Solar Compendium: Fire

 

  Structure of the Hex Church

“In order to rule without the fear of tyranny or the pain of resistance, the Hex must always be loved, always respected and always feared. This is the rule of this world, all shall be subject to the will of the Hex, all who live shall serve

it, and all who do not shall suffer it.”

-Sistory 895th, anul Hexigree recording 

Upper Hands

Semestral "Hex Council" - This top-tier council consists of 5 members who have served on the Sistory for at least 6 years and are the leading council representatives of the Hex church, at the top of the hierarchy. They are voted democratically and have both spiritual significance as well as ultimate voting power in the organization's decisions. The '6th position vote' is decided by the Sistory as a whole, given the role of one seat respectively. Semestral members are often important political leaders and chosen to represent a single Elemental class system.

Sistory (Upper Hands) - Pronounced "Satori", Collective of all existing Sistori. The Lower Hand collective is the facilitator for sacred holidays, formalizing edicts of the Hex Council, handling budgets and departments within the organization. They're in charge acting as the elite managerial caste for the Hex church, and only outranked by the 5 members of the Semestral Hex Council themselves, who are also members of the Sistory.

Sistori - Pronounced "Sis Story", The equivalent of a Hex Bishop who has extensive knowledge and experience within the church and is permitted to organize multiple regional Exarch's within the hierarchy (Six a Sistory). The Sistory has no concept of gender and all members are referred to as 'Sisters.' Every member of the Sistori has five Archad's underneath them they take under as acolytes. There are hundreds of Sistori at any given time. Promotion to a Sistori requires 6 qualified Archad's who are ready for the promotional stage.

Archad - The third rank in the church hierarchy, each serves under a Sistori. They are the heads of each regional 'hex' and have the ultimate power over their subordinates as well as the leadership of the church. Most develop plans with multiple Pontihexs. While an Archad member is nominally elected by promotion via the Sistory on a 36-year term, in practice the simple majority vote of the Sistory is merely a formality. Almost any clerical Hex member that comes of age with enough experience and reputation and willingness to join is given a go-ahead.

Elder Archad - Informal order of those with seniority within the church who maintain control over the class system, and stress the importance of connections within the Hex. They are normally known for a reputation of political and scholarly minutiae rather than a social forte.

 

Acolyte Archad - Informal for more recent and inexperienced Archad's, fledgling yet active. Acolyte's generally are active with their own studies and communal activity, very rarely are they assigned to the Sistory.

Choir Archad - Informal for Archad's promoted by what's oft called 'Rite of Age’, which means after years and years of inactivity or simply lack of reputation, a lower hand member commits long enough to the church that they 'rank up' by default. Despite being in the elite, Choir Archad's are not ambitious in the church nor are they pursuing their own studies. They can often be known for joining other divisions in helping gardening, research studies, Hexad projects and more modest roles.

Vigilants - Inactive yet experienced members of the church, still in reserve. Sistory may request their rejoin when somber circumstances arise.

 

Lower Hands

The Archivist Division - An organization run by the Hex in charge of informing the hierarchy of past history, documenting and archiving Hex historical documents and records, keeping charge of libraries, archives and scholarly work.

Hexist Textrad - Texadria are members of The Hex who have dedicated themselves to Hex religious study, study of the Hex, the element and how it is expressed within them and even a few (very rare) are even able to channel elements. Many specialize in the healing side, while a minority are involved in research and studying. They are in charge of 'interpreting' rather than archiving, and do extensive work in developing Hexist philosophy and determining the linguistic and metaphysical fundamentals of the Hex. All conceptual truths, utterances and teachings follow from Hexist structures.

Apothecaries - The class of healers, healers' are in charge of keeping Hexes healthy, they are also in charge of managing Hex medicines and their distribution, healing, purification, and other related tasks. Many also engage in research studies and study of Hex texts, their creation, classification and distribution, even other Hex Divisions.

Pontihex - A role designating the organizational content of a single town, or city. Kingdoms in the past would usually have 6 Pontihex's, although most nowadays only feature a single one. They keep in touch with all Exarch's in individual churches and communicate matters to Archad's on what's going on within their region

Exarch - In charge of a congregation or single Hex church (a temple, shrine, local community). Comparable to a preacher or pastor, they're active in promoting their institution alone under the almighty Hex.

