"I've heard people mention it before, but only that this pattern is called [World]. I don't really know anything else."
For example, [Revelation] is that half arc divided by five lines, the pattern rendered in bright white, its meaning generally leaning toward positive virtues.
[Iron Crown] is a similar pattern, except it shows up in blood-red within the design, its meaning leaning toward negative torment.
As for the mark used by the Ascension Sect, you can understand it as [Anti-Revelation], it's just the pattern flipped upside down.
You can basically see that all these messy patterns are parts, or variants, of the complete [World] pattern.
It's somewhat like the Church's cross, which, after many years of development, has all kinds of bizarre cross forms, each containing different meanings.
As for why Lance knows about [World], that has to be traced back to an old acquaintance...
