Post by Head Moderator on Feb 5, 2015 16:01:18 GMT -5
MAJOR ORGANIZATIONS & LEGENDS
The Blessed Order of the Six
This knightly order honors all six primal gods, but allows membership of any worshippers of any good or aligned god or goddess as it's focus is "good" in general. It is led by a Council of Six, one of which is called the Lord Protector and acts as a "chairman" of the Council. The headquarters of the Blessed Order of the Six is in Navahla, based out of the The Sanctuary. While this is a Sarkotos based knightly order, the Blessed Order of the Six is well-known in the more civilized areas of the mainland such as Bryony, Kyngfeld, Zyon, and Doxenia.
Current Six
Lord Protector, Sir Richard Bluevale
Dame Ada Kai
Sir Palma Owen
Sir Bradwen Jeffers
Sir Alec Edain
Dame Violetta Renfrew
The Mark of the Falcon
These are the elite knights of Sarkotos, the sworn and bodyguards of the Crown, and protectors of the castle in Navahla. They are also asked at times to protect visiting dignitaries. Honed to a sharpness rivaling their swords, the Mark's number is kept relatively small, numbering no more than one hundred at any given time. They are fiercely loyal to each other as well as the Crown. Every member of The Mark is given an elaborate tattoo of a falcon's head as part of their initiation ceremonies, which are intense. The heirarchy of The Mark breaks them down into two groups of fifty each called a "Hilt". Each Hilt is broken down into "Bastions" of ten members each. Each bastion is then broken into a "Shield" of five men, one of which is the "Shield Commander".
Motto: "Our life, our honor, for the Crown of Sarkotos."
The Doyle Clan
The Doyle Clan's sinister influence can be found throughout Sarkotos in the larger cities, including Navahla. While most criminal organizations resort to thuggery to earn their coin, not so the Doyle Clan. Protection rackets and smuggling contraband traditionally make the most money for the Doyle Clan-- as the family's oldtimers say, "Common criminals rob and kill, we provide services to the community, and all we ask is a little gold and respect in return." Extortion earns a good income, blackmail is also preferred. Those that pay are declared "untouchable" and they promise dire consequences to any other criminal harassing the protected businesses. When someone crosses the Doyle clan, the person's wife, father, son or other close relative simply vanishes. A vanished person is never found. The person that crossed the Doyle clan is left to wonder forever what horrible fate his loved one met.
Ranks:
Novice
Sneakthief
Streetkeeper
Core Member
Knife of the Clan
Inner Circle
Flyeal Gang
The Flyeal Gang is a local criminal organization. This gang of thugs and criminals has their hand in more than just the doings of Navahla; where they take a percentage of almost every establishment in Hagswyld and Canterley Lows. The Flyeal Gang are ruthless; torturing and murdering those who do not cooperate with them.
Ranks:
Recruit
Bully
Henchman
Lieutenant
Leader
Ringleader
Boss
Maul Rats
The seedy parts of Navahla, and the sewers are home to the Maul Rats. The Maul Rats. Their reputation for ferocity in combat combines with their seedy appearance and rough living to make them dangerous and different. The Maul Rats, traditionally takers of the dirtiest, most dangerous assignments, frequently need to replenish their ranks - the average Maul Rat has a quite low life expectancy. They allow women and non-humans to join, something hitherto unheard of, and ask few questions about a recruit´s personal history, beyond what skills he has that might prove useful. A new recruit is given a nickname - usually tinged with a dark sense of humor and referring to some aspect of the recruit´s personality - and is never again referred to by any other name.
Some nicknames: Switch, Sparks, Coin, Filch
Ranks:
Squeaker
Mouser
Mauler
Big Cheese
Guild of the Ivory Lily
This is Navahla's prostitutes guild, led by "Lady Crimson". Prostitutes and brothels may register with the Guild of the Ivory Lily, and are able to charge higher rates, though there are certain standards that must be kept. One of which is that all prostitutes must have monthly checks from a healer for illness and disease, and also that a prostitute cannot be fired for simply becoming undesirable. Prostitutes registered with the guild are known collectively as "Lilies". It is, for all intents and purposes, a whore's union.
