Ordo Sera (The Locks)
Whispered about in academic circles and antiquarian markets, those who decide what knowledge should stay buried.
What People Know
Certain books have a way of disappearing from circulation. Scholars pursuing uncomfortable lines of research sometimes find their funding redirected or their access to materials mysteriously restricted. Dangerous artifacts that surface in the wrong hands tend to vanish just as quickly. In taverns and libraries, people speak quietly of "the Locks" - those who follow Mōrga's teachings about truths better left undisturbed.
Most citizens encounter them only through rumor and secondhand accounts. A bookseller might mention visitors asking detailed questions about who purchased specific volumes. A researcher might confide that their investigation into pre-empire ruins attracted unwelcome attention from well-dressed strangers offering alternative career opportunities.
Their Focus
Areas of Interest
Magical Texts: Promising power without adequate warnings about consequences
Ancient Artifacts: From ruins, especially those with unknown enchantments
Dangerous Research: Forbidden rituals, planar instabilities, pre-empire secrets
Based on observable patterns, Ordo Sera seems most concerned with these categories of knowledge and materials. They appear to operate under the principle that some knowledge carries too high a price for general circulation.
How They Operate
Quiet Solutions Preferred
When possible, problems seem to resolve themselves peacefully. A manuscript disappears during a library reorganization. A scholar accepts a lucrative position researching safer topics. A dangerous relic finds its way into more responsible hands. Whether through purchase, persuasion, or other arrangements, results speak louder than methods.
Patterns of Contact
Observed Methods
- Initial contact through intermediaries or anonymous offers
- Generous compensation for cooperation
- Escalating pressure for those who refuse reasonable solutions
- Problems that persist tend to solve themselves permanently
Those who've dealt with them report similar approaches across these categories.
Network and Presence
The organization appears active in most major cities, though their numbers remain unclear.
Some suspect they operate through independent cells with loose coordination. Others believe they're simply concerned citizens acting on shared principles rather than formal members of any organization.
Notable Relationships
Official Channels
City authorities rarely acknowledge them directly, but certain patterns suggest unofficial cooperation when convenient. The Road Wardens occasionally report assistance in securing problematic ruins once immediate threats are contained.
Commercial Connections
Concord merchants sometimes find their more questionable acquisitions redirected through unofficial channels. Whether this represents cooperation or competition depends on the specific circumstances and materials involved.
Academic Tensions
They've shown particular interest in researchers like the prolific chronicler Thaddeus Quill, whose work often challenges comfortable assumptions about historical events. His continued publishing suggests their influence has limits - or perhaps that making prominent scholars disappear would prove their theories about suppressed knowledge.
Practical Considerations
For Scholars and Researchers
Those working in sensitive areas might expect:
- Offers of alternative funding for safer research topics
- Warnings about materials being unsuitable for publication
- Enhanced access to approved resources in exchange for cooperation
- Increasing difficulties obtaining support if cooperation is refused
For Explorers and Treasure Hunters
Expeditions discovering potentially dangerous materials may attract attention. Many find it profitable to establish relationships providing first access to sensitive discoveries rather than face competition in future endeavors.
For Merchants and Collectors
Dealers in rare books and artifacts often develop working relationships involving premium purchases of interesting materials with minimal questions about content or provenance. The alternative tends to involve unexpected business difficulties.
Uncertain Elements
Much about Ordo Sera remains unclear:
- Whether they're formal agents of Mōrga's church or independent followers of her philosophy
- How they identify threats without fully understanding dangerous knowledge themselves
- The extent of their resources and organizational structure
- Their true relationship with official authorities across different cities
- How decisions are made about what constitutes "dangerous" knowledge
Some knowledge comes with prices too high for society to pay. Someone has to decide what those prices are.