The Pleasures & Mysteries

The Mysteries were originally formed by the merchants of Nem in order to regulate trade and protect customers from frauds. Each person wishing to trade goods had to become a member of the relevant Mystery and pay a small tithe to cover the cost of policing the trade. Over the years the Mysteries have become corrupt and with the small income from the tithes no longer satisfactory, Pleasures have been invented, the control of which regulates everyone’s lives. For example, if someone wants to paint in colour or use a different ingredient in their food, then they need to buy the Pleasure to enable them to do so.

There are five Mysteries:

• The First Mystery has the power over touch so it controls the production of cloth and tailoring
• The Second Mystery has the power over the sense of smell so it controls the production of perfumes and cosmetics
• The Third Mystery has the power over the sense of hearing and so it controls entertainment
• The Fourth Mystery has the power over taste so it controls agriculture and the supply of food and drink
• The Fifth Mystery has the power over the sense of sight so it controls the use of colour.