Order of Quintessence

The Order of Quintessence is a tribe of religious warriors in Asmodeus's Wrath.

History

The Order of Quintessence was an ancient tribe that believed that their predilection for theft, deceit and negotiation was simply the expression of the world's strongest desires; The desire to obtain what they did not have. They believed themselves nothing more than the embodiment of the collective heart, and that they only continued to exist and operate because the priority of Man was to Have.Should men begin to desire peace, tranquility and kindness, the Quintessence' hearts and actions would in turn, change as well. Whether because of a genuine belief that they were the embodiment of man's desire, or simply because they wanted an excuse for their behaviour, many started to join with the Tribe, eventually transforming it into a Formal Order with a governing council. Even though they specialize in thievery, black market deals, shady connections and "white color" crimes, the Quintessence are fiercely loyal to one another. This loyalty extends to outside entities that are currently in contract with the Order. For instance, if the order are in a contract with one merchant, they would never think to accept a contract against that merchant (or his/her stores) from its competitor. After the contract has completed, though, that loyalty goes with it. (it is for this reason that most who have benefited from the services of The Quintessence tend to enter into protection contacts soon after their "job" is done) While there is loyalty, there is very little "family" where The Quintessence are concerned, at least in the traditional sense. Whether one has joined the order voluntarily or been born into it, they are widely considered to be nothing more than another operative available to serve the order. For those born in the order, Parents relinquish their children soon after birth to be “cared for” in a communal barracks. No wet nurse visits a baby multiple times in a row to prevent any sentiment or attachment from forming to a maternal figure. Even instructors rotate out frequently. This forces the children to view each other as "family", and to only become intimately familiar with those in the barracks they were raised with. To encourage banding of the would-be-thieves and get a jump on their training, very few basic needs are met in the barracks. To survive and thrive, they must forage, steal and share all that they acquire. If they are caught, they are punished. Harshly. This wouldn't be as much of a problem if their environment wasn't designed to make them fail; every floorboard is squeaky, every door hinge tight and rusted, and a literal maze of hanging chimes, bones and rattles strewn about the Order's training grounds. It is the expectation of loyalty, camaraderie and trust between them that has caused the children of a barracks group to be referred to as a "Breath"; it is necessary for life. The forming of Breaths also aids in greater loyalty and community with the Order at large. Nothing is for oneself, for there is no self, there is only the Quintessence. At the age of six, the "real" training begins. The beatings of over the last few years would feel a loving embrace compared to the hardships that they're active training would deliver. Aside from breakless, foodless, days long stealth, combat, social and tactics drills, they are now entirely dependant on each other for every need (save for drills in solitude, where they must be able to fend for themselves alone). Absolutely nothing is given them, unlike the few necessities they received prior to 6, and now they had they had their training garb to contend with. The traditional training clothing was naturally heavy, but had additional weights, chains and an litany of noisy bells added for furthered discomfort and difficulty. This clothing and its adornments were never to be removed from ages 6-17 outside of bathing. During baths, the adornments would be swapped out and mismatched to prevent any one thief-in-training from “getting the hang” of their clothing. Active training is endless, brutal and potentially deadly. The heat of the desert never relents, the instructors never offer mercy. There are impossible drills as a Breath, and unforgiving drills in weeks long solitude. Should they young survive this inhuman training until the age of 17 and gain the approval of the ground's Instructors, they would earn the right to call themselves Quintessent. In order for this to happen, along with individual trials the entire surviving Breath must successfully navigate stealth, combat, social and tactical trials together, since they will be a unit for the rest of their lives. Should one member fail, severe (sometimes lethal) consequences awaited them, and the entire Breath must all attempt the trials again. These trials change from Breath to Breath to eliminate any exchange of secrets between groups. After training is complete, the Breath enters into the Order at large and is able to partake in minisculely more relaxed environment that it provides. Because The Quintessence believes in the absence of self, there are little (if any) personal possessions outside of weapons and clothing. Food, water and resources are shared between all members of the order so long as you are able to contribute to the Order. Any Quintessent on mission (and at home) have access to any money, materials and lodging they might require for a task via the Order's vast cell network on the continent (including merchants, government entities, underground dealers, etc.). This is the reward for continued, meaningful contribution to the Quintessence, but this grace is not infinite. Should a Quintessent fail to contribute, accept missions, or otherwise fall behind and disgrace or fail the Order too many times (or in an egregious fashion), there is exile. Harsh, brutal exile. There are far too many secrets within the Quintessence to let a member simply leave. Therefore upon exile the Quintessent is stripped of their title and forcefully relieved of his or her eyes, tongue, and hands before being sent out of Order territory and into Asmodeus' Wrath. Though rumors and hearsay have spread about The Quintessence' brutal upbringing and particularly ghastly "forced retirement", much of the lower class population view them in a warily fond light. The Quintessence has never taken from the poor or downtrodden unless their actions invited it. Among these invitations include kidnapping, the trafficking of individuals and any continued action that robs fellow poor of food, shelter or health. As the Quintessence value loyalty and community above all else, actions that violate those principles among those who cannot fight back against it are not tolerated.