Feryth Aran

The Feryth Aran champions freedom and oppose the forces of evil. Like the Faroth Thauron, they also seek to hunt and rout out creatures such as aberrations, fiends, and undead, but they also oppose tyranny, villainy and wickedness. Because they often oppose powerful people and creatures, they have learned to work primarily from the shadows, giving them a reputation as meddlers and manipulators. The Feryth Aran also see themselves as caretakers of nature. This may be a hold-over from the Faroth Thauron, but they are aligned closely with the Old Faith and call many druids and rangers members.
They’re disorganized, secretive, and tend to have many lone wolves in their ranks. Most work informally as solo agents who never band together. King Alaric once differentiated the Feryth Aran from other societies as the only such group that “habitually worries about the effects of their actions on others.” Senior Feryth, known as hunters of guardians, tend to be cautious and careful, whereas younger Feryth tend to want to change the world personally, immediately if not sooner.
Others have called them “the meddlers of the Westlands,” and the comment is largely correct. All work for what they see as good (though individual Feryth often sharply disagree on just what “good” is), and most do so in a style that involves deception, misdirection, and covert action rather than open conflict.
Their code is simply stated but hard to follow: to work against villainy and wickedness, to keep folk free of fear and tyranny, to support law and order to gain peace wherever laws are just and fairly enforced, and to prevent extremes of power and influence and imbalances of wealth and opportunity.
In following these aims, they do whatever must be done without thought of personal pride or comfort. They police themselves (traitorous Feryth must die), are free to rebuke and disagree with each other, and aid one another without hesitation or thought of cost (or expectation of payment). They also seek to record and preserve the past, seeing the lessons of history as important to all.
While the Feryth Aran began their existence in Brineven, and are closely allied with the grand duchy, they operate across the Westlands. In the newly formed Northern Kingdom, most folk regard them as slightly heroic, if not always trustworthy. In Sarten, Elteare, and Murena, they are seen as troublemakers. While Valens and Calastan see them as rogues of ill-repute and often post bounties on the heads of any Feryth Aran they discover.

Symbol

A pegasus on a field of red and gold. The pegasus represents freedom and good. Red represents the universal fight to uphold these freedoms, while gold represents the promise of a new day. New members are given pins or badges with the symbol, though most keep them away from prying eyes. Feryth use the badge as one way to identify themselves, though there are a host of keywords and phrases to verify a fellow member.

Requirements

The Feryth Aran welcome all who seek to uphold their goals and ideals. Originally structured to combat monsters, the Feryth Aran were mainly primal in nature, druids, rangers, and barbarians. As they widened the scope of their work, they began taking on all members. Bards and good-natured rogues are an important part of the organization, and wizards and sorcerers find their talents used to combat mystical threats. Clerics and paladins find it harder to integrate into the Feryth Aran, as they are tied to their own hierarchy and religion.

Structure

The face of the order is Sharala Silverbow, who was an active member for many years before an encounter with a drow assassin cost her the use of her left leg. She lives in the Feryth Aran headquarters, located in Brinhenge Park in the Brineven City. While Sharala presents a public picture for the Feryth, neighbors often see cloaked and hooded figures entering and leaving the headquarters.
Sharala is known in the courts of Grand Duke Arthien, and while the Feryth don't work for the grand duke, they support the current policies of the duchy. The organization is dedicated to protecting Brineven from threats, both internal and external.

Assets

Resources

The Feryth Aran provide less in the way of resources than other organizations. Most communities in Brineven have a safehouse, which members are welcome to stay in. Some of those safehouses are actually inns and taverns with ties to the Feryth, and members will be allowed to stay for free, although most of the time it may be in a common room or even the cellars.
The Feryth Aran have a coded language, much like thieves' cant, to ensure that messages can be sent without the concern that someone might intercept them. An agent who checks into a new inn might find a message waiting for them one morning, or a pleasant conversation with a stranger at an inn may reveal an allied Feryth.
While members often act alone, the Feryth Aran leave caches of supplies in areas where they must operate. Agents may receive a note describing the location of such caches. A typical cache could contain as small pouch of coins, and maybe a healing potion or two. An agent being observed by a senior agent may find equipment tailored for their mission, an indication that an ally is watching. High level agents are expected to restock what they use.

