Soldiers of the Fist

The Ardazem

    The elite group of soldiers chosen to guard and carry out the words of the Circle and Iysärav.  Boys from all walks of life may choose to enter into the service of the Circle, and to be chosen to become one of the Reborn is one of the highest and most noble of honours.  Typically boys will enter between the ages of 7 to 10 and once they, or their family, have chosen to enter into the Rebirth Ceremony, they must forfeit all that they left behind, including their name.

    Those who are worthy of becoming one of the Reborn remain in a state of limbo, niether living nor dead in the eyes of Nuryana and the Circle.  They enter the Daeums to undergo their rigerous training in the hopes of being worthy enough to be Called— a time when they are granted a new name, and are pulled from their state of limbo into Being once more.  Only then do they become Ardazem.

    As such, they have no link to the outside world, what family they had is no longer theirs but the vestiges of an old, dead self which no longer exists.  Ardazem are only permitted to leave Iysärav under orders of the Blessed Crimson and it is their duty to arrest the Tainted or enforce any of the Ekklesial laws.  Ardazem are not permitted to have families of their own, and, like many of the Circle, follow a strict rule of celibacy.  Any who sway from the path are severely punished.  To become an Ardazem means to give oneself fully to the service of the Circle and Nuryana.

• Dustande -  Like many who undertake the path to becoming an Ardazem it is a great honour to have made it to his Calling.  Dustande is a devout believer in the followings of the Circle but his greatest desire is to be worthy enough to give his very life for Nuryana and thus undertakes many of his duties with nothing but her devotion in mind.  His unwavering need to please a God Queen he has never seen borders on obsession and in some respects may be close to unhealthy lust— a taint he is careful to correct.  Never the less, the need to be closer to his Queen is the driving force behind his character, and as such, he sees much more of Iysärav than he should and pretty soon finds himself entangled within the wheel of hidden secrets within the Holy City.
• Ahdemi - Dustande's Fardasi.  Ahdemi is one of the older Ardazem to have become a Fardasi to the newer members of the Hand.  Many believe him to be cold and lacking in character or charm simply because he does not express such emotions on his face.  The truth however could not be further from general belief.  Ahdemi is caring and compassionate towards his Farsemi, or "young brother" and has nothing but pride when it comes to regarding the work he has put into Dustande.  He is a firm and sometimes strict mentor, but his main concern is keeping Dustande within the teachings of the Circle so that one day he too may become a worthy Fardasi.  Ahdemi is a stickler to rules and is unwavering in them, and despite his compassion, mistakes must quickly be corrected in order to ensure that the honour of the Ardazem is upheld.  Despite being the confidante of Dustande, there are still many things which cannot be shared with him as Ahdemi's loyalty to duty outwieghs his compassion many times over.

Iydazem

    The First soldier, or head Ardazem to a division.  The Ardazem are grouped into five divisions, each comprised of 100 men and led by an Iydazem.  The Iydazem is ordained or selected by the Circle through careful consideration or candidates.  It is the duties of the Iydazem to supervise the men under his command within their duties and elect a Daudazem (or Second Soldier) to act as a vice in his stead.  If need be he may select multiple soldiers to lead divisions, and each is given a corresponding name (eg. Terdazem - Third Soldier, Cardazem - Fourth Soldier, Houndazem - Fifth Soldier) it is rare to elect more than four others as 5 is a sacred number within the Ekklesial teachings.

• Imdin - Iydazem of the Hour of Ressurection to Hour of Attention Daeum, or Waking Guard.  He is the youngest of the Iydazem and thus the most rigerous in his need to prove his position.  Imdin was elected by his successor Amyaan and no one objected, which makes him very prideful about his position.  He is not well loved by the men under his command and is rather obnoxious in his self confidence.

• Baq - Iydazem of the Hour of Attention to the Hour of Reflection Daeum, or Guard of Awareness.  A man in his late 50s, Baq is silent but ever vigilent.  His guard takes over at the busiest time of the day and thus his mind is ever aware of what is happening in Iysärav and ready to take action upon it.

• Dumin - Iydazem of the Hour of Reflection to the Hour of Toil Daeum, or Guard of Toil.  Elected at the same time as Baq, Dumin is his biological brother yet all ties were severed on the rebirth Ceremony when Dumin joined the Circle three years after Baq.  Sturdy and methodical in his work, Dumin, though not as silent as his brother, is slower to action and is known to take his time in decisions.

• Hundemi - Iydazem of the Hour of Toil to the Hour of Repent, or Guard of Atonement. A few years older than Imdin, Hundemi is severe and strict in his leadership.  it is rather fitting then that he became Iydazem of the Guard of Atonement who are well known for their dealings with those accused of the taint of the Souless Ones.  Hundemi shows little mercy in his dealings with those who cross the Cricle and is often the one who keeps an eye on his fellow Ardazem for signs of any who may be straying.  He is very close with Blessed Damaad and the Sepia Brothers and no Colour is beyond his scrutiny or that of his Ardazem.

• Tulmaas - Iydazem of the Silent hours, or the Silent Guard. The oldest of the Iydazem.  Tulmaas was elected Iydazem at the same time as Amyaan of the Waking guard, however he outlived his companion, and now at the grand old age of 70 he still commands a Daeum.  Age has of course begun to hinder Tulmaas but he still remains a strong and steadfast voice amongst the Ardazem.  The Silent Guard is his Daeum and they watch over the sleeping hours of Iysärav.  He is the most experienced of the Iydazem and is often a voice of reason and highly consulted by the Circle when the Iydazem are called upon, his voice however is quickly being overshadowed by Imdin and Hundemi who are calling for a new Iydazem of the Silent guard to be elected.

The Beythanian

    The White Guard, or Blind Sisters are the female equivelent to the Ardazem.  Selection of the Beythanian is more rigerous and limited than that of the Ardazem, and very few girls who enter make it through to becoming true members of the Blind Sisters.  These women live within the innermost sanctum of Iysärav, acting as sentries to the Queen's chambers and gardens.

    Shrouded in much mystery, these women are silent white statues enshrouded in viels and covered at all times.  They however are deadly warriors and would not hesitate to attack any Ardazem or Circle Colour who may cross them, they exist simply to keep unsanctioned and unworthy tresspassers out.  They do not remain within the Fist but go through seperate Daeums situated within the Queen's chambers, and there they remain throughout their lives, never leaving or interacting with another living soul, not even one another.

    Once they enter as girls, they are ritually blinded in preparation for their close proximity to their Queen as mortal eyes cannot withstand Her glory.  They are also encouraged to remain silent through regular punishment as words are not needed and serve only to distract from their purpose.  They are unworthy of speech within the hearing of Nuryana and thus at their Calling, many opt to have their tongues removed as a symbol of their disregard of speech.  All that they do is done in silence.

Like the Ardazem and the Circle Colours, they must remain chaste.

• Rubya - The leader of the Beythanian, distinguished by the black blindfold she wears and the translucency of her viel, she is the only one who's face is partly visible.  Like all her sisters she is silent and blind and more often than not is chosen through succession by the previous Rubya.  Names are of no importance and she is the only one to be addressed by a title.