Lore:Ordinators

From left to right: High Ordinator, Ordinator, and Night Raid Ordinator

The Ordinators (sometimes called Temple Ordinators) were the holy guards and priest-soldiers of the Tribunal Temple led by the Alma Rula. They are divided into four distinct orders. The Order of the Watch provided guards for temples and shrines, and additionally acted as town guards in Temple-owned settlements such as Vivec City. They were responsible for enforcing Temple law, along with Imperial law following the Armistice. The Order of War (also known as the Militant Ordinators) fought the enemies of the Temple, with most War Ordinators traditionally stationed near Red Mountain to combat the forces of the Sixth House. The Order of the Inquisition identifies and suppresses heresy among priests and laymen within the Temple. The Order of Doctrine and Ordination are militant scholars who opposed the Nerevarine Prophecies and other dissident teachings.

The Ordinators were founded by Saint Olms the Just, the patron saint of House Indoril. The ranks of the Ordinators are primarily drawn from House Indoril, whose influence can be seen in their distinctive style of armor. They are the rivals of the more light-hearted Buoyant Armigers. All four orders obey the commands of the Alma Rula, stationed in the city of Almalexia. The High Ordinators are the finest and most zealous of the Ordinators, chosen to serve as the protectors of Mournhold with the Ordinators on Vvardenfell being those unfit to serve in Mournhold, but still being fierce warriors. They replaced the Hands of Almalexia and the Order of the Watch as the guards of Mournhold sometime after the Alliance War.

Equipment

Ordinator's gavel, helm, and gauntlet (Legends)

Indoril armor is the ornate heavy armor style worn by Ordinators, a military order of knights in service of the Tribunal Temple. Gold leaf details the pauldrons, bracers, and helm of this insect-shell laminate armor. So many Ordinators come from House Indoril that the armor style is known as 'Indoril' armor, though knights of all Great Houses may serve as Ordinators.

The Indoril armor worn by the Ordinators is forbidden from use by non-Ordinators in certain parts of Morrowind, as they will be marked for death under Temple law. Some, however, have been given the honor to don Ordinator gear, the Hands of Almalexia can be of any race. Some participants of blood sports from the Circle of Champions, composed of the Pit Daemons, Fire Drakes, and Storm Lords teams, have been known to wear Ordinator armor styled after the Order of War, but dyed to their team's respective colors. Furthermore, representatives of the teams have been known to sell the knowledge of crafting Ordinator armor to those that have earned the most honored of participants. The armor is medium weight, highly protective, usually dark golden, and consists of a distinctive face mask which serves to identify those who wear it as guards. The face mask depicts the true visage of Indoril Nerevar, a hero to the Dunmer. The uniform worn by the High Ordinators is white and blue rather than gold-colored, and matches that worn by the Hands of Almalexia (although without the divine enchantments received by the Hands). When operating in dark conditions, Ordinators don black Night-Raid armor as camouflage.

Duties

During the Interregnum, the Ordinators enforced a ban on any "heterodox religious practice" within the city limits of Vivec City, including veneration of the Eight Divines or Hist sap, bloodsport in the name of Malacath, and any Daedric or moon sugar rituals. Citizens found guilty of any of these acts would be jailed and subjected to corporal reeducation, while non-citizens would be exiled or even executed. Any literature found relating to these acts would also be burnt in the Pyres of Purification. All bardic songs also had to be first approved by the Ministry of Doctrine and Ordination, with any heretical work being burnt in the Pyres of Purification.

The Ordinators were historically responsible for guarding Morrowind's many isolated Daedric ruins in order to discourage heretical worship of the House of Troubles. As the threat from Dagoth Ur began to grow in the late Third Era, the Ordinators were no longer able to carry out this function, leading to many ruins on Vvardenfell becoming occupied by hostile Daedric cults.

After the rise of the New Temple, the Ordinators were disbanded, and any remaining adherents were persecuted by the New Temple as heretics for their continued devotion to the Tribunal. However, the tradition continued to survive in secret. By 4E 201, a number of Ordinators guarded the hidden Tribunal temple at Ashfall's Tear on Solstheim. The last few surviving Hands of Almalexia were among their ranks.

Gallery

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  An Ordinator (Morrowind)

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  An Ordinator (ESO)

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  An Ordinator (Legends)

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  An Ordinator (Legends)

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  A High Ordinator (Tribunal)

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  An Ordinator (Skyrim Creation Club)

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  High Ordinator Fedris Hler (Tribunal)

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  High Ordinator Vermethys (ESO)

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  The Grand Inquisitor (Legends)

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  Concept art

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  Concept art

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  Saint Olms, founder of the Ordinators

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  Ordinator figurine (Morrowind Collector's Edition)

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Morrowind, Tribunal, Skyrim^CC, and Elder Scrolls Online articles.

Books

• Ordinator Edict by Inquisitor Nivos Uveran — Ordinator decrees for the citizens of Vivec

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.