The Denounced

The Exiled Mortals

When the Benevolence Accord was signed, not everyone was ready for peace. A number of mortals felt betrayed, misled, or abandoned by the Gods that they had lost family and friends in the name of for untold years. Some turned on those celebrating peace, some turned on themselves in confusion and anger, and others turned on the Gods themselves.
Whatever their reasoning, a small but growing number of people began to unite in their hatred of the Gods until they were large enough that they could no longer be reasoned with or ignored. The First Mortal Law of The Benevolence Accord demanded that all mortals recognize and respect the position and authority of the Gods. Those who refused were branded the heretics, given one opportunity to repent and rejoin society, and if they refused, put to death as threats to world peace and violators of The Benevolence Accord.
These exiles fled and found others who held their views, eventually uniting together. They became known as The Denounced, those who had abandoned society by denying the Gods. Some claimed the Gods were unworthy of worship, some said their were no Gods and the churches were lying to everyone, and others claimed the Gods existed but were not divine beings at all. Whatever their heresy, they were all united in their exile and formed their own communities.

The Final Blades

Unwelcome in their own countries, the Denounced were forced away from all others, under threat of death on sight if they were discovered. Together they stole what they could and eventually amassed a small fleet of ships, sailing into The Forsaken Sea where they knew no one would follow. Once there, the years passed as the faithful of Avanshae believed they had driven off the unfaithful. Until years later when black ships without marking would sail into ports and attack villages and cities, stealing what they could and killing any who got in their path. Word eventually spread and the stories of The Denounced returning for revenge became common.
As the centuries passed and the Denounced's numbers grew rather than shrank, it was obvious they were not only surviving, but thriving and adding more to their cause. Even during the time of peace there were those who grew disillusioned with the Gods and abandoned their lives to find the Denounced and join them. They were a constant thorn, but struck infrequently enough to not be a dire threat. Until somewhere in the 500s of the 3rd Age, when that changed. Reports started to spread of high ranking officials and members of the clergy killed in sudden attacks by Denounced, unable to be healed and unable to even be resurrected by the great temples. Over the course of 100 years, the temples of the world came to confirm that the Denounced had a new weapon; a magic of the most vile evil that could coat their weapons. Those struck by them could not heal the wounds, and those unfortunate enough to be killed by them were forever cut off from the Gods, their very souls destroyed. They called them The Final Blades.

Type

Illicit, Terrorist group