Normally, I would have let it pass without comment; however, since it involved many of the senior monks, I paid attention.
As you might expect, many alternatives were suggested (Angel, Archangel, etc.). However, certain misgivings were expressed about adding levels with titles based too heavily on Western Religions.
Having similar misgivings and wanting to avoid offending members of our order with different belief systems, I came up with an idea that should appeal to most of us.
Instead of borrowing too heavily from a given mythology or belief system. Why not borrow a concept common to many philosophies/cultures: totemic incarnations.
What follows is a proposal that uses this idea, mixes in a few concepts/titles from other philosophies, and borrows heavily from a source that, as a former Calculus prof. used to say, "should be casual to the most obvious observer." (I've also taken the liberty of suggesting XP requirements and so on.):
| Level | Title | XP Required | Votes |
| 11 | Demigod | 3900 | 45 |
| 12 | Spirit of the Gecko | 5000 | 50 |
| 13 | Servant of the Llama | 6400 | 50 |
| 14 | Messenger of the Rat | 8000 | 50 |
| 15 | Speaker of the Cheetah | 10000 | 50 |
| 16 | Mystic of the Ram | 13000 | 50 |
| 17 | Sage of the Wolf | 18000 | 50 |
| 18 | Avatar of the Panther | 25000 | 50 |
| 19 | Incarnation of the Camel | 35000 | 50 |
| 20 | Master | 50000 | 50 |
Miscellaneous Notes and Comments:
You'll note that I've capped the votes at 50, which I can't imagine anyone actually spending on a regular basis.
At level 10, you lose the "login bonus"
At Level 15, you lose bonus for voting.
At Level 20, you have all the recognition you need (I hope).
Should it become necessary to add additional levels, it *would* be possible to add additional totems (Ostrich, Titi, Eagle, Prairie Dog, etc.) though I really hope we're not quite that hard up for lives. *broad grin*
Comments? Feedback?
--f