A precisely bound volume with the symbol of Seraphis—an open book with a single eye—embossed on the cover. The pages are thin but remarkably durable.
INTRODUCTION
The pursuit of knowledge is the highest calling.
This is not opinion. This is not philosophy. This is the fundamental truth upon which the Order of Seraphis was founded, and upon which it has stood for two thousand years.
We are scholars. We are seekers. We are the monks who devote their lives to understanding the world in all its complexity, preserving what we learn, and passing it to future generations. We serve Seraphis, goddess of arcane power, wisdom, and curiosity—she who views all mortals as a grand experiment, worthy of endless fascination.
OUR VOWS
Those who join our order take vows that may seem strange to outsiders. We do not vow poverty—knowledge requires resources, and we accept payment for our services gladly. We do not vow silence—wisdom shared is wisdom multiplied. We do not even vow obedience, for Seraphis values the independent mind.
We vow only this: to remain free of permanent attachments that might distract from our pursuit of knowledge.
This is often misunderstood. We are not forbidden from friendship, from love, from the pleasures of mortal life. We are forbidden from lasting bonds that would pull our focus from study. We may take lovers but not spouses. We may cherish colleagues but not join families. The order becomes our family. Knowledge becomes our legacy.
Some find this cold. We find it liberating.
OUR ROLE IN SOCIETY
You may have encountered a Monk of Seraphis without knowing it. We serve throughout the civilized lands as tutors, researchers, advisors, and occasional troubleshooters for problems that require unusual expertise.
In cities without formal magical academies, we often take promising students under our tutelage. This serves both parties: students receive education they could not otherwise access, while we earn gold to fund our ongoing research. More importantly, we identify minds worth cultivating—future seekers who may one day join our ranks.
Many nobles, scholars, and aspiring mages seek us out when they need answers to obscure questions. We do not give knowledge freely; that would devalue it. But our prices are fair, and we always deliver what we promise.
ON THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE
Not all knowledge is equal. Some information is trivial—the name of a baker’s third cousin, the precise count of cobblestones in a market square. Other knowledge is dangerous—rituals that should never be performed, names that should never be spoken, truths that drive mortals mad.
We collect all of it.
The monk who decides what knowledge is “too dangerous” to preserve is the monk who allows ignorance to triumph. When darkness rises again—and it always rises—future generations will need every weapon we can give them. Even the forbidden texts. Especially the forbidden texts.
This is why our order maintains libraries throughout the world. Vast repositories of knowledge, carefully organized, rigorously protected, available to those with the wisdom to use them responsibly.
We do not share the locations of these libraries with outsiders. We do not discuss their contents casually. But know that they exist, and that when the world needs answers, we will have them.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
If you are reading this because you consider joining our order, know that the path is not easy. Years of study await. Sacrifices will be required. You will learn things that change how you see the world, and you will never be able to unsee them.
But you will also join a lineage stretching back millennia. You will contribute to the greatest accumulation of knowledge in mortal history. And you will serve a goddess who genuinely delights in discovery, who rewards curiosity with power, and who believes—as we do—that understanding is the highest virtue.
Knowledge is power. We are its keepers.
Seek, and you shall find.
—From the Order’s introductory texts, provided to prospective initiates