The Black Tower
Among the most prized of the relics of the Adamantine Arrow are fragments of tablets detailing what some believe to have been the academy in which the craft of the Dragon’s Talon was taught. Carved of black basalt, the spire reached high above most of the other structures on the island of Atlantis, granting a view of every harbor and every major thoroughfare. Scores of will workers were sworn to defend the tower to the final breath and to preserve it against all enemies, this bastion of last resort. In the end, though, it was no foreign conqueror that laid low the great empire of the Awakened, but rather the arrogance of a handful of its high priests and princes. Their oath unfulfilled, many Talons sunk below the waves on that doomful day. Never again, the survivors promised — never again would they fail in the causes to which they had sworn their lives.
Today, the inheritors of that renewed vow name themselves for the structure in which they believe that the army of Atlantis was once trained: the Black Tower. Their causes are many, but all are crusaders in the service of the Awakened.
Structure
The crusaders of the Black Tower
may or may not be tightly organized in any given location. Some causes call for Arrows scattered across the world, meeting only by chance and exchanging a few words upon lonely roads before going their separate ways, while others require a rigid military hierarchy. Whatever the case, a will worker of the Black Tower will adapt to the situation and find the best possible command structure for the particular needs of her sworn cause, drawing other like-minded Arrows together, if possible and if necessary.
When strong, central leadership is called for, Arrows of this faction tend to form structures similar will workernecessary. WhenArrows
Culture
Beliefs
In addition to the general beliefs of the Adamantine Arrow, the mages of the Black Tower hold to a few axioms unique to their sub-faction of the order. Devotion to a Worthy Cause Hones the Spirit By adopting and living for — and dying for, if necessary — a worthwhile cause, an Arrow puts aside the self in the name of the greater good. By annihilating the ego, the devotee of the Black Tower becomes a living extension of the Adamantine Arrow’s creed of service. Anyone can fight for herself, but it takes a better, stronger soul to fight for a higher purpose than personal gratification. Some fight in the name of faith, others for nations (or Consilii) and still others for more specific or esoteric reasons, but each of the Arrows of the Black Tower recognizes and embraces an individual “flag” for which he would lay down his life. The Fulfillment of an Oath Strengthens the Supernal Arrows of the Black Tower expressly believe that seeing a mystically sanctified oath out to its conclusion expands the power of the Supernal and gives it increased influence in the Fallen World. Conversely, forsaking such an oath robs the Supernal of its influence in the Fallen World and fortifies the Abyss, a lifeless realm wrought of betrayal and failed promises. Some go so far as to say that the completion of even non-magical oaths, sworn with sincere and undying devotion (whether by Awakened or even Sleepers), betters this world in a real, if not easily quantifiable, way. Certainly, such vows have empowered even ordinary people to do impossible things, such as the soldier who promises his tearful little girl that he’ll come home to her, no matter what, and who walks through hellfire and certain death to keep his word to the daughter he loves more than life itself. Just and righteous oaths fulfilled in honor brighten this world, even if only in a small way and for a handful of people. Such oaths demonstrate a significant facet of that which is best in the Adamantine Arrow: the flawless dedication of a crusader to her cause and to all those served by its protection and advancement. Seeing oaths through to their conclusion, despite hardship and suffering, exalts the soul of the Arrow and so helps to make her a better vessel for the perfected majesty of the Supernal.
Parent Organization
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