Order of Skeptics

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Missing other languages for the terms "Order of Skeptics" and "Shamaniyya"

The Order of Skeptics or Shamaniyya, also known as the Nagarjunites by the Akademiya,^[1] are a group of scholars that can be found in the Girdle of the Sands in Sumeru. They were once a branch of Sumeru Akademiya,^[2] but have long since split from them and are rarely acknowledged. The order believes in "the transmission of knowledge at all costs" and that "conflict is the natural order of Teyvat."

Leaders of the Order of Skeptics are known as Nasuraia (Vijnanapati),^[1] which is defined as "one who has epiphanies."^[3]^{[Note 1]} Nagarjuna, the sage who led the scholars from Sumeru Akademiya to the Girdle of the Sands where the Order of Skeptics was founded, is considered the first leader of the Order.

Overview[]

The Order of Skeptics in the current day are descended from a group of Akademiya scholars led by a one-armed sage, who came to the desert to help the Pari defeat the Abyssal forces that had spilled out during the cataclysm. At this time, Khaenri'ah had already fallen, and Dainsleif had joined the Pari in the Vourukasha Oasis to fight the monsters. The one-armed sage used documents left behind by the Khaenri'ans to find a path to Harvisptokhm, where the Pari purified the defilement from the land. Afterward, the scholars who remained settled in the area, forged a bond with the Pari, and established themselves as the Order of Skeptics.^[4]

Several centuries ago, an investigation team sent from the Akademiya came to the desert to explore the secrets of Khaenri'ah. Despite the Order's warning, they insisted on entering the Khaenri'an ruins, so the then-Vijnanapati sent a member from the Order, Klingsor, to accompany them. However, when he returned, he had embraced the Abyss and the investigation team was nowhere to be found. Afterward, the Vourukasha Oasis suffered many attacks from Abyssal monsters looking for the Great Songs of Khvarena, forcing Zurvan to seal the Oasis and the ruins. According to Zurvan, the Order never recovered from this incident, having lost all their ancient archives to fire. Since then, the Abyss has greatly affected the loyalties of the Order, to the point where its current-day Vijnanapati, Nasejuna, had allied with the Abyss to destroy Harvisptokhm so that the energy from the Abyss would envelop Teyvat. During the events of Khvarena of Good and Evil, Nasejuna's attempt to seize the Songs from the Traveler by force failed, and he was forced to flee, leaving the Order of Skeptics currently leaderless.^[4]

20 years ago, Kaveh's Father requested to join an investigative research project in the desert to help Aaru Village and find the Order of the Skeptics, although his exact association with the latter is never explained.^[5]^[6]

Members[]

Sosi
Pyrrho

Former Members[]

Nagarjuna (founder)
Klingsor^[4]^[7] (defected)
Aryadeva (moved to Sumeru City)
Nasejuna (defected)

Notes[]

↑ In The Splendorous Sky That Day, "Vijnanapati" is given as the ruby characters for "Nasuraia." Normally, this means that "Nasuraia" is meant to be read as "Vijnanapati," or that the two terms are at least synonyms.

Trivia[]

Etymology[]

Nagarjuna was an Indian scholar and the founder of the Madhyamaka school of Buddhist teachings. In Sanskrit, the term Nagarjuna means "the perfection of wisdom."
Vijnanapati, a term used for leaders of the Order of Skeptics, is of Sanskrit origin and means "the lord of knowledge," used to identify someone with a great knowledge. It is made up of the Sanskrit words vijñāna (Sanskrit: विज्ञान) meaning "knowledge," and pati (Sanskrit: पति) meaning "lord."
Nasuraia, another term for the Order's leaders, is likely derived from the term Nasuraiya or Naṣuraiia, meaning "keeper (of secret knowledge)," in its usage to refer to Mandaean priests.

Other Languages[]