Order of Theon

 Ring of Theon
Firewood Manor

The Ring of Theon was an occultist organization, cult and philosophical school that operated in pre-Rapture Accorsia starting in 591, Kalpa 6217 up until the Rapture in 784, although they had existed informally underground since 480. Unlike all other organizations labeled as cults by the Union Church, the Ring of Theon was allowed to operate in the open, own land, participate in the Assemblage and have representation in legal proceedings.

The Ring's tolerance by the Church was a direct result in the Ring coming to the Church's aid during the Nightbirth Torments (589-591), when the Cult of the Shivering Sky stole the quintessence and memories of many clergy members by infecting their dreams, in an attempt to beckon the cult's god, Krivibog, into the bodies of the affected clergy members. A joint effort between the Ring and the Church located and disrupted the ritual sites maintained by the Cult, enabling the Morte Legionem to exterminate the cult's members and publicly crucify the ringleader. Among other rewards, the Ring of Theon was granted permission to exist openly from the Imperial government under recommendation of Archpriest Uplifter II.

However, the Ring was no friend to the Church, and scholars from both clashed often in public debate, over the nature of godhood, the role of mortalkind in the universe and the fluctuating borders between occultism and religion.

The Ring maintained several meeting locations, the most notable of which was Firewood Manor in Andalusite, as it was the largest site and allowed the public to enter, with the caveat that if they went anywhere above, below or outside the first floor, the Ring was not responsible for any injury, dismemberment, death, mutation or curses that befell them.
Autumn: The Ring's membership was vast and included many prominent occultist thinkers, including Aleister Crow-ley, Long Reign, Schwartzschaf, Fiello and Marrowlina, among many others. The lay members lived in small communes owned by the Ring of Theon. Although prohibited by Accorsian law, the Ring's leadership subjected these communes to clandestine experiments, but these seldom resulted in harm coming to the subjects. By the last census, conducted in 783, the official total population of the Ring of Theon was 13,400, although estimates regarding the number of members who deliberately concealed their association with the Ring put the number at around 14,100.

The Ring's research was equally philosophical as it was practical, with a focus on prodding at the boundaries of perceived and agreed-upon reality, taking nothing for granted, questioning even, or perhaps especially, the tools of their deconstructionism. Most of their contemporaries in other occultist circles mock them as being too far up their own asses to make any significant findings, the Ring is not without accomplishments. Most notably, Frogbreath, the head of their Synchronicity department, is credited (along with two members of the Church's Oneiromancy department) with discovering Polysema, a colorless, gaslike particle that could turn into any non-mundane substance, such as the sorcery of east Accorsian magic traditions, the aura of the southwestern mystic traditions, and even the maso of northern tribal shamanism.

During meetings, the Ring wore ceremonial silver masks, small conical hats, and comfortable, free-flowing ceremonial robes that reached won just above the wearer's ankles, so as not to get too dirty. Despite the experiments conducted in the communes, Unionist spies report that the Ring's lay members generally lived happy lives under the Ring's protection.
Autumn: Their practices and disciplines included astral projection, alchemy, transmogrification, communion with spirits without the need for spiritual enlightenment as typical of yogic practices, lucid dreaming, astrology, the hunting of ancient relics (often in competition with the Church) and tarot reading.


Ranks (highest to lowest):

Keepers (the inner circle)
Speakers
Recorders
Witnesses
Hunters
Ritualists
Casters
Prentices
Commoners (neutral connotation within Ring society)