Deolater

Not to be confused with Deolaters.

First Appearance and Context

Within the Cloister iconography of a math, “Deolater” appears among named general types, listed alongside figures such as the Physiologer, the Burger, and the Sline. Separately, during Apert at an open gate, an observer labels a shouting outsider who sought recruits for an ark as “some sort of a Deolater,” later referring to him simply as “the Deolater.”

Concept and Description

• Iconographic sense: a named archetype depicted within Cloister art and decoration; no doctrine or depiction details are given in the text beyond its inclusion among general types.
• Usage as a label: in narration, “Deolater” is used to tag extramuros proselytizers from arks. This usage aligns with the existence of the plural community Deolaters, but the text keeps any equivalence between the iconographic type and that community ambiguous (treated here as conjecture based on context rather than an asserted identity).

Use in Current Discourse

• During preparations for travel outside the walls, a volunteer driver was identified as “some kind of Deolater” from a counter‑Bazian ark; whether this specifically meant an adherent of the Warden of Heaven was not known at the time (explicitly uncertain in the account).
• In prior gate interactions, the label has been applied to proselytizers addressing avout during Apert, reinforcing its colloquial use for ark‑affiliated recruiters.
• In a messal conversation about God across multiple worlds, a servitor punctuated his affirmation with a hand gesture that the narrator recognized as “some kind of Deolater superstition.” The meaning of the gesture is not explained, but it indicates an association—at least in the narrator’s mind—between such gestures and Deolater practice.
• At the nascent center dedicated to Saunt Orolo, a practical rule of thumb was stated: Deolaters are welcome as long as they are not certain they are right; once someone is sure, there is no point to their presence in that setting.
• During the laying of a cornerstone on the island, when a solar‑tracked clock trigger neared its moment, a request went out to “ask any Deolaters” present to pray that the mechanism would hold; this implies some Deolaters were among the attendees and reflects how others regard their prayer practice.
• In a formal address at the same gathering, a mathic speaker contrasted a naturalistic sense of “miracle” with “the Deolaters’ ” usage; this was framed as a difference in language and emphasis rather than a settled doctrinal claim.

Related Concepts and Affiliations

• Plural community: see Deolaters for the extramuros religious group associated with arks.
• Counter‑movements and denominations: mentions of “counter‑Bazian” arks place some so‑called Deolaters in contrast with the Bazian Church; other instances associate the label with currents such as the Warden of Heaven.
• Boundary of usage: the label is applied to people operating extramuros, typically beyond a math’s gates.

Current Status

Present as a named iconographic type and as a living label used by avout for certain outside proselytizers. Formal doctrinal ties, if any, remain unspecified in the text.