CRIMSON TORCH BROTHEL
The Crimson Torch, the headquarters of the Guild of the Ivory Lily is a large, temple-like building, located at the northern edge of Greenlord Run. The building itself is simple and rectangular, built in a stark, ungainly style, heavily overgrown with ivy and with high, narrow window slits and squat pillars. Two blocky, crenellated towers protrude from each end of the central building, giving it a subtly regal appearance. The massive, stark bulk of the Crimson Torch looms over the haphazard, stunted architecture and labyrinthine vista of rooftops that crowds it on three sides.
The house is set back from the lane with a large, cobbled forecourt and colonnaded walkways; all built in the same alien style as the house itself, and covered in the ever-present ivy. A large, sculpted fountain stands in the middle of the court, a mass of cherubic beings carved lovingly from cold marble. If one was to look at the cherubs more closely, however, one would notice that some of the activities that the sculpted angelics engage in are extremely un-cherubic-like.
The forecourt and the square beyond it are always full of women in the petticoats of the Guild, and their customers. A garden band on a small stage plays discreet music, and sometimes a party of gaily dressed jugglers, sword-swallowers and fire-eaters entertain the crowd. The area is always brightly lit, even in the small hours, and has more a feel of a perpetual garden party (or a fashionable open-air café) than a brothel.
The women conduct their business in the many comfortable rooms in the house itself, or in the alleys around the house if the customer so desires something a little more public. The bargaining and its conclusion are often conducted in semi-publicity. To see a woman and her customer doing their business up against a brick wall, half-obscured by the shadows of a gate or in an alcove in the gardens, is a regular sight at all hours, and draw little attention. There is no false modesty here, only business as usual.
In the daytime, when regular business is slow, the poor comes to the house for food and basic medical care. The Guild operates a soup kitchen, shelter and small hospital for the homeless, old and sick of the city.
The Lilies
The women are no common prostitutes, but see their business more as a means to an end. They are privy to many state-secrets (mostly acquired through their customers´ pillow-talk), and have also hoarded a great amount of arcane knowledge. The Guild take great care to keep a record of secrets gleaned from their customers, which makes them untouchable, both in the eyes of the government (who is quite aware of the secrets the Guild could make public, should it be given reason to do so) and the public, who treat them with a complex, paradoxical mixture of respect, fear, adoration and contempt.
The prostitution business is also extremely lucrative, making the guild one of the richest institutions in the City, as well as one with good political connections. The Guild plays a delicate game of balance and sleight-of-hand with the government in order to stay untouchable and in business.
Sarkotos Academy of the Blade
The Academy of the Blade is the military academy of Sarkotos. Usually those of noble birth are the only ones that can obtain high rank, but it is open to all who wish to develop combat skills beyond that of a common soldier. The Academy of the Blade is located in Navahla.
The Arcanum Guardians
The Arcanum Guardians are the largest mage organization in Sarkotos. They are not only good at magic, they're also quite skilled at political espionage. Little that goes on within Sarkotos escapes its gaze, and some say they work hand in hand with the Insiders. Joining the Guardians is practically a requirement for high level magic-users in Sarkotos who want to make a name for themselves, both for access to their facilities and for the knowledgable support they provide. Members of the Guardians are required to wear the scarlet and gold robes provided on official business. If a member is not wearing the Robes, he will not be recognized as a member- in fact, members in uniform will refuse to speak to him until he dons his uniform.
Long Death Monks
Monks of the Long Death take advantage of any poor and abandoned districts in larger cities, establishing schools in old warehouses or abandoned buildings. Their existence isn't exactly public, but the players on the political landscape of Sarkotos hope to use the monks for their own ends instead of making enemies of them.