Hexads

Hexads – Those who choose a life of Missionary service join the Hexads, committed to proselytization of other faiths and non-Hexist groups. In this way, they are very much a part of the local community, and work in harmony with the Pontihex to reach out as much as possible. Hexads are commonly known for undergoing extensive trips, migrating and organizing the entire socio-political conversion of cultural attitudes towards the Hex. Hexads became one of the most prominent forces in the Hex's history, although they eventually grew to number less overtime after the fall of the Faithless. Many of the Hexad organizations were highly trained and organized to demoralize and destabilize the socio-symbolic edifice of their targets moral constituency, by operating on the flawed workings of foreign social structures, from economic shorthands that lead to poverty, to dissidents against the prevailing governing order. Sometimes, they are made in charge of entire cities and kingdoms, as the case of Vygian came to be. They are extremely well trained in diplomacy, finance and military operations, as well as have a vast and well-organized network of contacts. For the most part, they are very successful in their pursuit of the Hex's goals, in spreading the ideals of the Hex and ensuring the propagation of the Hex Church's ideology. Often referred to as The Hounds of the Hex, they are often seen as almost relentless promoters of its religion.

Holy Book

The Holy Book of the Hex is a collection of writings based on the writings of the Holy Founder, the Prophet herself. The book is divided into six chronicles, and the other 5 come from the other chosen Prophets of the Hex: Maleg, Xistris, Adorakas, Agathys, and the Feaster. The words of the Feaster are written in unreadable tongues, a language no one has ever deciphered. A secondary holy book called the Fawnus Sixus contains the Odes, auto-biographical writings and philosophical musings of the Elken Lord, whom the Night Sisterhood revere. The book acts as the primary basis for their institution.

Wardens

“Every hour is a gift, every beat, a gift, and every movement of the body is a gift.”

-Ward Proverb

The Wake - All Hex followers who archive the status of a Ward or Warden are considered part of The Wake by default. Many members are involved with the Senary Consecration, but not necessarily all. The Wake has for the most part complete independence within the Hex Church onto itself, but keeps a communicative line of The Sistory and Upper Hands to shape its goals and priorities when the demands of the Hex are made known. All members of The Wake, being Wardens naturally have been female throughout history, a gender restriction of ‘Fairer Hex’, not coined as parlance within the Church and Upper hand itself which balances a binary of sexes in its membership. The Wake privileges the recordings of the 5 Prophet as central to their teachings, and makes them a crucial part of Warden instruction.

Senary Consecration - The Lower Hand Council in charge of education for future Wardens, made up entirely of present Wards. Typically led by those who have acted as a Ward Weiss, although not always. The Senary Consecration promotes new literature, encourages the facilitation of School-wide events and manages the staff of Hex Academies. Completing the Pass as a recognized Ward is the only requirement for the Senary Consecration, however not all Wards join for a path in an educational career. Many join various Hex guilds, and some few members go into the Church.

Ward Weiss - A White Warden acts as principal for a Hex Academy and handles disputes, leads other teachers, learns their objectives and goals and generally tries to ensure students and personnel within an Academy are present and thriving. They are regularly engaging in scholarly discussion with other Wards and often the regional Pontihex for communal organization. Any teaching Ward can be promoted to WW by a sustained vote of the majority.

Hexphyte House Alumnis - Fancy and formal term for the association of Wardens-in-training, that is to say the student council representative of students. Provides free trips, meals, housing and numerous services for prospective students. Every academy has a Hexphyte house, which includes a nursing department, greenhouse, counselors and assistants to help out. Weekly rations of clothes, free food and supplies are available from donation and freely given.

 Sectarian Sisterhood - Associated members of the Nite Spectrum whom assist in the Hex Church. Despite following a different tract of belief, 'Sisters' considers themselves kin to all followers of the Hex and will often serve to help wherever they can. Very often security personnel, technicians and facility operators. The Sisterhood helps on every level of the church, from the highest echelons to in guilds and academies. Even in times when the Nite Spectrum and Hex Church have been in conflict, Sisterhood personnel are expected to uphold their duties and loyalty to their Hex handlers.

The Heterodox Church - As the name implies, is an unorthodox denomination within the Hex Church that holds that 'there is nothing above the Church, but that what is done in the name of the Church is not the Church', and holds that faith is what you make it. They are known to be extreme militant and take radical extremes, acting as templars and inquisitors for the Hex Church when required to be, and openly promoting domination and subjugation over ‘lesser faiths’. Although not as large as the Sectarian Sisterhood, the Heterodox’s units are seen as the brute elite enforcers of the Hex.

