Of all the real-world military orders (or classes, or categories, etc.), past and present, regardless of location, creed, or purpose, which would you consider the closest in nature to Morrowind's Ordinators (particularly the Ordinators of Vvardenfell)?

For example, the Imperial Legion most closely resembles the ancient Roman Imperial Army. The Buoyant Armigers most closely resemble the samurai of feudal Japan. You can apply this kind of thing to many of the factions of the Elder Scrolls.

Just consider the nature, lore, and function of the Ordinators and give me some input, and it would be much appreciated. :]

It's considered tacky to try and match something to it's stereotypical origins because it ignores what sets them apart. Though if you must, I'd look towards West Asia. The masks and armor style have some resemblance there but I'm pulling blanks on any sort of religious orders.

Armigers and Samurai? What the hell? The Armigers are not feudal landholding aristocrats- they're religious LARPers.

G*y-Samurai, remember?

They resemble the Samurai in their aesthetics. When they aren't warriors, they are poets, they arrange flowers, ect. But as I mentioned, this is the downside of trying to match one group to another.

Ordinators = ?

Fill in the blank?

Ordinators = Scum detectors?

Ordinators= Some form of Asian mixed with Marines.

Probably the closest anologues to the Ordinators would be medieval orders such as the Templars.

The Swiss Guards of Vatican City are somewhat similar but not fanatics, of course.

The Santa Hermandad.

I'd say an army of concubines. Near absolute loyalty to their liege as my main arguement.

Your suggestion has caught my interest.

Is there any way you could provide a link to a detailed history of the Holy Hermandad? Those few articles that I've managed to find do not go into detail.

Not templars, but definately some form of the Crusaders.

I don't have a good source detailing just them. They were mentioned several times in the book Don Quixote and from the way the peasants talked about them along with how they were presented when Don Quixote actually meets them, they seemed quite a lot like the ordinators.

http://www.answers.com/topic/hermandad

The Varangian Guard.

http://www.wraithdt-artcentral.com/images/Artwork/2D/Varangian_Guard.jpg

They do belong to the Tribunal Temple (and that is their assigned faction in the CS), so it would have to be likened to a holy order. Other than maintaining law and order in holy cities, their job description include watching over other holy sites and repressing all forms of heresy and worship of the Bad Daedra.

A slightly-less-powerful and more-militaristic Spanish Inquisition? I mean, they even have the Ministry of Truth (and it's 'Grand Inquisitor') to deal with heretics.

Nords under those masks would be surprising.

I dunno about Morrowind but they wouldn't be out of place in First Hold. Maybe not right now, but after Rome there was the Orthodox Byzantine Empire.

So Altmer and Icons anybody?

---

Also Pelinal = Iron Man. Great Movie.

Some elements from the Templars would fit well, but only starting from the time they became officially recognized by the Church and before they started getting very rich and then hunted down by the Inquisition. The whole economics aspect that emerged later, when they started doing a whole lot less fighting and whole lot more banking, doesn't fit too well with the Ordinators.

They were an Order of holy fighters, acting on behalf of the Church, but were a seperate entity not under its direct authority, like the Ordinators are within the Temple. Membership in the Church didn't automatically give membership in the Order, like the Tribunal Temple and the Ordinators.

Unlike the Ordinators, their Orders were seperated by locations (about 10, I think), not by fields. However, all Orders answered to the leader of the whole organization, who was called Grand Master.

They had lots of really strict rules about everything, from what they had they right to say, what they could eat and when, about not touching women, about not having fun in general, about not wearing shoe laces, etc. I highly suspect Ordinators have such rules, judging how grumpy and uptight they are.

They had a very strong attachment to their uniform and had rules about wearing it, things they were not allowed to do if they did not wear their uniform, even when they were alone. Again, Ordinators are very touchy about their holy uniform.

Maybe a little bit from the Templars and a little bit from the Inquisition?

I'd say the Templars would be the closest version, at least in their begining then they were tasked with protecting the pilgrims and holy sites rather than defending the whole latin realms. They're almost par for the course when it comes to religious dedication, military training and the like.

With a measure of current world mutawi (saudi religious police) or padsaran (iranian guardians of the (islamic) revolution) thrown in about heir for their actual duties and open-mindedness.

Some combination of bailiff, knightly order (of which there are different kinds than just the knights templar, folks) and inquisitor. There's no clear real world anologue, and think trying to find one is only going to lead to I-read-a-book syndrome.

I'd just like to specify about the Templars: it's normal that people focus of them more then on other orders. They're by far the most famous one. Personally, I focused on it more because the other most notable christian knight orders, like the Teutonic Knights and the Hospitaliers, usually had a strong focus on healing and care.

And the Templars' particular rules and attitude regarding outfit just freak me out. Like not being allowed to drink water unless you wear your uniform, even if you're alone in the woods or one of your highest ranking knight being the one in charge of washing said uniforms. It just seems like something the Ordinators would have.

But several of the things mentionned about the Templars are indeed shared by several orders of knights, especially concerning organization and I agree completely with Albides; the Ordinators seem to be a patchwork of several real organisations, not a single source.

Crap, i was going to say that

It's impossible to compare any TES Ordors to RL ones.

TES is completly unique.

Now time to sit back and watch as this thread devolves in deranged pit of flaming like they always do.

TES isn't completely unique. It just draws on a more diverse range of sources than most things.

NOTHING is completely unique. This is provable -- correlations can be drawn between any given thing and a preexisting idea.

Just to make my point even more clear: Other games have dark elves, wood elves, high elves, vikings and cat-people. These games mostly predate TES, often by several years. The lore draws on multiple mythological and religious sources, and the factions often have close real-world anologues.

I forget who said it but there really IS nothing new under the sun. Just different aesthetically pleasing arrangements of the same old things.

That said, the Ordinators have MANY close relatives throughout history. The Knights Templar, etc. have already been mentioned, but there are others too. Can't think of the names but there was a very Ordinator-like Hindu sect... Something to do with either Shiva or Ganesha. Honestly can't remember, though. xx'

But they add cool twists.

Who would have tought that the Wood elves would eat nothing but meat

But yes i agree with you, nothing can be completly unique.

Stare blankly at a copy of the simallarion to find out why

It should be pointed out, if it hasn't been already done, that the Ordinators has several orders; militant scholars, temple guards, inquisitors, and soldiers.