Edict of St. Vito

The Edict of St. Vito was an established set of rules to help thaumaturges better foster their Inner Light.

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Above all, a thaumaturge must have compassion. Everything they are is built upon this one foundation.

A thaumaturge must cultivate the following traits:

• Compassion
• Humility
• Kindness
• Modesty
• Respect
• Tolerance
• Temperance

A thaumaturge must avoid the following:

• Apathy
• Malice
• Avarice
• Envy
• Lust
• Insobriety
• Arrogance
• Opulence
• Gossip

As a Monk or Templar, understand that whether you want it or not, you are a prominent representative of the Church of Light. Think long and hard about this. Everything you do will reflect upon the Church. Many people will assume that if you do something or act a certain way, that your actions are accepted and condoned by the Church. At the same time, many will be waiting for you to make a misstep so that they can cast criticisms and accusations of hypocrisy. This is an -enormous- responsibility, and not to be taken lightly. You will undoubtedly need to make many decisions that go against your personal desires and impulses in order to undertake this responsibility. Sacrifices will be required. Carefully consider your attitude and actions with this in mind - you will be under constant scrutiny and judgment by both those without and within the Church. Please act respectfully and respectably, follow the disciplines and guidelines you are given, and understand that disciplinary actions may be taken in regards to this fact. Those who refuse to understand or comply with this important facet of life as a Monk or Templar are likely to be released from their position.

Dedication

Being a Monk or Templar is not a hobby - it is a dedicated way of life. Members should spend the majority of their time seeing to their primary duties. If one is rarely seeing to their duties, their membership will be questioned and reviewed by leadership, to say nothing of any effects on one's Inner Light.

Modesty and Avoidance of Avarice

No activities should be engaged in that solely promote wealth and material gain, with no practical benefit to others. The following are examples of things that should be avoided:

• Acquisition, production, and selling of luxury goods. This includes activities such as lapidary and jewelry-crafting.
• Hoarding wealth. If you find yourself with an excess of riln that exceeds your costs of living, put it to good use, or donate it to those who can do so. Hoarding of wealth tends to lead to the desire to increase that wealth, to constantly worry over that wealth, and often leads to the love of money and wealth to the point of greed or a desire to be seen as wealthier than others to satisfy one's own personal pride.
• Opulent equipment and clothing: Keep your clothing and your equipment modest. Opt for utility over impressive luxury attire. Formal wear for special occasions is acceptable, but should be kept relatively modest rather than expensive and opulent.
• Remember: The Church freely provides a thaumaturge with their basic essentials: Food, shelter, training, and basic equipment.

Attitude

A thaumaturge avoids arrogance, smugness, or elitism. In particular, one does not assume that because one is a member of the Monastic Order or Knights Templar that one is better than anyone else. This will lead swiftly to arrogance, judgment, and lack of tolerance, will dim one's own Inner Light, and will also reflect poorly on one's organization and the Church as a whole. Treat others with compassion and patience. Avoid sarcasm.

Violence and Combat

• Members of the Monastic Order shall not take up arms or seek to engage in combat. Doing so runs against the Monastic Order's thaumaturgic discipline, which is centered around healing and alleviating pain and suffering. Monks will be taught thaumaturgic techniques allowing them to avoid or escape physical combat situations, or to temporarily subdue aggressors.
• Members of the Knights Templar must carefully control their aggression. A Templar is not a mercenary or trained killer. A Templar seeks always to disarm, subdue, and pacify dangerous individuals, rather than solving a problem by inflicting death. In the cases of mindless nethrim and infested, slaying is acceptable. In the case of wild beasts, one should attempt to avoid them. Many can be dangerous, but this is part of the natural order. All animal life and the wilderness should be respected. (It is understood that slaying of fellow man is occasionally unavoidable - however, the Templar cannot dictate the ways of the Inner Light. Slaying of your fellow man, even by accident or out of necessity, may still negatively affect one's Inner Light.)
• Hunting beasts for sport or for profit is forbidden to both orders. Hunting in order to fill immediate dire needs regarding hunger is acceptable, if there are not adequate alternatives available (foraging, traveling to a nearby outpost despite inconvenience, etc).

Initiative

Members are expected to take initiative. Both leadership and membership in the Lost Lands are extremely sparse, and members should not sit idle until leadership instructs them to act. Monks and Templar are expected to be proactive and to seek good activities they can perform or get involved with on their own initiative and planning, rather than doing nothing but ask for and await instructions or suggestions from leadership.

Respect

Thaumaturges must always have respect for their fellow man. This is necessary even if another does not return said respect - a thaumaturge must rise above any petty feelings of scorn or loathing. This does not mean, however, that the thaumaturge must pander to others or allow themselves to be manipulated due to a sense of respect or propriety - the thaumaturge must simply be respectful in their interactions, even in the act of acting contrary to another's wishes.

Self-Respect

A thaumaturge must not only respect others, but himself as well. One should never willingly allow oneself to be debased or degraded. Modesty and humility are admirable, and even necessary, traits for a thaumaturge, but one should never let this overpower one's sense of self-worth and self-respect.

Sacrifice

Members are expected to put aside their personal business if others are in need of help. Do not wait to see if another will assist in hopes of being able to continue with personal business. This suggests one is putting one's own personal desires above the needs of others. Members must do their best to judge what constitutes unnecessary personal business. Again, this should not be translated to thaumaturgers being required to pander to others or allow themselves to be manipulated.

General Rules

• Thaumaturgic powers should not be used frivolously. To do so diminishes the seriousness with which one regards them, and will in turn diminish the strength of one's Inner Light.
• Carefully moderate your diet in order to keep yourself healthy and capable of seeing to your duties and helping your fellow man to the greatest of your ability.
• Meat should be eaten sparingly.
• Strong drinks should be avoided.
• Never ask for or expect reward for performing your duties.