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Copyright 1999 by Brant
Casavant More information can be found on the Mechanus Pages "Congratulations! You scored a 72 on the Mathematician Entrance Examination, which means that you have passed the test! You are now considered a 'Thousandth Place' Mathematician, what a layperson would refer to as a 'student', and therefore we confer to you all the respect and responsibility worthy of someone in your station. -- An acceptance letter from the Mathematicians. Sect History The Mathematicians are relatively young, as far as sects go. About three-hundred years ago there lived Guvner by the name of Rikard the Logical. Rikard loved law and order just as much as the next Guvner, but he had a different spin on the whole "structured multiverse" theory. While his comrades were out attempting to understand the laws of the multiverse, Rikard was contemplating the math of it all. He would sit in his office for hours, days even, working out the most complex mathematical formulas that Guvners had ever seen. When asked what he was trying to solve, he would reply, "The Multiverse, of course!" "3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939 - A new recruit's answer to Question 109 on the Mathematician Entrance Exam, which read "Carry 'pi' out to as many decimal places as you can without using a quill, ink or paper." Near the end of Rikard's life, he decided that the Mathematicians should have a base of operations, a set, specific location that all Mathematicians could go to study, or exchange ideas and information without having to wait for weeks and weeks for a letter to arrive. He called together his original followers, who were the greatest minds of the Mathematicians at the time, and this think-tank of mathematical genius went to work on finding the perfect location for the Mathematician's headquarters. Nine months later, Rikard sent messages to all Mathematicians everywhere, declaring that they had devised the absolute perfect location for the Mathematician base. The letter included directions on how to get there, and orders to leave as soon as possible for the location given in the directions. "The half life of one of our theories is about three weeks!" - (Only?) joke told by members of the Mathematicians sect
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The Sectol Sectols in the Mathematicians are not called "Sectols". They are referred to as the "Prime Digit", or often just the "Digit". The Digit of the Mathematicians is selected by the previous Digit. Thus, before Rikard died, he chose one of his most intelligent pupils to take his place, and then that one chose his favourite, and so on. The current Prime Digit of the Mathematicians is Laretuous Quinton. Laretuous has been the Digit for about eight years now, and he's the youngest Sectol to date, aged only thirty-one years. Laretuous Quinton Male Human Planar Sect Headquarters Mechanus, of course. Where else would a bunch of mathematical geniuses hang out? Role-playing the Mathematicians It's natural to assume that playing a Mathematician isn't all that fun. Unless, of course, you really, really, really like maths. But in actuality, playing a Mathematician could be an enjoyable experience. Not all Mathematicians hide in their houses and do math problems all day long. Some of them go out and explore the Planes, collecting data that they can use to solve The Problem. To this end, Mathematicians generally tag along with adventuring parties, offering their information and brainpower in return for muscle and protection. Most Mathematicians are wizards of some sort, so they can also use their magical powers to help the group they ally themselves with. Membership You have to be really smart. Brilliant, even. Canny doesn't even begin to describe your average Mathematician member. First, a potential Mathematician has to apply for membership, whereupon he is evaluated for one month by the local Tenth Digit (see below). If the Tenth deems the spiv worthy, then the potential Mathematician must take a test which lasts (generally) a week. During the test, the inductee gets half-hour breaks at 6 B.P., Noon, and 6 A.P., as well as a five hour rest period to sleep. All other time is spent doing the test, called the Mathematician Entrance Examination. As a game rule, anyone with an Intelligence below 17 will generally fail the test. When the test is complete, it is graded by the local Tenth, and if the inductee gets a 70 or higher, he is officially accepted by the sect. Structure The Mathematicians' organisation is similar to most factions or sects, with a few slight modifications. The Mathematician structure is set up like a pyramid. At the very bottom are the namers of the sect, which are referred to as Thousandth Digits, or just Thousandth. Above the Thousandth there are the factotums, called Hundredth Digits. Each Hundredth is responsible for ten Thousandth, who must send monthly reports to their Hundredth detailing their activities and discoveries they've made. Above the Hundredth Digits are the factors, dubbed Tenth Digits. There are only five Tenth Digits at any one time in the Mathematicians, and any blood brilliant enough to make it that high stays there for life. Finally, above all these is the sector, called the Prime Digit. "I must be mad! what you're saying is starting to make sense!" - Thul the Bleaker to a Mathematician Allies & Enemies The Mathematicians get along very well with the Fraternity of Order, their parent faction. The two groups constantly exchange information and ideas, and both have been known to recommend potential recruits to the other. Advantages and Disadvantages Well, just being a Mathematician means that you're one of the smartest bloods around (Intelligence of 17 just to get in!). Plus, if you have an Intelligence of 17, you're probably a spellslinger, which means you get all kinds of neat bonuses. Current Chant Chant has it that the Mathematicians are just one decimal point or raised dot away from finishing The Problem -- which means they can then start solving it. Sure, it may take them another three hundred years to do so, but if the chant's to be believed, they're a lot closer then the rest of the factions to calculating the secrets of the Multiverse. |