Titles of Merit

Note: the Inquisitoria do not line up nicely with a title of merit, but are as often referred to as "Inquisitor".

Once ranked as Soror, a sister of the Flame receives her Calling. Traditionally, this is accomplished through rites of Seeing, though oft as not it is a foregone conclusion by the time she passes the tests, as she and all who know her will have since divined her proclivities.

Simply pursuing a Calling does not entitle a sister to any title or privileges. She will be taken in by one of the order, or, in rarer cases, pursue the study independently, in the hopes of one day proving her worth in her own right. Regardless of Calling, any sister can be asked to perform any duty at any time by her Abbess, and she is expected to comply.

Induction

Induction in the order begins when a potential inductee has demonstrated the gift of True Flame, and it has been recognized and confirmed by at least three sisters of the rank of Sapienta, or one of the rank of Centira. Ideally, this process occurs before the power is manifested in any potentially dangerous capacity--and the Seers in Fire work feverishly to this effect, attempting to find new inductees in advance of their budding--but in many cases, the process follows a tragedy of the uncontrolled and sudden release of power.

(Side note: this has given rise to a number of trends. Unofficially, many sisters label one another "born" or "flowered", with the former discovered by the Seers and the latter taken in after a sudden manifestation, usually resulting in tragedy. This has led to a "nobility" of sorts, for although the gift has never appeared to be hereditary, those found early are raised knowing nothing but the Order, as if born into it, and the others are "foundlings", analogous to bastards and by-blows. This leads to predictable social structures, which persist despite fervent organizational efforts to eradicate such behavior.)

(Another side note: cases of "flowering" are a minority, and particularly tragic ones are quite rare, but not so rare as to have escaped notice. More often than not, such flowerings result in death, often to a girl's own family, and many girls have been killed by their own gifts--or by others in revenge or to appease angry gods--before the Sisterhood could reach them. When they do arrive in time, their presence is often resented, as they remove the instigator of the tragedy into their protection, usually unable to offer sufficient aid or recompense to the aggrieved.)

It is notable that induction into the order is mandatory for all girls and women displaying the gift. No choice is offered; it can be inferred that death and escape are the only alternatives.

(Side note: though the Church maintains that it is impossible, the gift has been known to appear in males. The Sisterhood usually silences such cases, but on the occasions that they have failed, they explain it away as mundane or evil magic that is meant to deceive.)

Postulancy

The first order of business for a Noviciate is training. This process, known as a Postulancy, takes as long as it will, and is guided by a simple motto: "you will master the Flame, or it will master you."

Training regimens vary by cell, with each Abbess having final say on how it is conducted in her walls, but in every case, it is hard. The orthodox view is that only the most extreme personal discipline can tame the Fire, beyond the already ascetic ways of nuns. The Gift is notoriously unpredictable, and considered to be impossible to control without years of discipline. Thus, learners are to make no attempt to manifest the power, and indeed must take every effort to suppress it, whilst they gird their will with years of devotion.

Thus, training of Noviciates appears little different from service in any convent, albeit tending toward the extreme, filling every waking hour with devotion and hard work, allowing no shade of individualism, no lapse or deviation from one's duties, and no room for weakness or failure, even due to illness. It so happens that the Gift tends to bring exceptional health and self-healing capabilities, so sickness of any kind is not only an unfit excuse, but seen as a sign of falseness or corruption, and can lead to extreme measures if it persists.

The premise of this treatment is that, as soon as the Noviciate attempts to call upon her power, or if it manifests on its own, she will have no chance of containing it--it will certainly lead to death and ruin. In the face of such danger, it is thought unwise to allow any use of the power until older, wiser sisters are certain, beyond any doubt, that the Noviciate has reached a state of wisdom and mental discipline that at least gives her a chance.

Each Noviciate has a Mistress, a higher-ranking sister officially tasked with overseeing her training and vouching for her readiness. The Noviciate has no say in when she is ready for her tests...only her Mistress can recommend them, or, in rare cases, an Abbess or higher-ranked sister can overrule the Mistress. (Side note: Typically, the Mistresses are drawn from those who lack the power and talent to excel in other fields. This, not unnaturally, leads to a certain bitterness and jealousy of gifted students, and the Mistresses have many ways of relieving this feelings.)

Once a Mistress deems her student worthy of her tests, she recommends so to her Abbess, and forthwith, the tests begin.

The Tests

Passing a single test means that a student is allowed to attempt the others at her own pace, without further need of a Mistress' leave. Failing at her first test (and surviving) means a student must return to her Mistress (or oft as not be reassigned), and is typically made to wait a considerable time before she may try again.

Noviciates must pass three tests to prove worthy of the Flame and be named Soror. They are:

• The Candle
• The Ring
• The Stake

The Candle is quite simple. The student must light a candle. She must be twenty paces away, possessing of nothing but a shift, in a cold and dark room. It is the simplest of tasks for an experienced wielder of the Flame, but the true difficulty is not in producing fire...but not producing too much. The candle in question is mounted in a paper candlestick, floating in a glass dish atop a pool of oil. If lit, the candle burns pure white, with no odor. The paper produces black smoke and a foul order if even singed, and the oil will ignite easily at the slightest stray ember, an obvious, massive blaze. Lighting anything but the wick is considered failure...as is bursting into a fiery conflagration and dying right then and there. For safety purposes, the student is the only one in the chamber, sealed on all sides with thick stone.

The Ring is a test of concentration and the senses. The Noviciate stands in the center of a circle, and all around her, at a distance of fifteen feet, walls of fire are erected (traditionally by other sisters, but in modern times often with the use of oil or gas). The noviciate must extinguish the flames--a simple feat when directing her will within her sight, but far more difficult when in all directions. The test requires that the student sense--rather than see--the flames, and that she learn to open her mind while maintaining concentration, rather than focusing on a single section of the ring.

The Stake is almost always the final test of the three, because it involves burning the Noviciate at the stake. A grim reminder of the fate that too often awaits their kind in less civilized regions and times, the test of Stake involves the element of fear, the most insidious and effective force that can rob a true Sister of her control. In this test, simply enough, the student is tied to a stake, atop a pyre, which is then lit. The pyre is sufficient to kill her, though the test is usually aborted if the student is clearly unable to save herself. Her objective is simple: she must escape the pyre, by allowing the fire to burn the ropes that bind her, without herself being burnt. This test requires precision mastery of flame, while facing the prospect of torturous pain and death. It is not for the light-hearted.

Passing all three tests qualifies a Noviciate to be named Soror. The actual naming takes place in a religious ceremony, and is conferred by the Abbess, although in the rare case this doesn't occur, the student is still officially considered to have attained the rank of Soror.