Order of the Bear

Seeking to heal the rift between civilization and the natural world, the Order of the Bear is a secret society consisting largely of adventurers that works behind the scenes to encourage the civilized races to live and work in harmony with nature instead of against it.

Structure

Those who have just joined the order and are still probationers are known as aspirants. Once they have completed their probationary period members are known as novitiates. The order has nine ranks, called circles. The lowest is the alder circle, the next is the oak circle, then the rowan circle, yew circle, hawthorn circle, hazel circle, apple circle, ash circle, fir circle, and Elder circle. Each circle is divided into initiates, neophytes, acolytes, keepers and elders. The highest-ranking member of the local circle is the hierophant. To move up a rank within a circle requires being nominated by a member of the circle of a higher rank then being voted in by a quorum of nine members of a higher rank. Hierophants are chosen by a quorum of elders when the previous hierophant dies, steps down, or most often, is promoted to a higher circle. To advance to a higher circle requires being nominated by a member of that circle or in rare cases a higher circle. Once nominated the initiate is tested by a quorum of nine members of that circle of at least keeper rank. If the individual passes the tests, she becomes a neophyte of that circle. A member of a higher circle outranks a member of a lower circle, with the exception of initiates who are still treated as being of their previous rank in the lower circle.

Public Agenda

The Order of the Bear believes that the demarcation between civilization and nature is not a rift, but an illusion. They seek to heal the divide between the two and encourage them to exist in harmony. To do this they encourage farmers and herders to be good stewards of the land, and rulers to work with nature and not against it. Likewise, they try to serve as envoys to the fey world acting as intermediaries between them and the civilized races. In addition, most have at least some skill in healing and herbalism, and often serve as nonmagical (or even magical) healers for the peasantry. Finally, they seek to teach the civilized races the beauty of the natural world to turn it from a place of terror to a place of wonder.

Assets

The order doesn’t have a lot of assets of itself, but many of its members are adventurers and through them the order has access to considerable assets. However, its most valuable assets are its members themselves. As many are adventurers, they wield a wide array of powers, both physical and political.

History

The order dates back to the human settlement of the New Kingdoms. The elves watched with horror as the human newcomers moved in and began clearcutting forests and otherwise disrupting the natural world. The elves sought allies amongst the humans that they could teach their ways of harmony to. Over time the order grew out of those teachings. The order did its best to blunt the advance of civilization and encourage humans to live in harmony. Some members even travelled back to the old kingdoms to try to heal the rift between civilization and nature. Working behind the scenes its members ensured that forests were not cut down completely and that the balance of nature was preserved. When humans and other races began moving into the Frontier Lands the order went with them, hoping to forestall the damage that occurred in the New Kingdoms.