The Black Bands
The Black Bands are what the population call the police force known, officially, as "The Hand of the High King's Will". They are a secretive organization, working under mysterious auspices and authority, often evoking a sense of fear and distrust. They always seem to want something, but are never satisfied with what they get.
Structure
1. The High King’s Hand (Singular Leader)
The supreme commander of the Black Bands, answering only to the High King.
Acts as an adviser on matters of internal security, espionage, and political threats.
2. The Five Fingers (Elite Inner Circle)
- The Hand’s direct lieutenants, each overseeing a specific aspect of operations:
- Index Finger (The Eye): Intelligence gathering, surveillance, and informants.
- Middle Finger (The Fist): Tactical response teams, raids, and enforcement.
- Ring Finger (The Veil): Disinformation, propaganda, and political manipulation.
- Little Finger (The Whisper): Interrogation, blackmail, and assassinations.
- Thumb (The Grip): Internal discipline, rooting out corruption within the Black Bands.
3. The Black Captains (Regional Commanders) Each governs a city or province, maintaining order and overseeing local operations. Have a network of subordinates who carry out missions under their orders.
4. The Black Sergeants (Field Leaders) Lead squads of Black Band enforcers in executing arrests, intimidation, and crackdowns. May command specialized units like masked interrogators or shadow operatives.
5. The Enforcers (Black Bands) (Standard Agents) The rank-and-file, patrolling streets, conducting arrests, and intimidating enemies. Some serve as undercover operatives or informants in the populace.
6. The Ghosts (Secret Agents & Assassins) Unofficial, unrecognized operatives who eliminate high-value targets. Disavowed if caught—officially, they don’t exist.
7. The Blackmarked (Expendable Recruits & Forced Operatives) Criminals, traitors, or dishonored nobles forced into servitude. Used for suicidal missions or dangerous assignments.
Culture
1. The Oath of the Black Bands (Absolute Loyalty & Brotherhood)
Every recruit swears a Blood Oath, pledging their life and soul to the High King.
This oath is ritualistic, requiring a signature in blood, bringing about a magical binding.
Breaking the oath is treason, punishable by death at the hands of one’s own comrades.
2. The Mask of Duty (Anonymity & Fear)
Higher-ranking members (especially assassins or interrogators) wear black masks or veils to obscure their identity. Names are stripped away upon promotion, replaced by codenames or titles like "Brother Iron" or "Sister Silence." Some may voluntarily undergo ritual disfigurement (scarification, inked sigils) to mark their devotion.
3. Mercy is Weakness (Emotional Suppression & Brutality)
Recruits are drilled to abandon personal attachments, as they serve only the High King.
Acts of hesitation or leniency are considered signs of disloyalty and may result in exile or execution.
Officers reward cruelty and obedience—those who show "mercy" are often reassigned to deadlier, unwinnable tasks.
4. The Blade Watches the Hand (Paranoia & Internal Surveillance)
The Thumb (The Grip), a faction within the Black Bands, exists solely to police their own.
No member is above suspicion—officers are constantly monitored for betrayal or weakness.
Regular loyalty tests (framing members for treason, setting up false betrayals) keep paranoia high.
Informants and spies are embedded within every rank to prevent conspiracy.
5. Strength Through Suffering (Brutal Training & Initiation)
Recruits are forced through hellish trial by ordeal:
- The First Scar: A symbolic wound inflicted by their mentor, marking them as part of the brotherhood.
- The Black March: A grueling, sleepless endurance test, often resulting in death for the weak.
- The Silent Night: A mission where recruits must infiltrate a home and "silence" a target—failure means exile.
6. The High King’s Word is Law (Religious-like Devotion)
Many members view the High King as a divine figure, his word being absolute and unquestionable.
The elite ranks believe that serving the Hand ensures a place in the afterlife—a chilling belief that makes them fearless in battle. Some members even tattoo oaths or royal decrees onto their skin, permanently binding themselves to their duty.
His Will, Our Hand
The Black Bands are feared even in Greynor and Stilton Head, where the High King is being openly defied by the leaders of the Grey and StiltonRoyal families. Officially, the Black Bands have jurisdiction in any of the city-states making up the Kingdoms.
The Stilton Ounce is still the recognized system for measuring coinage. There are fifty coins to a pound, making it about three coins per Stilton Ounce.
The Black Captains hand down orders given to them by the Five Fingers, who are obeying the orders of the High King's Hand.
The Five Fingers make any calls that need to have a higher-up involved; otherwise, the Grip make whatever calls are necessary. Most times, discipline means exile or execution.
The Five Fingers handle the day-to-day business of the organization, leaving the highest level stuff for The Hand.
Black Bands Mythology
1. The High King’s Shadow (Their Origin Myth)“When the first High King took the throne, the sun rose upon his rule. But even the brightest sun casts a shadow, and from that shadow, we were born.”
According to legend, the first High King knew that rulers who show only mercy invite ruin. The world, he believed, is a beast with many heads, and a king must cut them off before they bite. Thus, he called upon the Shadow-Forged, a secret order of assassins and spies who had lurked in the dark places of the world since the dawn of civilization. They pledged to be his hand in the dark, wielding the knife where his sword could not reach. They became the Hand of the High King’s Will, their actions unspoken, their existence unrecorded. To this day, they believe they are not just enforcers but a sacred extension of the High King’s divine right to rule.
Comments