Orithenans

First Appearance and Context

Within the Hylaean Way’s Diorama Chamber, the Orithenans are presented as the scholarly community gathered at the Temple of Orithena. Adrakhones is credited with turning Orithena into a temple dedicated to exploring the Hylaean Theoric World; the gallery shows a second entrance to symbolize visitors who came in from among the Deolaters seeking to reconcile their ideas with those of Orithena’s tradition.

Roles/Actions and Affiliations

• The Orithenans are described as using numbers in a disciplined, non‑mystical way in pursuit of insights about the Hylaean Theoric World.
• Over time the temple was infiltrated by “Enthusiasts” who misunderstood this use of number. A fresco shows Diax seizing a rake to drive such Enthusiasts from the temple after the singing of The Anathem; afterward, he “ran the place,” coined the term theorics, and his followers called themselves “theors.” The principle later called Diax's Rake is invoked as a reminder not to accept claims merely because they are appealing.

Relationships

• Place: Centered on Orithena.
• Dialogue with others: The displays emphasize engagement with visitors from the Deolaters.
• Legacy within the mathic world: Diax’s reforms connect the Orithenans’ tradition to the community later referred to as the Theors.

Descriptions/Characteristics

• Presented as a disciplined, theory‑oriented community focused on abstract inquiry rather than devotional number‑worship.
• Associated with choral practice at the temple, including the singing of the Anathem.

Current Status/Location

The exhibits depict the destruction of the temple in the eruption of Ecba and then a Peregrin period that follows. The Orithenans are thus shown as a historical school whose practices fed into later mathic traditions rather than as an active institution in the present.