Order, or “tor” in the vislae secret tongue, is represented by the thumb of the Testament. In the case of an Apostate, it is not represented in the vertula kada—the object they carry in place of a Testament. Thus, order is the only aspect of a character that not all vislae have. But that distinction is primarily academic, as almost everyone other than Apostates consider “Apostate” to be a designation of their order.
The following is an overview of the four orders of the Invisible Church and Apostates, as well as the game mechanics involved for each. This includes their general philosophy, their relationships with the other orders, other names they might use, an indication of how members earn Joy, the actions needed to attain a new degree, and the abilities they can gain at the various degrees. Since all vislae are at least 1st degree in their order, every character of a particular order has access to the 1st-degree abilities. The higher degrees, however, must be earned.
Each order has a number of facets that define it.
Philosophy and Outlook: Each order, as an organization, has its own schools of thought, dogma, and ways of looking at magic (and the rest of the world).
Relationships: This is a brief overview of how the order interacts with the other orders. Other Names: Some orders and their members have multiple names, either official or colloquial.
Path to Joy: A few suggestions for things that might earn the character Joy. This is not meant to be a limiting list, but rather thought-starters to give players and GMs ideas. Most of these suggestions can be used just one time each.
Path to Despair: A few things that might happen that would give the character Despair. This is not meant to be a limiting list, but rather suggestions to give players and GMs ideas. Most of these suggestions can be used just one time each.
Further, each order’s description details the abilities a member gets at each degree (Apostates, of course, work differently). These include the core expression of magic for each order. For Vances, it is spells. For Makers, it is creating items (relying on a special mechanic called the Maker’s Matrix). For Weavers, it is weaving different magical aggregates like threads to create new effects. For Goetics, it is summoning.
In addition, some orders get skills and other idiosyncratic abilities at each degree. Degree also determines how many ephemera a vislae can bear at a time, and—at higher degrees—how many of these can be incantations you choose rather than incantations granted to you. The former are called conation incantations, while the latter are acquiescent incantations.