Enlightened Order of the True Sight

The Enlightened Order of the True sight is a monastic order founded shortly after the rise of the new gods in response to rise of what they regard as deceptive and wicked magics. Members of the order can be found across the world preaching their beliefs and seeking out deception and deceit so that it may be purged in the pursuit of the Order's ultimate goal: the discovery and comprehension of absolute truth.

They are staunch opponents of those gods and their churches that are deemed Demiurge, or agents of lies seeking to obfuscate reality. These gods are generally understood to be Alzria, Astella, Wyn, Tonta, and Ekundayo in order of fundamental opposition to the order's great cause and mission.

On the other end, the Order actively cultivates relations with the gods and churches they see as allies in their mission. While there is no clear order among these, and the Order refuses to be subservient to any, the gods in question are Orynn, Lonn, Uwne, Exo, and Algrim. The rest of the pantheon is generally considered to be potentially helpful, but to be regarded with wariness.

The Order and its members engage in many rituals, some of which are seen as unsettling by others, intended to divine the truth in all matters. These rituals include investigations into 'forbidden' knowledge, seeking clarity through pain, and much besides. Whatever the opinion of gods or the public the Order has forged on with its missions for centuries and its members are widely considered to be some of the most knowledgeable and accomplished scholars on the Shard.

## Beliefs

The Monks of True Sight seek only truth, and so their beliefs are ever changing as investigation and evidence reinforce or disprove theories. Of course, if there is such a thing as 'Doctrine' for the order it is their current theories regarding the nature of souls, divinity, and reality itself. As the subjects with the least evidence to support any theories debates on these matters are often intense and long lasting, however there has emerged some consensus.

### The One

Living or dead, the soul persists. It can be said that the living are but shells inhabited by souls, and if all souls progress to reincarnation after the destruction of those shells then all souls are but One. The most prevalent belief within the Order is that of the One. Life and death are thought to be nothing but illusions, as all things that are and can be are merely ephemeral vestiges of one greater spirit. While most in the order subscribe to this belief, it is not universal, and while the premise may be generally accepted the details are a source of contention. There are two chief schools of thought on the precise nature of the One, and Divinity.

#### Externalism

The One was once whole and eternal, existing as a timeless being capable of perceiving the absolute truth of all things. It was the First Demiurge who created material reality and deceived the One, ensconcing it into mortal and immortal shells. Old Divinity and new Divinity are one and the same, though how Divinity tirkced itself as it did the one, or why, is a subject of much debate. Externalists seek knowledge of what is, pursuing no greater goal.

#### Internalism

The One is all that is and all that has ever been. Duality, even of a One and a Divine, is deception. In this case, deception of the self. The One creates all things, realities, and time itself in its own self delusion. Old Divinity, New Divinity, Mortality, Reality, all these things are lies the One tells itself. Internalists seek to end both the cycle of reincarnation and indeed all things that exist through universal enlightenment such that the One may understand the truth of itself.