The Blessed Order of the Six
This knightly order honors all six primal gods, but allows membership of any worshippers of any good or aligned god or goddess as it's focus is "good" in general. It is led by a Council of Six, one of which is called the Lord Protector and acts as a "chairman" of the Council. The headquarters of the Blessed Order of the Six is in Navahla, based out of the The Sanctuary. While this is a Sarkotos based knightly order, the Blessed Order of the Six is well-known in the more civilized areas of the mainland such as Bryony, Kyngfeld, Zyon, and Doxenia.
Current Six
Lord Protector, Sir Richard Bluevale
Dame Ada Kai
Sir Palma Owen
Sir Bradwen Jeffers
Sir Alec Edain
Dame Violetta Renfrew
The Mark of the Falcon
These are the elite knights of Sarkotos, the sworn and bodyguards of the Crown, and protectors of the castle in Navahla. They are also asked at times to protect visiting dignitaries. Honed to a sharpness rivaling their swords, the Mark's number is kept relatively small, numbering no more than one hundred at any given time. They are fiercely loyal to each other as well as the Crown. Every member of The Mark is given an elaborate tattoo of a falcon's head as part of their initiation ceremonies, which are intense. The heirarchy of The Mark breaks them down into two groups of fifty each called a "Hilt". Each Hilt is broken down into "Bastions" of ten members each. Each bastion is then broken into a "Shield" of five men, one of which is the "Shield Commander".
Motto: "Our life, our honor, for the Crown of Sarkotos."
The Doyle Clan
The Doyle Clan's sinister influence can be found throughout Sarkotos in the larger cities, including Navahla. While most criminal organizations resort to thuggery to earn their coin, not so the Doyle Clan. Protection rackets and smuggling contraband traditionally make the most money for the Doyle Clan-- as the family's oldtimers say, "Common criminals rob and kill, we provide services to the community, and all we ask is a little gold and respect in return." Extortion earns a good income, blackmail is also preferred. Those that pay are declared "untouchable" and they promise dire consequences to any other criminal harassing the protected businesses. When someone crosses the Doyle clan, the person's wife, father, son or other close relative simply vanishes. A vanished person is never found. The person that crossed the Doyle clan is left to wonder forever what horrible fate his loved one met.
Ranks:
Novice
Sneakthief
Streetkeeper
Core Member
Knife of the Clan
Inner Circle
Flyeal Gang
The Flyeal Gang is a local criminal organization. This gang of thugs and criminals has their hand in more than just the doings of Navahla; where they take a percentage of almost every establishment in Hagswyld and Canterley Lows. The Flyeal Gang are ruthless; torturing and murdering those who do not cooperate with them.
Ranks:
Recruit
Bully
Henchman
Lieutenant
Leader
Ringleader
Boss
Maul Rats
The seedy parts of Navahla, and the sewers are home to the Maul Rats. The Maul Rats. Their reputation for ferocity in combat combines with their seedy appearance and rough living to make them dangerous and different. The Maul Rats, traditionally takers of the dirtiest, most dangerous assignments, frequently need to replenish their ranks - the average Maul Rat has a quite low life expectancy. They allow women and non-humans to join, something hitherto unheard of, and ask few questions about a recruit´s personal history, beyond what skills he has that might prove useful. A new recruit is given a nickname - usually tinged with a dark sense of humor and referring to some aspect of the recruit´s personality - and is never again referred to by any other name.
Some nicknames: Switch, Sparks, Coin, Filch
Ranks:
Squeaker
Mouser
Mauler
Big Cheese
Guild of the Ivory Lily
This is Navahla's prostitutes guild, led by "Lady Crimson". Prostitutes and brothels may register with the Guild of the Ivory Lily, and are able to charge higher rates, though there are certain standards that must be kept. One of which is that all prostitutes must have monthly checks from a healer for illness and disease, and also that a prostitute cannot be fired for simply becoming undesirable. Prostitutes registered with the guild are known collectively as "Lilies". It is, for all intents and purposes, a whore's union.
