Aatem Nal
Aatem Nal is the largest religious denomination in the Centralized Mountain States of Snefaldia, and pervades almost every aspect of Snefaldia culture and public life. Established in 1214 by the mystic Kshayakan, the religion is focused on the development of knowledge and education, and fuses Dragha traditions to create a highly organized religious organization. The central holy book of Aatem Nal is the Amershaman Medrahov. Members of Aatem Nal who have completed their initial novitiate are called Arsathaes
Organization
The faith is partially centralized, with the seat of the faith located in the Grand Library of Serasarda in Sring Issa. Specifically, though, the highest administrative unit is the Tuhran Bel, which also functions as the highest government apparatus of the Snefaldian nation.
The religion is administered in a hierarchical system by the Arsathaes through institutions & repositories of learning and education, collectively called Institutions. Arsathaes may live and work in these Institutions, but it is quite common for Arsathaes to live independently and raise families or maintain independent businesses. Institutions are divided into three basic units- the Library, the Archive, and the Repository; although there may be some regional variations in name and division. The Library is the highest unit, and almost always includes some form of college or university in its administration.
Almost every city or village in Snefaldia has an Institution. In the modern day, the size of the village determines what kind of institution it is, but in history Libraries were placed where they could best facilitate the dissemination of information and the administration of the religion.
The Tuhran Bel is the highest body of arbitration and administration in Aatem Nal, but a great deal of power and license is given to individuals. The common practice is for groups of institutions to come together and form Conclaves or Congressess based on proximity, shared languages, or other such identifiers. For example, the Southern Congress comprises the city of Taxilha and the Shahd region, parts of southern Allasha and western Neer Dal. The Congress is a sort of mini-Bel that convenes for intellectual debate, mission coordination, distribution of collective funds, and arbitration. All such groups must defer to the Tuhran Bel in the case of appeals; in this case the Bel is a sort of Supreme Court.
Hierarchy
In Aatem Nal, every member must go through a period as a Cenobite, where they live with other Cenobites, serve in the institutions of Aatem Nal, and work on their introductory studies. Cenobites where identical white robes and masks, which serve to facilitate the development of their identity in Aatem Nal. At the end of their cenobitic period, a ceremony is held and their masks are ceremoniously removed and they are accepted into the full Aatem Nal fold. After their novitiate, Aatem Nal has two systems for organizing Arsthaes- one administrative, the other scholastic. The Administrative System is used in regards to the management of Institutions. There are regional variations on titles and the actual hierarchy of individual institutions may vary.
- Library
- Chief/Senior Librarian
- Junior Librarian
- etc.
- Archive
- Chief/Senior Archivist
- Junior Archivist
- etc.
- Repository
- Senior Recordmaster
- Junior Recordmaster
- etc.
The Scholastic System is focused more on personal learning and mastery. The system is one of numerical nomenclature, where one of 5 named ranks can be designated, with a numerical "grade" indicating progress within a rank. There are 40 grades and 5 ranks.
- Grades 40-30
- Rank: Acolyte
- Grades 30-20
- Rank: Seeker
- Grades 20-10
- Rank: Inquisitor
- Grades 10-2
- Rank: Loremaster
- Grade 1
- Rank: Professor
The title of "Professor" is the highest in the system and the second highest in Aatem Nal. The highest title is "Master," which is the most rarely bestowed of all titles. The most notable holder of the title is Master Ta'us Ash`an, the Ambassador to West Ariddia and the oldest public servant at 102 years old. Although the rank of Master is technically part of the Scholastic System, it can be bestowed independent of any rank or grade.
It is quite possible, even common, to have a title in both systems. Many Librarians and Recordmasters have ranks as an Inquisitor and Loremaster, but it must be remembered that high rank and grade is not a guarantor of an Administrative position, and vice-versa.
Note that the ranking and seniority system of the Tuhran Bel is not related to the official Aatem Nal system.
