Daniel's caravan was much larger than Adrian expected. Besides their carriage, there were three other carriages- each used to house other members of the Order than Daniel- two storage wagons, a wagon for the guards, and four separate horses- they were used to lead from the back and the front- that lead from each side. In total, there were almost thirty people who were under Daniel's employment. Most of them were just guards, as the single wagon to hold them was large enough to hold ten of them. As such, there were always eight guards atop the horses on either end of the caravan while the other eight were resting in the large wagon.
Aside from the guards, Daniel also had eleven common civilians under his employment. Just over half of them were merchants, but there was also one chef, three servants under the command of the chef, and one squire. The squire acted as a servant for Daniel but acted less like a squire and more like a butler.
Over the first few days of their travel, Daniel took the time to explain the specifics of the Order, though he only did so while the three of them were in the carriage- under the safety net of whatever privacy they could gather.
"The Order is organized like a tree. The base of the tree is the one that leads the entire organization. That leader, who we call the Librarian, leads the entire Order. Their word is law. Below the Librarian are the Elders. They act as advice and counsel to the Librarian, but their orders are only just below the Librarian's."
"After the Elders, the Order is split into different sections. Each section- called a Chapter- of the Order is based on a specific area of Solarum. At the moment, there are four Chapters. The leaders of these Chapters are called Grand Masters. The ones directly under the Grand Masters are called Grand Marshals. They act as the second in command of a Chapter, but also the ones that oversee the training of new recruits."
"Underneath the Grand Marshals are the four Knighthoods of a Chapter. One Captain is given command of the Knighthood, each of which is split into smaller sections of the Chapter called an Inner Sanctum and led by a Lieutenant. Within each Inner Sanctum is one Outer Sanctum, which is led by a Sergeant," Daniel explained, "Within each Knighthood there are four Inner Sanctums- four Lieutenants. Within each Inner Sanctum are four Outer Sanctums- four Sergeants."
"That's more complicated than I'd like," Adrian admitted. He bent down and rubbed his temples, "So, simplified: The Librarian is in charge of the Order. The Elders advise the Librarian. The Order is split into four Chapters, each led by a Grand Master and a Grand Marshal. Each Chapter is split into four Knighthoods, each led by a Colonel. Each Knighthood is split into four Inner Sanctums, each led by a Captain. Each Inner Sanctum has four Outer Sanctums, led by a Sergeant," Adrian muttered, "Did I get all of that right?"
"Yes. Each Outer Sanctum has twenty-five Knights- that's what we call ordinary members. Whether they can fight or not doesn't matter, so long as they can get the job done," Daniel nodded, "Although the Order doesn't see much fighting if I'll be honest. We usually depend on espionage and corruption. Thanks to that, we keep our numbers low. The entire Order only has a little more than twenty-five thousand members."
"But the Order isn't a military?" Amber asked, "Why is it so organized?"
"We keep our members uninformed to prevent assassination. Back when we didn't, there were multiple broken links in the chain of command whenever members were looking for a promotion- usually only solved after a short scuffle in the ranks," Daniel answered, "You'll never know anybody higher ranked than your direct supervisor. Even a Captain doesn't know who their Grand Master is- only the Grand Marshal and their subordinates. This goes as far as the Grand Marshals, too. The other Grand Masters don't know who each other are. They've all met with the Librarian and the Elders, of course, but not with each other."
"But you're right, the Order isn't a military. Most of our members aren't members full-time. Some are Merchants, Guards, or even a Noble or two. They assist with the Order's business and get something in return," Daniel nodded, "You'll be one of the few who are members full-time, as you'll be working to protect the Order from harm. You won't be following the orders of a superior to carry out missions of corruption or espionage. Therefore, you won't be given a rank among the ones I've just stated. It wouldn't make sense. Instead, you'll be given new ranks. First, though, we have to visit the Librarian."
"The Librarian?" Amber gasped, "The one in charge of the whole thing? We get to meet him?"
"We're on our way to, right now. With his permission, we'll be creating a brand new chapter- one focused on combat, rather than espionage. Hopefully, he'll follow my advice to keep it small, so we don't make the Grand Masters nervous," Daniel muttered, though he sighed as he spoke. Adrian raised an eyebrow at that, then leaned forward and asked.
"Do you know them, the Librarian?" Adrian asked.
"Yes I do, though I won't tell you until you meet her," Daniel answered, "I'm one of the very few people who doesn't hold the rank of Grand Master, yet still knows her identity."
'Her?' Adrian smiled, 'Know I've grown curious.' He looked at Amber, who had a wild smile on her face.
"What rank do you hold in the Order?" Amber asked. Daniel laughed, then shook his head.
"At the moment, I work more as a consultant to the Order than an actual member, so it's accurate to say I'm not even a Knight. I do odd jobs for them- invent a few neat gadgets- they leave me alone to my research" he answered, "But the Librarian is a relative, so you could say I hold more power than even an Elder."
"Ah, such is the world of nepotism," Adrian sighed.
"Precisely," Daniel laughed. A moment later, he leaned back and shrugged his shoulders, "But our relationship isn't one you can call 'friendly'. She'll hear me out, most definitely, but it's questionable as to whether she'll honor my request."