The number one thing I tell readers about The Trailokya Trilogy is that it is truly immersive. Utilizing existing cultural themes, I flesh out a world that is both rich and plausible. The ulterior motive is to get readers to think more deeply about where our world comes from; where we come from, while using archetypes to entertain. It’s an age-old question. One that usually couples with questions about one’s purpose.
I might have been an odd child, but I thought about these things quite early on. You can read a little about that reflection here.
Thus, I created these books from all the hindsight I now claim. In interviews, I’ve talked about the dreams that started my reflection. They were so detailed. Thus they easily fed the narrative that now fills 3 large manuscripts. I believe I could write much more.
But, you’re here to learn more about the topic of Orders, not where the entire series came from. So, let’s talk about what are the orders of Trailokya.
Orders are complicated to say the least. They simultaneously form familial type relationships, are factions, reflect what we may recognize as ethnicity and form various cultures among the beings of Zion. Not everyone belongs to an order. The groupings are mostly reserved for the duta, and form the units that are responsible for carrying out specific tasks on behalf of the souls. This could be chronicling their lives, serving in the legions, and maintaining and educating guardians of the Astrals.
The orders take on sigils and other forms of symbolic meanings, such as armor and colors. For instance, Captain Maiel is described as a member of the Moon Order. She wears cobalt blue armor with silver findings and details. Her second in command is described as appearing like moonlight, with pale skin, hair and eyes. Yet, there are others in the order, such as her commander, Bade, who has deep black skin and lurid blue eyes. So, the skin tones of the members do not denote their belonging. Skin, in Trailokya, does not separate members of the race into stratified groups. Actual race, such as humans, duta, aghartians and danava are races, and each comes in several versions (although some of the soul races appear to be limited in variation).
Much like the sorting hat of Harry Potter, each member is either clearly drawn to a group, as part of their completion of their education, or assigned by reading their atman. In the case of the legions, the guardian of Walhall, Sephr, overseas the forging of their armaments and fits them. The duta of Walhall are an interesting lot, charged with the important task of enlisting those who will be guardians. I did not go into how they know what an atman wills, but you can surmise it is on a psychic level, and quite automatic for them. In conjunction with the Ordo Priori, Sephr and others like him determine the placement of duta into their positions. No one, however, is forced to do anything. The duta, unlike humans, are quite clear headed in most cases, even in youth. They are fiercely loyal and driven. The idea of orders, make much sense now, don’t they?
The names of the orders are symbolic. They hint at the focus of the group. Some may sound like football teams, but the names come from myths and mysticism. Check out some here on these graphics:
What order do you think you’d belong to? Leave me a comment below.
This just got way fun, didn’t it? I created the badges above along with a lot of other world building pieces to deepen the experiences of the books for the readers. You’ll notice they’re numbered, each has different colors and symbols. As I said before, this is all important to the groups, like teams. If you saw a guardian, let’s say, you’d be able to identify what group they belong to from what they are wearing, and the penannular on their armor/clothes. This information would tell you what to expect from them. Yes, orders frame personalities as well. The values of the guardians come from their orders. Think of Christianity, all one religion, and the different sects, variations on the same beliefs.
I hope that this clarifies the idea of orders and gives you some interesting insight into their workings.
Get more articles like this one by subscribing to the blog (the entry box at the top right). You just need to enter your email address.
[…] here to learn more about the Orders in The Trailokya Trilogy, and let me know what Order you think […]