The Silent Dark
Founding
A global organization that possesses the characteristics of a secret society, religious cult, terrorist organization, and quasi-nation state. Immensely complex in its operations and equally cryptic in its goals, the only two facets of the Silent Dark that had remained relatively consistent over time was its reverence to the illusive and charismatic figure known as Tysphone, and its obsession with 'Restoration'. Sources within the The Silent Dark claim that organization had existed since before the First Calamity, and while this is almost certainly exaggerated, ancient burial sights with Silent Dark symbolism have been uncovered, leaving some credence to these claims. However old the organization is, some of its first suspected activates date back to the the waning years up to the Second Decision, although it would not be until the arrival of the Dawnspire and their creation of Wellsprings that the Silent Dark began to be active on a global scale.Philosophy and Organization
The Silent Dark outwardly professed a philosophy of peace, unity, and eternal solidarity, yet its own internal workings were marked by a series of power struggles and rivalries. While Typshone served as The Silent Dark's highest authority, an inner circle of her most trusted commander's was often relied upon to conduct specific operations. These commander's were given extensive freedom of execution, which in turn allowed for a high degree of flexibility. This decentralized nature allowed for the formation of smaller elite units within The Silent Dark, such as The Black Hand (Lead by Darian Backblade) and the Marked of Tysphone (Lead by Yanna), each specializing of various forms of warfare or covert operations. These groups were often at odds with one another, and The Silent Dark was often splintered as competing commander's fought for control of the Silent Dark, or simply the favor of Tysphone. Compared to their main rival, the Reikfellian backed Dawnspire, The Silent Dark was in many ways technologically and magically superior. How the Silent Dark achieved such breakthroughs in fields such as Hemomancy, Chronomancy, and Graviturgy have never been fully explained, but is believed to be as a direct result of their access to and study of the extraplanar entities known as the Forbidden Ones. The Silent Dark's research institutes were also not bound to the traditional limits of morality, and Silent Dark wizards and artificers routinely experimented in dangerous acts of human experimentation. Despite The Silent Dark's technological edge, their military doctrine favored the use of fast, lightly armored units better suited to guerilla tactics than a prolonged war of attrition. There was also a large degree of disparity in the training and equipment given to Silent Dark soldiers, with some militias little more than armed thugs spurred into action by fanatically devout confessors. When forced into direct conflict, however, The Silent Dark was more than capable of fielding its more advanced elements, including 10th circle spells and powerful artifacts. Silent Dark propaganda was just as effective as their military, often engineering scandals and controversies as a means of countering Dawnspire influence through information warfare. By appealing to the millions of people living in places devastated by warfare and providing relief supplies and other forms of support, The Silent Dark was able to rally thousands of people to its cause. Combined with an extensive misinformation campaign, the true nature of the Silent Dark was carefully managed and hidden.Conflict
Wellsprings were a phenomenal source of magical power, acting as conduits and catalysts for some of the most powerful magical spells, while doubling their use to draw the residual mana from the atmosphere to power incredible feats of engineering for the era, including skyships and flying castles. Many of the most fanatical followers of Tysphone held a special reverence towards this type of magic, and the Silent Dark worked diligently to acquire these Wellsprings of their own. Tysphone herself saw them as the next stage of evolution for Iria, the catalyst that would bring about the restoration. The acquisition of these Wellsprings quickly brought The Silent Dark into conflict with the Dawnspire, and a series of devastating conflicts were raged across the continents of Minthos and Enthos, with the Dawnspire successfully preventing the Silent Dark from employing Wellspring-developed superweapons that might have significantly altered or destroyed Iria's ecosystem. Several times throughout these encounters Tysphone was believed to have been killed, and the Silent Dark broken beyond repair, but after each of these times she somehow miraculously managed to return. This most notably happened in the year 3982 P.F.D., which combined with the assassination of Maro Hassan - a Dawnspire installed puppet leader designed to keep the Silent Dark relatively harmless - sparking the Third Wellspring War. This devastating conflict drew the attention of the Forbidden Ones. These entities were powerful beyond comprehension, and as their corruptive influence destroyed city after city and devastated entire populations, Tysphone came forward with a remarkable eleventh hour alliance, and united with the Dawnspire to destroy it. Afterwords came the second decision, and it was believed that the Silent Dark were forever banished from Iria.Peace Through Power
Founding Date
3968 PFD
Type
Adventuring Party
Leader
Notable Members
Hostile
Previous alliance at the end of the Second Calamity. Both groups banished/dissolves following the Second Decision.
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