The Order of the Four
The near-human species native to the moon Dokiri refer to themselves as the Children of the Four Aeons. Their oral storytelling history teaches them that thousands of years ago, they were four great tribes constantly at war over the resources and safety of Megatama Valley until God traveled to the planet and revealed to them a great universal truth—each of the gods the clans worshipped were but different aspects of the same being, and so it was for many religions across the stars. God spent one lunar year with the tribes, imparting upon them his teachings and how to balance both the Light and Dark sides of the Force.
After their God departed, the tribes built a new syncretic society with the foundations of the monastic Order of the Four, which shared the philosophies and teachings of Luminara the Healer, Crath the Wizard, Amater the Shepherd, and Amortis the Judge. They believe each aspect of their god represents a period of time in a person's life and how they should live during that time. When a person is a child, they revere the child-god Luminara and learn how to treat the sick, heal the wounded, and care for the dying. When a person becomes a young adult, they follow the way of Crath the Wizard, pursuing secrets of the Force, the knowledge of science, and adventure with reckless abandon. When a person grows older and wiser, they settle into the path of Amater the Shepherd, where they begin families of their own and learn to care for the land and the revered herd animals they call the woozeersu. And when a person's children reach the path of the Shepherd, the parent spends the rest of their life in service to Amortis the Judge, playing part of a council that passes down edicts, tries crimes, and leads society—charged to balance the wisdom of age with unyielding fierceness.
Lifestyle. The Dokiri natives became a spacefaring civilization four hundred years ago. Some young members of their society allow the path of Crath the Wizard to lead them on a brief pilgrimage to experience the wonders of the galaxy, often returning with new technologies and knowledge to teach others. During the last atmospheric Lunar Conjunction, a handful of monks from the Order traveled to the Mahina Isles on Dokiri's sister moon, where they began sharing their history and philosophy with island residents.
Otherwise, most of the Children's population of several thousand study in monasteries or travel nomadically through Megatama Valley and the tunnel systems beneath the Kodokushi Mountains. Each monastery is a large ancient structure built to revere one of their God's four aspects and led by Brother and Sister Monks. The monasteries can house several hundred people and feature a subterranean catacomb where the Children conduct secret Force rituals and bury those of their society that died during the period of their life that corresponds with the monastery's purpose.
The monastery monks sing and play instruments at specific daily times, and their music echoes through the canyon. This musical ritual is meant to symbolize the passage of a lifetime within a single day, and each song utilizes a different instrument made from local resources.
Law and Leadership. The natives' society is led by the Brothers and Sisters of the Judge, old monks who reside at the Monastery of the Judge. The Children follow the Oaths of the Judge, a series of laws and proverbs meant to guide society with ancient wisdom and honor. The Children live in harmony with the new settlers of Megatama. Many outsiders have joined the religion in the past several decades, and some settlements have built temples revering one or more aspects of the Four. Because the settlers agreed to take the Oaths of the Judge, the Order's laws have become theirs too.
The most prominent Oaths of the Judge that affect peoples' lives in Megatama Valley include the following:
- In Megatama, no one is above the Oaths of the Judge once they have sworn them. The only groups that refused to swear the Oaths are the Spice Runners of Kijimi and the isolated Wookie clan Zaalbacc.
- Honor is greater than currency. While each monastery, clan, and house decides its own definition of honor, an individual's worth is measured by how they honor or dishonor themselves and the community in which they currently reside.
- Both the Light Side and the Dark Side of the Force should be used, in balance, to serve communities and uphold their ideals of honor and law.
- Environmentally destructive activities, like mining, can only occur east or south of the Tanjo River. The Tanjo Rainforest is sacred. It can be settled but must be protected and sustained.
- The Oaths are enforced by the Sons of Amater, an elite group of aged warrior monks with the right to kill the dishonored should they deem it necessary. Otherwise, oathbreakers are taken to stand trial at the Monastery of the Judge. As each group or settlement in Megatama has its own code of honor, Sons of Amater must learn and value different types of honor, never preferring one to another.
- Disputes between individuals or factions can only be settled with violence during the Festival of Enlightenment, a week-long holy holiday honoring the coming of God to Dokiri to teach its people the true nature of the Force. During the celebrations, a grand dueling tournament is held at the Monastery of the Judge, allowing those with disputes to challenge one another to honorable combat. Death is commonplace during the tournament but not a given. The tournament's champion receives great honor.
- Only the current year's tournament champion may form a hunting party (of no more than six individuals) to climb the Kodokushi Mountains and hunt one of the great terotonbo, horrifying creatures revered by the Oaths and prized for their invaluable gull stones.