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The Adamant Order is actually composed of five closely working but separate orders, referred to as traditions, with a common novice pool. The Cerulean Seekers of Enlightened Accord, the Builders of a Harlequin Future, the Upright Instructors of Crimson Respite, the Saffron Mouths of Harmonious Discourse and the Venerators of the Aubergine Truth. In practice unless some extremely formal occasion calls for a full title, these are reduced to Seekers, Builders, Teachers, Philosophers and Ministers, respectively.
The Adamant Order's cosmology emphasizes the power of the Unconquered Sun and of Luna, their role in the creation of Creation, the role of Solar Exalts as protectors, and the unpleasantness of the current state of affairs. The evil of unnamed Chaos is brought up, and the taming effect of naming it.
The Adamant Order's strongholds fall into one of two classes: Either they are part of the regional structure, or they are directly under a specific tradition's control.
Each tradition has several strongholds of varying sizes and strengths. Except for the Philosophers, these tend to be in hierarchical arrangements, though the Builders have several parallel hierarchies. Tradition based strongholds are idiosyncratic enough to defy general description or categorization.
The Order is arranged in a strict hierarchy. Although precise rank is different in individual traditions, six generalized levels exist. At the same rank, all members are theoretically equal. In practice, the Ministers guide the Order, though they quickly defer to the other traditions' expertises. Additionally, while authority is not clearly defined between brothers of the same rank, any Adamant Brother is superior to any brother.
At the bottom, Novices wear gray robes and are subject to the orders of those above them. They are expected to act as examples and mentors to newer novices and emulate more senior novices. The proper honorific is Novice, as in “Novice Brian.” At all levels, it remains appropriate to address someone by their rank. It is informal to address a member of the adamant order by their name alone, but different traditions differ on when formality is required.
Postulants continue wearing the gray robe of a novice, but usually add a ribbon or armband in the color of the tradition they hope to attract. The proper honorific is Postulant, as in “Postulant Brian.”
Candidates are given robes in washed out, pastel shades of their traditions' colors. They are representatives of their order, but are expected to remain mostly cloistered until their training concludes. While all may be addressed as “Candidate” without giving offense, each tradition has a unique honorific. The Harlequin Builders term their candidates Apprentice, for example. At this rank, Brian could correctly be addressed as “Candidate Brian,” but would usually only interact with Builders, who would refer to him as “Apprentice Brian”
While Brother can refer to any member of the Adamant order, it is properly applied only to those who have completed their candidacy. At this point, he receives a vibrant robe colored appropriately for his order. For mixed groups, the generic honorific “Brother” applies; for a member of a specific tradition, it is more appropriate, though not necessary to indicate that association. Brian is now generically addressed as “Brother Brian,” more properly as “harlequin Brother Brian” or “Builder Brian,” or extremely formally “Brother Brian of the Harlequin Builders.” Internally, most traditions further stratify into separate ranks, but ignorance of these titles is only offensive within the Crimson Order, and even then only from one crimson brother to another.
A small oligarchy at the top of each order is accorded the extra honorific Adamant, either alone or prepended to the titles for brothers. Thus “Adamant Brian,” “Adamant Brother Brian,” etc. Adamants wear magnificent sable robes trimmed and lined with the color of their order. While a full Adamant representation of the traditions can usually be found only at Roots of Adamant Thought, at least one is usually present at every Branch, and occasionally at Seeds. Adamants are the pinnacle of achievement in their traditions, and tend to be highly specialized.
Each tradition has a single head, referred to collectively as exemplars, and singly by substituting the title in place of given name. The titles for the traditions are as follows: the exemplary seeker is “Docent,” the exemplary builder is “Aedile,” the exemplary teacher is “Doge,” the exemplary philosopher is “Ustad” and the exemplary minister is “Quaester.” An Exemplar wears pure white robes, trimmed and lined with the color of his tradition.
A new member of the Adamant Order is usually recruited from one of many missions founded by the Seekers. After a brief ceremony and a less brief instructional period at the nearest Seed of Adamant Thought, the new member is allowed to enter the novitiate. This period is simultaneously a time of luxury and of hardship for the new novice. While his body is fortified with rigorous martial arts instruction and physical chores, he is also expected to master the basics of at least one terrestrial craft and the rudiments of Old Realm. Additionally, he is instructed in the rudiments of discourse, debate and public speaking, throughout which his conviction and intimacy towards the Order grow stronger. At the same time however, his every need is provided for, and he is freed from mundane chores; such work as he must complete always betters him in some fashion.
While more senior novices may move from a Seed to a Branch of Adamant Thought as a midpoint in their novitiate, the true next step may take several years. After sufficient training, a novice deemed worthy by the head of the local Branch and by at least two other initiated member from a different traditions moves to the local Root of Adamant Thought and continues his training as a postulant. However, where previously a novice's training was generalized for the entire order, a postulant seeks candidacy with a specific tradition. Postulants direct themselves to some extent, though all learn Old Realm fluently at this point. Many also learn Riverspeak, or High Realm, though this is more a matter of personal preference than of policy. Often, postulants receive supernatural training for some time out of each year.
When a postulant has sufficiently impressed the tradition he seeks to join, they will accept him as a candidate. At this point he will continue training at one of that tradition's chapterhouses. At some later point during his candidacy, he will be initiated into the mysteries of the tradition and of the Order, but this initiation comes at different times for each tradition.