Tag: path-emph-magus
Sable Magi (Dark Order)
Posted on November 23, 2021 in Steel-Realms
The institution maintains the Standard Occult Reliquary of the Steel Realms for members.
In exchange for unscrupulous service to the powers of darkness and evil, the Sable Magi gain occult knowledge and power. This is not a true “order” of wizards, just a label for a group that leverages the Unholy Trio’s desire for personal power. Many rationalize their choice as having no impact overall – the balance between light and dark is actually what is being served. A full 10 years of pledged service during which time they may say no only twice. After that, they are hunted and killed. The Sable mark makes them vulnerable to the powers of darkness. It is obscured and removed after 10 years of service. There are three to five sable “towers”; Some are caves, only 2 are actual towers in ruins of fallen cities in the east. This organization has a documented history.
A few times members of the Order of the Broken Sun have been mistaken for Sable Magi – sewing confusion and chaos. This has been on purpose at times and by accident others.
House Du’Orlok (martial mages of the Riverdans)
Posted on November 8, 2021 in Steel-Realms
The existence of House Du’Orlok is shrouded in absolute secrecy. Hiding right under the nose of House Malor of Dunstrand, it is a secret order serving a branch of the ruling line of the Riverdan of Monaides. Over time, an aura of “normalcy” surrounds their home, and it is remote and technically off limits to House Malor being in the Riverdans. They are known as militant mages – conjuring mystical weapons and armors, blowing things up, summoning creatures to do their bidding in support of protecting the Riverdan of Monaides, and trusted to be employed in secret by rulers of other Riverdans. The institution maintains the Standard Occult Reliquary of the Steel Realms for members.
Those who formed the House Du’Orlok are a countering force to House Malor in Dunstrand. The members of House Malor suspect the presence of these high art practitioners, but have not been able to prove anything – and even so, mostly ignore them as long as they stay in the Riverdans. They have a loose partnership with the magi of the Tower of the Cloud Gazers to the south.
The magi of the order generally wear armor, carry a wizard’s blade (slim sword/rapier), and some are known to use a shield. They have no known symbol, color, or ornaments – they work in secret as much as possible and do not advertise themselves.
Places of the Order
Basterson’s Mill
Orlok Keep
About/Chronicle of House Du’Orlok
Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability; Any attempt to know more than what's Pervasive will require a reference, source, knowledge, check, or access to someone who can get or provide either of these.
Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty
Members of the order present themselves as conjurers, wielders of magical power made manifest in the material.
Scarce Knowledge / Hard Difficulty
Thought to be exterminated as part of the Purge of the Hidden, the remainder of their order chose to go underground but found a means of living. Those who would not abide by its tenets were killed. A few individuals are thought to have survived and fled into the deep north. One order changed its ways, adopted a new Patron and continued on, marrying into the family that ruled Riverdan of Monaides.
Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty
Ehrameine The Promiser bargained with a great entity of Order in a place beyond the stars called the Fortress of One. In return for an everlasting expression of lawfulness and order and to promote such things, her bloodline was gifted with its power of the Aether Storm. A ritual would awaken it to be developed in any that possessed it, or it could be taught by a blood relation bound to it that could already practice its gifts. To abandon it is to kill the spark; it requires a major ritual to re-awaken. This ritual has multiple copies kept in Tower of the Stag and Basterson’s Mill – but none are allowed to leave the confines of the warded room they are in, in Orlok Keep.
All characts must replace one of their languages with “Wizard’s Masque” – they appear to employ low magic means and mask the presence of their high art capability. It can be scrutinized, unless a character gives up a full skill proficiency.
Guild of Solars (High Magistry Order of the Realms)
Posted on June 10, 2021 in Steel-Realms
A Standard Steel Realms Occult Order with standard benefits
– Command of Occult arcane powers and entities. The institution maintains the Standard Occult Reliquary of the Steel Realms for members.
The Guild of Solars is the largest and most wide-spread occult order in the Steel Realms. It has offices and satellites all over the realms, and where it is unwelcome by virtue of ordinances or agreements, it has used its considerable power with the High King to allow a non-occult branch of the order: The Solarian Scriveners.
- Occult Theme/Motif: None
Tower of the Cloud Gazers (southern heartlands)
Posted on May 24, 2021 in Steel-Realms
A Standard Steel Realms Occult Order with standard benefits
– Command of Occult arcane powers and entities. The institution maintains the Standard Occult Reliquary of the Steel Realms for members.
The Tower of the Cloud Gazers is an Illusion order in the southern heartlands, in the Duchy of Fhayl near the headwaters of the Falcon River – near the edge of the Edgelands of Umbak . It was founded in CY 6911. Mizras is openly venerated, and the partnership with the priesthood to study tactics and adapt them to their occult methods and practices is openly displayed. The priests of Mizras find the entire partnership odd, but amusing, and it feeds into their coffers as well.
Rumors swirl that there is some honoring of Malek, though nothing is openly displayed or practiced in such regard. The tower turns out about 5 magi every other year, that tithe to both the clergy of Mizras and their own order. A few become mercenary magi, and some are known to work with House Du’Orlok in the Riverdans of Dunstrand.
- Occult Theme/Motif: Flash and Crash of Blades
- Motto: NONE
- Symbol: NONE
- Periaptery: To denote the magus’ initial training, a face mask of black leather, stitched with a black tear on the inside for each rank in the order.
