The Ginger Cut
The Ginger Cut is a secret society of elven sorcerors who dedicate themselves to studying the deeper mysteries of the Veil of the World. Named for the distinctive orange glow which accompanies any act of veil pulling, they consider any and all shades of that color to be sacred—but ginger most of all.
The Cut’s central belief is that the elder gods are trapped within the Veil, woven into very fabric of the thing by their disgraceful children. And so, members of The Cut believe, great rewards await any and all who can free the elder gods from their prison and restore them to power.
Structure
The members of the organization, the “blades,” are led by an group of eight “scythes” elected by secret ballot. Each of these eight scythes then takes on the name of an elder god and acts as that deity’s avatar, serving until such time as they are challenged by another blade or die in the service of the lost pantheon.
Culture
The blades and scythes of the Cut value secrecy above all else. All official business is conducted while wearing heavy robes and masks. No record of member names is kept by anyone for any reason. And to acknowledge another member of the Cut in public, however one might have come to know said member’s identity, is seen as the ultimate violation.
This is all to protect the sanctity of the mission, of course. Once the elder gods have been freed from their prison and returned to power, the masks and the robes will come off and the entirety of the Ginger Cut will dance naked through the streets in celebration—all under the protection of the eldritch horrors they have unleashed.
History
It is said that The Ginger Cut was founded in ancient times, by a splinter group of Faegred elves who chose to put down roots near a confluence of rivers on the elven homeworld—where they believed the Veil of the World would be at its weakest.
The Faegred, a traditionally migratory people, shunned those who stayed behind. And the citizens of the village where the nascent Ginger Cut chose to stay—they didn’t like the new arrivals very much either. The Faegred, it was believed, delved too deep into dark magic. Rumors persisted that they were responsible for the creation of the elves’ bitter rivals: the kíndalla. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the villagers swore their new neighbor smelled of elderberries as well.
Of course, the first blades of The Cut were a persuasive lot and soon found ways to ingratiate themselves with the village gentry. And from then on, all bets were off. Once they’d snuck themselves into positions of power, there was nothing to worry about—except, perhaps, being outed as members of the “secret society” the most paranoid villagers believed was actively taking over.
In the centuries and millennia which followed, The Ginger Cut continued its work on weakening the fabric of The Veil. Wherever the elves went in the universe, The Cut followed. Like a lingering infection, they bided their time and probed for weaknesses. Even when they were exiled to Eden during Calamities which brought iterations of reality to their ends, the blades and scythes of The Cut kept on keeping on.
In fact, it was in Eden, during The Third Age, when The Cut came closest to achieving their goal.
Sensing a weakness in The Veil near the city of Kirbyville, The Cut hatched a plot to unite the highly independent Free Cities of Nunya under one banner (so that they could gain access to a city where they’d previously been banned). The resulting Nunyan Civil War was the largest conflict in Eden since Oscar Diggs so-called Invasion of Oz during the Second Age.
And though they ultimately didn’t succeed, the conflict showed them where they needed to focus their attentions. And they’ve been poking at the Veil within the city limits of Kirbyville ever since.
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