Enthusiasts

First Appearance and Context

The Enthusiasts are mentioned in the narrative of the Hylaean Way exhibits when describing events at the Halls of Orithena. In that account, Diax confronts fortune‑casters and expels the Enthusiasts from the temple precincts.

Roles/Actions and Affiliations

• Described as people who misunderstood how Orithenans used numbers, inventing number‑worshipping practices instead of pursuing disciplined inquiry.
• Seen casting fortunes with dice at the temple; Diax seized a rake and drove them out.
• Following this purge, Diax established a clearer identity for disciplined inquiry: he coined the term theorics, and his followers called themselves Theors to contrast with the Enthusiasts.
• The principle associated with this shift is remembered as Diax's Rake, a caution against believing a thing merely because one prefers to believe it.

Relationships

• Opposed by Diax and contrasted with the community of Theors at Orithena.
• Function as a counterexample within teaching displays: a label for practices rejected by the Orithenan tradition.

Descriptions/Characteristics

• Presented as “number‑worshippers,” i.e., treating numbers and numerical games (such as fortune‑casting with dice) as vehicles for belief or divination rather than tools for clear reasoning.
• No formal offices, hierarchy, or symbols are given in the account; the term is used as a collective label rather than a chartered order.

Current Status/Location

• Shown as a historical cohort within exhibits; no present‑day organization or activity is described beyond their role in the story of Orithena and Diax.

Legacy and Cultural References

• The episode is cited in Vale-Lore (often shortened to “vlor”) as a cautionary example opposing number‑worship; the phrase “rake vlor” specifically invokes Diax’s expulsion of the Enthusiasts in drills and informal practice.