2. Severian

As an apprentice of the Order of the Seekers for Truth and Penitence, Severian describes the practices of the torturer’s guild. In particular, Severian indicates that the guild does not accept volunteers.  Instead, it draws its recruits from its pregnant prisoners or from orphans who arrive at the Matachin Tower.  Severian notes that in its prime the guild was large and staffed by both men and women.  Now, the Order is in decline with only two masters and twenty journeymen, all men.