Sanctus Ordo Infinitae Recensionis
Holy Order of Infinite Revision
Guardians of Eternal Revision and Divine Ambiguity
The Sanctus Ordo Infinitae Recensionis (The Holy Order of Infinite Revision) — an institution shrouded in robes of hollow reverence, operating under the guise of divine authority but known widely as the kingdom’s masters of controlled forgetfulness. Tasked with maintaining Laxtentia’s official “truth,” they serve less as spiritual guides and more as an existential bureaucracy, ensuring the kingdom remains grounded in the ironic transience of belief and memory.
The Order, led by the esteemed Episcopus Retrocausalitatis (Bishop of Retrocausality), dedicates itself to the doctrine that reality is a mutable draft, one open to endless edits and erasures. Within its solemn chambers, they practice the sacred art of revision, an ever-turning wheel of redaction that governs Laxtentia’s past and future alike. Through carefully crafted doctrines and subtle rewritings, they cultivate an aura of ambivalence, one that keeps the kingdom in a perpetual state of delicate uncertainty.
Structure and Hierarchy
Episcopus Retrocausalitatis (Bishop of Retrocausality)
At the helm of the Order is the Episcopus Retrocausalitatis, the Bishop of Retrocausality, a figure who oversees all temporal adjustments and doctrinal revisions. Known for their detached cynicism, the Bishop holds the power to alter the collective memory of Laxtentia, ensuring that no belief or historical event remains fixed. They issue decrees not with solemnity, but with an air of weary irony, knowing full well that today’s “truth” will be tomorrow’s discarded draft.
Cardinales Virus Mentis (Cardinals of Mind Virus)
Serving directly under the Bishop, the Cardinales Virus Mentis are the Order’s elite architects of cognitive influence, tasked with planting retrocausal mind viruses that subtly reshape Laxtentian beliefs and perceptions. These Cardinals wield the doctrines of the Order like finely-tuned instruments, strategically seeding ideas and rewriting memories with an air of deliberate ambivalence. Each Cardinal specializes in the delicate art of mental contagion, unraveling the past and altering present perspectives in a way that cultivates a deep-seated mistrust of all narratives, leaving minds perpetually suspended between doubt and disbelief.
Sacerdotes Ambiguitatis (Priests of Ambiguity)
The Sacerdotes Ambiguitatis act as the voice of the Order, delivering sermons and conducting rites that instill doubt rather than faith. They craft messages of guidance layered in irony, leading their congregations to a place of comfortable uncertainty. With each proclamation, they cultivate a sense of detachment, ensuring that the faithful never grow too attached to any particular truth.
Diaconi Revisionis Minoris (Deacons of Minor Revision)
These Deacons handle the subtler shifts in doctrine, focusing on small adjustments that barely register but collectively reinforce the kingdom’s culture of skepticism. They quietly amend hymns, rewrite minor liturgies, and nudge the doctrine ever so slightly to keep it fluid and open-ended.
Acolytes Oblivionis (Acolytes of Oblivion)
New recruits to the Order, Acolytes Oblivionis undergo a process of gradual mental erasure, learning to let go of personal convictions in favor of a blank slate. They practice the Order’s core doctrines on themselves first, dissolving their own memories and beliefs to embrace the Order’s ultimate truth: that nothing is truly fixed.
Lampadarii Dubitationis (Torchbearers of Doubt)
At the lowest level, the Lampadarii Dubitationis assist in ceremonies and observe the Order’s rites, gradually absorbing the doctrine of constant revision. Their title, Torchbearers of Doubt, reflects their duty to uphold the small, flickering light of skepticism in all corners of Laxtentia, a reminder that certainty is as fleeting as the flame they carry.
Core Doctrines and Sacred Practices
- Doctrina Recensionis Perpetuae (Doctrine of Perpetual Revision): The foundational doctrine of the Order, this tenet dictates that all truths, memories, and beliefs are drafts — subject to constant editing. Under this principle, history and memory are rewritten as necessary, keeping Laxtentia anchored in a state of fluidity where permanence is nothing more than a convenient illusion.
- Sacramentum Oblivionis Sacrae (Sacrament of Sacred Forgetting): A ceremonial rite in which followers surrender a cherished memory or belief to be erased or revised. It’s less an act of faith than a ritual of willing disillusionment, reminding the faithful that even their dearest convictions are disposable.
- Liturgia Dubii (Liturgy of Doubt): A structured set of hymns and prayers, each designed to invoke doubt rather than resolve it. Every line of the liturgy is crafted to contradict the last, leaving the congregation in a comfortable state of uncertainty. It is a spiritual practice in embracing ambiguity, a sacred exercise in skepticism.
- Vigilantia Memoriae Absentis (Vigil of Absent Memory): In this solemn observance, the Order collectively reflects on memories that may or may not have happened, reinforcing the idea that even the past is a work in progress. It’s a quiet gathering, filled with whispered doubts and murmured recollections, all woven together to create a tapestry of pleasant amnesia.
The Order’s Existential Purpose
The Sanctus Ordo Infinitae Recensionis (Holy Order of Infinite Revision) operates as a bureaucratic priesthood dedicated not to the preservation of belief and history, but to their systematic dismantling through calculated irony. To serve the Order is to embrace the delicate unraveling of certainty, a devotion to the comforting ambiguity that nothing — least of all truth — is ever final. Their work serves as Laxtentia’s safeguard against the allure of fixed beliefs, ensuring the kingdom remains unburdened by the rigid constraints of faith or memory.
In Laxtentia, the Order is held in a state of resigned reverence. Their rites, though solemn in appearance, are imbued with irony; each prayer subtly reminds the people that truth is subject to revision and that memory exists primarily to keep the populace pliable. The Episcopus Retrocausalitatis (Bishop of Retrocausality), Cardinales Mentium Virus (Mind Virus Cardinals), and all other ranks sustain Laxtentia’s culture of gentle skepticism, reinforcing the understanding that even the most sacred beliefs are nothing more than transient drafts, destined to fade with each new day.
