The Ebon Watch
Overview
Founded in the ancient Almidar homelands, The Ebon Watch began as a small fellowship of monster slayers formed during the chaos of the Solus Empires Demise, when monstrous incursions threatened the borders of the world. As the danger spread beyond Almidar lands, so too did the Watch, evolving into a continent-spanning guild of elite adventurers, problem-solvers, and mercenaries-for-hire.
Headquarters: Drangleic, capital of the Jörmun Federation
Current Role: The Ebon Watch is the largest and most trusted (and occasionally feared) adventuring organization in Lendil. While monster hunting remains its core reputation, the Watch accepts any contracts that fall within their Code of Conduct, including:
- Beast and monster extermination
- Escort and protection missions
- Investigations (mystical or criminal)
- Recovery of dangerous relics
- Exorcisms or curse removals
- Threat elimination (bounties, rogue mages, dark cults, etc.)
Chapters (known as Outposts) exist in every major region of the continent, each with autonomy but held to the standards of the central Watch in Drangleic.
The Ebon Watch – Hierarchy Structure
The guild is structured like a hybrid between a knightly order and a military force, with some flexibility to allow for adventurer independence.
The Shade Council
- Role: The ruling body of the Ebon Watch.
- Members: 5 individuals, each called a “Shade”.
- Duties: High-level policy, wartime decisions, disputes between Outposts, and the induction or exile of members.
- One of them is elected as the First Shade, the public face and voice of the Watch.
Watch Commanders
- Title: Commander or Outpost Commander
- Role: Oversees one regional Outpost of the Ebon Watch.
- Duties: Manage contracts, training, discipline, and relationships with local governments.
- Often veterans of 20+ years in the field.
Vanguards
- Role: Senior field agents and mission leaders.
- Duties: Lead dangerous contracts, train recruits, and assess magical or monstrous threats.
- Often assigned elite squads or given solo missions.
Blades
- Role: Full members of the Watch; licensed to take on contracts independently.
- Duties: Monster hunting, mercenary work, relic recovery, etc.
- Blades choose their contracts but are expected to uphold the Watch's code.
Scribes
- Role: Support staff—scholars, alchemists, artificers, monster lorekeepers.
- Duties: Create potions, study magical threats, maintain bestiaries, and assist in logistics.
Wards
- Role: Recruits or initiates undergoing training.
- Duties: Assigned to Vanguards or Commanders to learn under guidance. Not yet allowed to take contracts alone.
Code of Conduct
- Neutrality: The Watch does not interfere in politics unless monstrous threats are involved.
- Honor in Service: A contract is sacred—once accepted, it must be fulfilled or justifiably renounced.
- Protection of the Innocent: Slaying monsters is noble; becoming one is not tolerated.
- Knowledge is Survival: Every kill must be recorded, every creature studied.
The Ebon Knights
The Ebon Knights are the internal enforcers of The Ebon Watch—an elite, secretive order within the guild tasked with hunting rogue Blades, corrupted agents, traitors, and occasionally external threats too dangerous or politically volatile for standard operatives to confront. Their presence is both revered and feared, for when the Ebon Knights are sent, it means something—or someone—has become too great a threat to ignore.
Purpose & Duties
- Hunt traitors: Former members who broke their oaths, misused their power, or endangered innocents.
- Purge corruption: Root out signs of magical, demonic, or otherworldly influence within the guild.
- Handle forbidden knowledge: Secure or destroy dangerous relics, lost magics, or secrets better left buried.
- Enforce the Code: Ensure Watch members uphold the principles of the organization, with punishment ranging from exile to execution.
- Execute silent orders: Occasionally act on clandestine orders from the Shade Council to eliminate political threats without sparking war or scandal.
