The Dreadstone Society
Long ago, when Zohronox, god of darkness was preparing to unleash his armies on the world, he sought to find mortals that could carry out his will, and he was able to find willing participants that created the foundations of his clergy. These mortals were depraved and evil individuals who were interested in practicing the dark arts of necromancy, learn more about the creation of undead, or were simply nihilistic individuals who wanted to see the entirety of Thyr engulfed in darkness. He worked his designs through these mortals and supplied them with the knowledge of creating undead, which eventually resulted in the War of Darkness. In these times, the Zohronox faith was brazen and did not make any efforts to hide; they even built temples and worshipped the Devourer openly without shame.
Once the War of Darkness was over, the temples to the Dark God were torn down and the faiths of the Celestial gods worked to ferret out the clergy that had at one time proudly worn the symbol of their faith; the faithful of Zohronox had to go underground and soon, the priesthood was all but extinct. However, one visionary realized that if they were to survive and continue to carry out the will of the Dark One, they would have to find a way to hide and practice their faith in secret, and still attempt to sway new believers to their cause; his name was Trivinus Dreadstone, and his solution was to create the Dreadstone Society.
The Dreadstone Society took the place of the church of Zohronox, and worked to put an air of attractive, yet dangerous mystery around the secret society; they offered themselves as an exhilarating cult of thrill-seekers for bored nobles, something different than what they could find from a night on the seedier side of town. This campaign was quite effective, and before long, the Dreadstone Society had members of nobility all around Thyr in their ranks. Most of these nobles weren't true members, but token participants who wanted to use the Society as a way to make them seem more dangerous.
However, the true members are the ones who wear the Dreadstone Ring, a simple silver band with a piece of polished onyx taken from one of the shatter-crypts in The Gaunt; these people are part of the Zohronox faith, working behind the scenes to further the schemes of the Dark One, and drag the world of the living down into the cold embrace of darkness. That is the core tenet of the Dreadstone Society, and the greatest desire of Zohronox, and Trivinus preached long ago that if they are to fulfill that desire, they must do so using the very rules of 'civilized society.'
Once the War of Darkness was over, the temples to the Dark God were torn down and the faiths of the Celestial gods worked to ferret out the clergy that had at one time proudly worn the symbol of their faith; the faithful of Zohronox had to go underground and soon, the priesthood was all but extinct. However, one visionary realized that if they were to survive and continue to carry out the will of the Dark One, they would have to find a way to hide and practice their faith in secret, and still attempt to sway new believers to their cause; his name was Trivinus Dreadstone, and his solution was to create the Dreadstone Society.
The Dreadstone Society took the place of the church of Zohronox, and worked to put an air of attractive, yet dangerous mystery around the secret society; they offered themselves as an exhilarating cult of thrill-seekers for bored nobles, something different than what they could find from a night on the seedier side of town. This campaign was quite effective, and before long, the Dreadstone Society had members of nobility all around Thyr in their ranks. Most of these nobles weren't true members, but token participants who wanted to use the Society as a way to make them seem more dangerous.
However, the true members are the ones who wear the Dreadstone Ring, a simple silver band with a piece of polished onyx taken from one of the shatter-crypts in The Gaunt; these people are part of the Zohronox faith, working behind the scenes to further the schemes of the Dark One, and drag the world of the living down into the cold embrace of darkness. That is the core tenet of the Dreadstone Society, and the greatest desire of Zohronox, and Trivinus preached long ago that if they are to fulfill that desire, they must do so using the very rules of 'civilized society.'
Structure
To the civilized world, there are two ranks: Pledge and Devotee
Within the organization, there are four, in order from least to greatest: Neophyte, Ringbearer, Gravewalker, Nightbringer
Culture
Dreadstones draw nihilists, misanthropes, nonconformists, and the morbid, so the one aspect of their culture is a hatred of the living.
Public Agenda
A promise of thrilling occult activity to the bored noble set, but for the truly devoted, the promise of power and the ability to extinguish life and command the undead.
Assets
Well-funded due to the nobles they are able to dupe into joining the Society.
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