Distant Order]: A mostly psionic society who believe that organised psionors, specifically the High Council, should not force their way into the dealings of others. Some renounce their powers, some persist in perpetual inaction and apathy, others wish to bring about an anarchistic future where entities such as the High Council no longer hold any sway over their community.
The Hand [Bloodied Order]: An Order that believes that justice and vengeance are one and the same, and that neither can happen without the righteous passion of their followers. Fire and brimstone, wrath and retribution.
The Vigilance Movement is sometimes considered to be an Order, but with the exception of a few academic theories this is largely meant in a derogatory sense. While it's true that the Vigil was born of mergers similar to those that formed the Orders, its nature as an organisation designed to legitimise bounty hunting is at odds with the philosophical, spiritual, and philanthropic aims of true Orders.
An Order's popularity varies greatly from nation to nation and even from planet to planet, depending on what appeals to the culture's mindset. The Wary Order is popular in the Domarian Territories (at least by comparison with others) whereas the Glowing Order and Contented Order are dominant in Lodori space. In some nations Orders are all but absent, in others they are a way of life and inextricably tied to government.
All Orders have their own extremes and fundamentalists. The best of the Glowing Order will make the last wishes of the incurably ill come true; their worst will squander fortunes on sex and drugs and pleasure sims and excess. The Bloodied Order supplies legal guardians and demands investigation into unjust arrests and persecution… but in their name, zealous mobs have tortured petty criminals to death.
Some Orders are defunct or outlawed, most notably those dedicated to death and nihilism. These tend to be branded cults, separated and alienated from others. The infamous End cult was never recognised as an Order.
Controversially, the High Council itself began life as an Order; the Extrasensory Protection Society.
