The Architects

Order · Day · Hard Kh · Soft Zar

MOKH-sar

Order Day Hard Kh Soft Zar

"Structure must accommodate growth."

Philosophy

You believe the world must be shaped carefully, not shattered. You build systems that grow stronger over time. Your influence is visible, but not oppressive. Where others see rigid plans, you see frameworks that can evolve. You win wars by making them unnecessary.

The Pronunciation Dispute

The Architects accept the hard 'kh'—force was required to create the world, after all—but soften the ending. Their theology holds that creation was a beginning, not a conclusion. The soft 'sar' acknowledges that the divine work continues through mortal hands. They consider the Shapers' hard ending to be theologically presumptuous: who are mortals to declare the work complete?

Tendencies

Gradual improvements stack more effectively than sudden changes
Systems stabilize faster after disruption
Less punishment for partial success—progress is still progress

History

Where the Shapers emerged from military tradition, the Architects arose from the guild-temples of the great trading cities. Their founders were priest-engineers who saw in the Name not a command but a blueprint. The world was not ordered into existence—it was *designed*, and design implies iteration. The Architects have never ruled empires, but their fingerprints mark every lasting institution. They wrote the first standardized legal codes, established the currency exchange protocols still used today, and designed the road networks that outlasted the kingdoms that built them. An Architect saying holds that "any fool can build a monument; we build the foundations monuments rest upon."

Notable Events

The Perpetual Bridge

Architect engineers constructed a bridge that has required no maintenance in four centuries. Rival factions have tried to discover its secret; the Architects claim there is none, only 'sufficiently thorough planning.'

The Soft Schism

A faction of Architects briefly argued that even the 'kh' should be softened. They were not expelled—merely assigned to increasingly remote projects until their theological innovations quietly disappeared.

Scholarly Commentary

"The gods did not finish the world. They left plans."

— Ilexa the Binder, Fragments on Design

"An Architect temple is never completed. It is merely the current version."

— Common saying

"They build as if they expect to be judged by generations not yet born. This is either wisdom or arrogance. Possibly both."

— Reforger critique, author unknown

Relationships

Natural Allies

The Shapers The Keepers

Traditional Rivals

The Breakers The Devourers