Silverflame Guild
The Silverflame Guild is a secular organization founded in the aftermath of Duke Morvain’s vampiric corruption and downfall, tasked with combating supernatural threats and preserving humanity from curses, corruption, and the horrors that threaten both body and soul. Though their roots lie in the decisive victory over vampirism in southern Qet nearly 500 years ago, the guild has evolved into a bastion of knowledge, vigilance, and self-proclaimed guardianship over humanity’s purity.
Purpose and Mission
The guild sees itself as humanity’s first line of defense against supernatural corruption, particularly vampirism, therianthropy, necromancy, and other afflictions that erode the boundaries between man and monster. Their mandate is to understand, combat, and, where possible, cure these threats. They are united by the belief that knowledge is the key to defeating these evils, and the guild prioritizes study, field research, and careful documentation.
While some members are motivated by a thirst for vengeance or a desire to feel powerful, the guild’s core ethos remains focused on humanity’s preservation. To its members, they are the untainted flame—a light that refuses to be extinguished in the face of monstrous darkness.
History and Evolution
Founded in the aftermath of the Morvain Incident, the Silverflame Guild initially enjoyed royal patronage and widespread support. However, as time passed and memories of the incident faded, their influence and resources dwindled. The successive dukes of southern Qet distanced themselves from the guild, seeing their continued existence as a reminder of the fragility of noble lineage and the divine right to rule.
Over centuries, the guild became an obscure institution, its members seen as quacks or relics of an outdated era. The keep that served as their headquarters fell into disrepair, and recruitment faltered. However, the cultural shifts in Qet—marked by the rise of female-led knightly orders like the Sentras—stirred a resurgence of interest among young men displaced by these changes. The guild’s membership swelled once more, reinvigorated by funding from sympathetic young nobles and a renewed mission to reclaim their relevance.
Current Structure and Activities
The Silverflame Guild is headquartered in the partially restored Morvain Keep, where ancient records and relics are studied alongside newly gathered knowledge. Members engage in training, monster-hunting expeditions, and the study of curses and afflictions.
The guild operates under a loose hierarchy:
- Guildmasters oversee the institution, balancing the tension between scholars, warriors, and political backers.
- Hunters conduct dangerous missions to confront supernatural threats, often serving as the guild’s public face.
- Scholars preserve and expand the guild’s knowledge, cataloging everything from ancient lore to firsthand accounts of monstrous encounters.
While the guild benefits from the Sentras’ protection in southern Qet, there is underlying tension between the two groups, as some guild members harbor resentment toward the shifting cultural dynamics that led to their resurgence.
Cultural and Political Role
Modern Qet’s rulers view the guild with a mix of disdain and cautious tolerance, seeing them as amateurs compared to institutions like the Church of the Twelve or the College of Valeheart. However, the guild’s growing popularity among displaced youth and minor nobles ensures its survival and gradual expansion.
Though no longer a major force, the guild’s mission resonates in an age of uncertainty, offering a sense of purpose to those who fear the creeping darkness—whether it comes in the form of a vampire’s bite, a werewolf’s howl, or the destabilizing changes in their society.
The Silverflame Guild stands at a crossroads: a relic of the past striving for relevance in a changing world, with its members’ motivations and methods pulling it in different directions. Yet, as long as the flame burns, it remains a beacon for those who seek to understand and confront the monstrous threats lurking in the shadows.
Humanity's Untainted Flame
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