CRIMSON TORCH BROTHEL
The Crimson Torch, the headquarters of the Guild of the Ivory Lily is a large, temple-like building, located at the northern edge of Greenlord Run. The building itself is simple and rectangular, built in a stark, ungainly style, heavily overgrown with ivy and with high, narrow window slits and squat pillars. Two blocky, crenellated towers protrude from each end of the central building, giving it a subtly regal appearance. The massive, stark bulk of the Crimson Torch looms over the haphazard, stunted architecture and labyrinthine vista of rooftops that crowds it on three sides.
The house is set back from the lane with a large, cobbled forecourt and colonnaded walkways; all built in the same alien style as the house itself, and covered in the ever-present ivy. A large, sculpted fountain stands in the middle of the court, a mass of cherubic beings carved lovingly from cold marble. If one was to look at the cherubs more closely, however, one would notice that some of the activities that the sculpted angelics engage in are extremely un-cherubic-like.
The forecourt and the square beyond it are always full of women in the petticoats of the Guild, and their customers. A garden band on a small stage plays discreet music, and sometimes a party of gaily dressed jugglers, sword-swallowers and fire-eaters entertain the crowd. The area is always brightly lit, even in the small hours, and has more a feel of a perpetual garden party (or a fashionable open-air café) than a brothel.
The women conduct their business in the many comfortable rooms in the house itself, or in the alleys around the house if the customer so desires something a little more public. The bargaining and its conclusion are often conducted in semi-publicity. To see a woman and her customer doing their business up against a brick wall, half-obscured by the shadows of a gate or in an alcove in the gardens, is a regular sight at all hours, and draw little attention. There is no false modesty here, only business as usual.
In the daytime, when regular business is slow, the poor comes to the house for food and basic medical care. The Guild operates a soup kitchen, shelter and small hospital for the homeless, old and sick of the city.
The Lilies
The women are no common prostitutes, but see their business more as a means to an end. They are privy to many state-secrets (mostly acquired through their customers´ pillow-talk), and have also hoarded a great amount of arcane knowledge. The Guild take great care to keep a record of secrets gleaned from their customers, which makes them untouchable, both in the eyes of the government (who is quite aware of the secrets the Guild could make public, should it be given reason to do so) and the public, who treat them with a complex, paradoxical mixture of respect, fear, adoration and contempt.
The prostitution business is also extremely lucrative, making the guild one of the richest institutions in the City, as well as one with good political connections. The Guild plays a delicate game of balance and sleight-of-hand with the government in order to stay untouchable and in business.
Sarkotos Academy of the Blade
The Academy of the Blade is the military academy of Sarkotos. Usually those of noble birth are the only ones that can obtain high rank, but it is open to all who wish to develop combat skills beyond that of a common soldier. The Academy of the Blade is located in Navahla.
The Arcanum Guardians
The Arcanum Guardians are the largest mage organization in Sarkotos. They are not only good at magic, they're also quite skilled at political espionage. Little that goes on within Sarkotos escapes its gaze, and some say they work hand in hand with the Insiders. Joining the Guardians is practically a requirement for high level magic-users in Sarkotos who want to make a name for themselves, both for access to their facilities and for the knowledgable support they provide. Members of the Guardians are required to wear the scarlet and gold robes provided on official business. If a member is not wearing the Robes, he will not be recognized as a member- in fact, members in uniform will refuse to speak to him until he dons his uniform.
Long Death Monks
Monks of the Long Death take advantage of any poor and abandoned districts in larger cities, establishing schools in old warehouses or abandoned buildings. Their existence isn't exactly public, but the players on the political landscape of Sarkotos hope to use the monks for their own ends instead of making enemies of them.