The Order of the Sword

The Order of the Sword is a totalitarian cult with a singular purpose: Do the bidding of The Sword.
Any race is welcome. All may join. Although, however, welcome is not really the appropriate term for the Order of the Sword. For their goals above all else is to do the bidding of their master. To make their master’s whims a reality. And what the master truly craves is souls and living essence.
The Sword will take what it wishes from whoever it wishes and the only way to avoid its wrath is to do what it wants. Those that do not convert by submitting themselves to its whims, simply become its next course. And, in doing so, saves the other members of the cult from having to sacrifice one of their own.
The Sword has a long history connected to large portions of the world. The sword is an artifact of great, but terrible power. And, to make matters worse, the sword has the soul of a malicious king who sought power with endless abandon. Which lead to the absolute destruction of his kingdom and the death of most of its citizens.
But, his ruthlessness was paid off in the end. For his soul was bound to the sword successfully. And while the sword remained, he would as well. To make matters, no method thus attempted has been to so much as damage the sword.
It would be a simple matter if that was the end of it, but it is only scratching the surface of its evil.
The sword has the ability to possess any who make the mistake of touching the sword. And eventually takes utter and complete control of the person. Suppressing their will and forcing his own upon them. And then the spirit in the sword slowly sucks out their life force, until the individual is little more than a hollow husk.
If the sword were to stab someone, and remain even a short time, the sword begins drawing the individual’s life essence into it. And, after it has pulled enough of their life energy out, they die, and the sword then feasts on their soul as well. Sucking them in and using the soul’s energy to add to his own power and influence. The more souls he collects, the further his reach is. Such that he can influence peoples actions and emotions by simple proximity.