Renown

Initiates in the Feryth Aran are called Al-Feryth. Once they have proven themselves true to the ideals and goals of Feryth Aran, they are named Feryth Shadows in an informal ceremony. Watchers who champion causes and missions earn the title Feryth Scout, and eventually Feryth Hunters. Senior Feryth who help to guide the organization are called Feryth Guardians.
Members gain renown by performing missions for the Feryth Aran, finding and routing out corruption, standing up to tyrants and petty lords. Their targets include evil organizations, monsters, undead, fiends and aberrations. Members are free to pursue their own agenda in keeping with these goals. Many times, a senior member may contact another member to suggest a mission or target, the junior member always has the freedom to accept or decline.

Al-Feryth (Rank 1)

A new member of the Feryth Aran begins as a Al-Feryth. They will receive a Feryth badge without the pegasus, just a field of red and gold, not having earned their "freedom" yet. Al-Feryth are taught the basics of the Feryth Code and will mostly be assigned missions, although some start with a strong quest of their own choosing. Al-Feryth can learn the locations of safehouses and a cache of supplies when needed, generally through coded messages. They never learn the identities of the benefactors, but they are almost always closely watched to see if they merit further training.

Feryth Shadow (Rank 3)

An Al-Feryth who has earned enough respect and trust will be given a new badge with the shadow of a pegasus emblem in an informal, and often private, ceremony with a senior Feryth. They can learn one knowledge skill (Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion) or become skilled in Performance, depending on their specialty.

Feryth Scout (Rank 10)

Once they have earned enough prestige, a senior Feryth will seek out the Shadow and bestow a full badge (pegasus and shadow) on the newly raised Feryth Scout. Feryth Scouts are trained in a new skill and can choose between Deception, Insight, Persuasion, Stealth, or Survival. In addition, a Feryth Scout can designate an individual or organization as their quarry. Even without specific knowledge of their quarry's identity (i.e. choosing the creature that killed this family). Three times per day they can reroll an attack, skill, or saving throw while working against their quarry, taking the second roll regardless of the outcome.

Feryth Hunter (Rank 25)

Only Feryth Guardians, the secretive leaders of the Feryth Aran, can bestow the title Feryth Hunter. Feryth Hunters may designate two creatures or organizations as their quarry. In addition to rerolling attacks, skills, or saves, the Hunter can double their weapon dice when attacking his quarry (i.e. their longsword now does 2d8 damage). Hunters act as sub-commanders of the Feryth and can leave missions and messages for junior Feryth. Once per week, the Feryth Hunter can assign a task to a junior Feryth (the success of the mission determined by the GM). Hunters who put their charges in overwhelming danger may lose prestige, and may not learn of junior agents if it happens repeatedly.

Feryth Guardian (Rank 50)

The Feryth Guardians are the leaders of the organization. They often see the big picture, focusing on threats to regions and domains and assigning agents to meet those challenges. It's said that the Guardians meet in council when the fate of the organization is a stake. Executive powers held by the Guardians include Craft, Research, and Shadow War.

History

The Feryth Aran was created several centuries ago on the foundation of the Faroth Thauron of the Tuathi, which translates as "Hunters of Abominations". The Faroth Thauron is an organization of druids, rangers and bards who work from the shadows to keep the Tuathi safe. They consider themselves hunters of aberrations, fiends and undead threats, and those who serve these things.
As the new domain of Brineven formed, the Faroth Thauron infiltrated the kingdom to learn about their new neighbors and evaluate the threat the humans posed to the Tuathi. They found the Brin to be different from the Calastani, who warred with the elves. Over time, generations by human standards, the Faroth Thauron among the Brins trained like-minded men and women and created the Feryth Aran.

Type

Secret, Brotherhood

Demonym

Feryth