The Order of Shades

The Order of Shades is a secret order that has members across the known world. Their goal is to essentially rule the world by replacing the leader of every major organization (be it political, religious, or criminal) with one of their own members. They have stronger grips over some organizations, and do not reveal themselves to the public, they only use fronts to deal with public issues. The most extreme members of their order want to destroy conflict by destroying all art, religion, governments, and organizations, though this is mostly a very unpopular opinion within the order itself. Though the members of the order share a common goal of gaining power, many members have differing ideologies that can act as a point of adversity within the order itself.

Structure

The Order is lead by the Godwatcher, a completely hidden figure who is rumored to be both immortal and insane. No other Shade knows who he is, except for members of the Council of Kynrids. Some Shades aren't even sure if he is a real figure, believing him to be a rumor spread by the Council to prevent insurrections within the Order. The Council of Kynrids have ten members in total. They have sworn an oath to never reveal the identity of the Godwatcher. The Kynrids do most of the governing for the Order, specifically when it comes to international issues, but the Godwatcher can veto any of their decisions and make his own decisions without the approval of the Council, but he rarely gets involved anyway. Each council member has a "codename" to help hide their identities. They are The Hand, The Sword, The Shield, The Warden, The Flame, The Dark, The Light, The Minister, The Unknown, and The Priest. Each member's real idenity tend to be highly influential and rich, and also have an incredibly powerful aspect. Next are Shade Generals. They act more like regional managers more than anything, insuring that no other Shade in the area is stepping out of line or disobeying the Order. After that, comes the individual organization fronts the Order has and whatever hierarchy is in it. Though not every lower tier Shade is actually part of one of these organizations, a good majority are.

Public Agenda

None, very few public figures know about the order, and the ones that do (even the powerful ones) are to afraid to do anything about it.

History

The order was founded in 1534, by the deposed Warrish prince, Hermium. He founded the order to retake his throne, and after he succeeded, his methods were so effective and ingenious, that his allies and others became devoted to the order and continued to operate despite him leaving it. They then infiltrated their way into other countries and took over other organizations, the first of which was the Mercenaries' Guild. Because Hermium's coup was supported by other countries who supplied him with soldiers and weapons, many of the first members of the order were not Warrish. This helped spread the order remarkably fast, and about twenty years after Hermium left the order, there were members in every country at the time.

For Peace and Prosperity.

Founding Date

1534

Type

Secret, Brotherhood

Alternative Names

The Shadowatchers

Training Level

Elite

Veterancy Level

Experienced

Demonym

Shade

Legislative Body

The Council of Kynrids have composed a small set of overarching rules that every Shade must follow: 1. Never betray the order, doing so will result in death. 2. Never reveal the order to the public, doing so will result in death. 3. Always follow the commands of your superiors, unless those commands contradict other rules. 4. Once you have joined the order, the only way to leave is through death. Specific regions and organizations within the order have more specialized rules, which are almost always made and enforced by the local Shade General.

Judicial Body

Most rules are incredibly straightforward to avoid misinterpretation. If a Shade were to break a rule of the order, they are taken to Marious Fortress, home to the Judicial Shadows, a group within the order dedicated to dealing with treason, rule breakers, and imprisonment.

Subsidiary Organizations