The Hexology - The Hexogolists have a system in charge of maintaining the natural cycle of the Earth and their relation to it. The Hexology is responsible for enacting Natural changes and keeping the environment within safe parameters. Because of their close relation to nature, the Hexes have an incredible amount of power over their nation's landscape, and can manipulate it for their own benefits. The Hexologists serve the Keepers of Natural Changes

 Keepers of Natural Changes - The Hexology Keeper Department is made of five elementals who have a duty to keep and monitor the planet's changes. The top 5 are: Earth Elementals, Fire Elementals, Water Elementals, Thunder Elementals, and Light Elementals.  The elementals form a council of the highest tier of non-partisan Hex priests, and are selected by their Elementals, and are usually given 10 years to achieve their status and then are re-elected for another 10-year term. The Keepers do not participate in the Sistory or Upperhand affairs but exist as an advisory for their usage.

Kanenoh Hex Academy - In charge of Ward Weiss's students in the Hex Academy. Run with a set of guidelines from the Upperhand and the Senary Consecration. They're considered of a higher standard than schools and they're usually the top of the hierarchy as far as training directly for Council membership within the Church itself. Wards that graduate here can be directly promoted to other roles like the Sistory's as well as the WW's of other wards.

Witchscape Gallery - The uppermost division of Warden licensed Hex believers, Witches are traditionally regarded as having the authority to study and research the 6 elements, and oftentimes are the ones in charge of writing what the Academy teaches or publishing new Ward literature. They're also the highest ranked individuals that engage in magical practice, in fact they're expected to be the top practitioners at magical studies on any level. Nearly all members of Witchscape were at one point Weiss Wardens. In terms of skillset and raw power, they're established as the Elite.

Hex Guilds - Hexist organizations involved in business and unique projects that do not proceed on direct order or instruction from the Upper Hands of the church. Many Wards go on to join guilds rather than go into furthering education. Guilds are more focused on application of the Hex in practical approaches and material terms. They pay respect as a resource for the Sistory to rely on, although maintain independent activities, functioning without the church's guidance.

 

Warden Guilds

Autumnarch - Founded by Warden Ruby Heartstone. A Hexist Guild involved in nature conservation, they focus on natural elements and their influence on physical and magical phenomena in all living things in a global context.

Dendronarch - Hexist Guild that studies other aspects of the environment from the perspective of the Hex, primarily forests, mires, and murky flora. This guild also researches the 'Blessed Oak' and their religious significance in Hex history.

Mecharch - Hexist Guild essential to show an interest in the interaction between the Hex, and science and technology. They demonstrate extensive knowledge of Lattice networks and have long been a champion of technological artistry, cinema, media and Hexist communication technology. They're specialized in focusing on technical knowledge and advancement in the use of the Hex through research and empirical experimentation.

Metropolarch - Hexist Guild that operates in urban areas and applies Hexist principals to the regulation of space and architecture. Skilled in masonry and technical structures, from dams and public plumbing, to bridges, roads, sanitation, housing and means of transportation.

Mithralarch - Hexist Guild focused on the role of the Hex and the magical metals. As opposed to Autumnarch, they focus on the nature of metals and their importance to their physical properties.

Razorwood - Hexist Guild established to deal with political and international relations and are responsible for many aspects of the Hexist movement.

Archeology - The Hex Academy and the Organization for the Preservation and Conservation of the Hex in historical terms. They study the language and contributions of the Santri and the Oohts in ancient society.

Bioratharch - A Hexist research-oriented organization studying how a Hexist's mind affects other minds and bodies in predominantly biological and Biomagical terms. Hyperdevelopments in Lattice Networks are their specialty.

 The Order of the Crimson Blade - A Ward guild concerned with law, justice, executions and the punishment of crimes against the Church. They are infamously located in Mamora and follow the writings of Adorkas, the Prophet of Fire for their extensive beliefs in righteous retribution. Known to be quite adept at tracking down heretics and pursuing targets, tracing crimes and asserting their authority under the Sistory. Traditionally members are made up of Fire elemental Wards, but this is more a way of habit than a hardcoded rule.