Talismanen: To denote the continued association, a red tear stitched on the opposite side, inside the mask. This tear is burned away if the affinity with the order is ever broken.
Internal Workings are Shrouded in Mystery: The actual operations of the order are shrouded in mystery, even from its apprentices. Like the school they focus on, they keep the workings a secret, or misdirect. When necessary, the order will send a representative as “Magus Blackwell” – similar to generic “Smith”. Titles, ranks, and accolades are ephemeral, illusory, they mean nothing. The age, gender, and real appearance is always hidden behind powerful illusions that have never been unmasked.
Locations
The “tower” refers to both the compound and tower it is part of. It houses a walled (11′) compound with a smithy and stable. A 7 story tower roughly 30’ at the base. Stables, barracks and training yards make up the rest. A small chapel to Mizras is on the west side of the tower. Inside the tower is noted that the windows on the outside do not match the ones inside. Supposedly there is only one entrance, the Shieldhouse – a small entry chamber connected to the base of the tower. A large set of double doors, single large, or sometimes a single small door bars the way into the tower. The stairwell at the center is called the Red Stairs – it is a place of magical traps and kill pockets that no one has ever survived. Two attempts have been made on public record, both ended in the quiet and bloody removal of all the attackers.
Order Staff: There are at least 10 wizard trainers (usually 12-13), 2 priests of Mizras dedicated to meshing the school with the warriors’ way, 2 warriors and their own apprentices learning to habituate themselves to magic.
Mundane Staff: Two dozen cooks, cleaners, teamsters and groomsmen support the order. There are beginner barracks outside the tower for first year students, then the barracks over the smithy and finally 1 level of the tower for the last two classes. The order manages 3 additional ‘refuges’ that are part of a battle temple of Mizras. These give them normal mundane support and safety. Only some basic healing, local knowledge books, and a few Teachings of War copies are stored in these places:
- 1 – Temple of the Final Rush in
- 2 – Firstspear Temple in
- 3 – Blackforge Temple in
Benefits
The order offers little support beyond initial knowledge and basic refuge.
In Good Standing: All powers granted by the institution are available as the rules allow, assuming they are in good standing with the occult institution and its bonds.
D20
ICoreD20 Power List
Incarna X Power List
About/Chronicle
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
Most Recent History
Commonly Understood Origins
Commonly Understood Development
General knowledge…
- Key Places
- Key Entities
- Key Concepts
Raenbal’s Revenge: Baron Raenbal’s son (of Fandelok), trained by the order, tried breaking in with elemental conjurings and a band of adventurers to loot the place in CY 8413. His remains were returned to his family, with no explanation. The Baron assembled a small mercenary army of nearly 50 and assaulted the tower to avenge his son. They all met the same fate – but all their gear was stripped. The bloodied bodies were piled outside the compound and the baron forced to pay to haul them away. Additionally, a warrior-priest of Mizras called out the baron for single combat. The baron had to pledge a large amount of money split between the order and church in order to avoid fighting to his death. This is all counted as a single incident.
Umbak’s Lament: Umbak pursued a band of Grollen raiders to its gate in CY 8822. The duchy’s western frontier was a common clash point between the two peoples. The Grollen are generally loved by the followers of Mizras (next to their patron goddess, he is the most venerated), and so they were given refuge. All were young, wild, and horribly wounded, and the Umbakians outnumbered them 4 to 1. The order asked the Umbakians to take their weapons and break them, and return home in victory – the Grollen were defeated. They would not, and so the Grollen armed themselves and rushed out the gate, dying swiftly in their state. However, a few were seen to flee into the tower. The Umbakians did not hesitate and invaded the order’s compound. What exactly happened is not documented. What is known is that not one of the knights left the tower alive, and half the rest, all total about 2 dozen soldiers and knights, were killed. All the knight’s horses were seized, and their bodies tossed over the walls, stripped of armor and weapons. It is generally believed there were no Grollen inside the open gate to the compound, that the order suckered the Umbakians in to get revenge for their brothers in war. Since it cant be proven, Umbak was forced not to take any action.
Uncommon Knowledge / Average Difficulty
Every time a member of the order is killed, or reckoned to be, there is never a body.
There is no cemetery or epitaph for the order.
Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty
Elves have never been in order. Ever.
Obscure Knowledge / Near-Impossible Difficulty
Originally the school was founded by a group of retired adventurers. A priest of Mizras, a warrior of Mizras, Daste the arch-rogue and Holstein Cloudmantle – an Illusion specialist. These retired men founded and ran the Cloudmantle Academy, which grew to become the Tower of the Cloud Gazers. Daste was the last to die, he was a half elf and lived to the age of 187.
By then, his elven heritage was a secret, and it was thought he was a mighty magus named Belrade. He had broken with his brothers of the Salamander Guild as well – they thought him dead. He had merely taken the profits of the academy, and the accoutrements and equipment of his dead companions and used the bureaucratic insight of his guild to create something long lasting. Originally, the presence of Mizras worshipers was the security for the academy, but over time they became part of the practice.
Barlogue Blackguild
Posted on March 3, 2021 in Steel-Realms
A Standard Steel Realms Occult Order with standard benefits
– Command of Occult arcane powers and entities. The institution maintains the Standard Occult Reliquary of the Steel Realms for members.
The Barlogue Blackguild‘s order only remaining chapter hall was their southern most one – The Tower of Meridiem, in the freehold city of Beryl.
- Occult Theme/Motif: Black Hands & Eyes, Black Trailing Wisps