The Crucible

The Crucible is an ancient anarchist cell and spiritual order. The Crucible have existed for over a millennia, and have been the subject of widespread theories and conspiracies. While their existence is definitive, they remain an enigmatic, albeit widely feared, group. Despite being a small order, the Crucible contains many of the world's greatest conduits and warriors. The group has been involved in several successful and unsuccessful revolutions, the most notable of which would be the end of the thousand year old Valkan Empire. While the group's ideology can be hard to place, and it varies between members, it is generally based on anarchism, socialism, and survival of the fittest. While the group's military and political activities are what they are most infamous for, the Crucible is also an order devoted to philosophy, spiritualism, and study of alchemy. Followers of the Crucible are sometimes known as the Unshackled.
The Crucible has been tied to the Wolves, a rebel paramilitary group operating in many countries. While the two factions share generally overlapping goals, the Wolves are generally less ideological. While both are opposed to monarchism, imperialism, and slavery, the Wolves are largely not in favor of anarchism, and instead interested in setting up militant republics. The Wolves' moderate politics, and dictatorial and warmongering tendencies has seemingly caused a rift to form between the two factions.
The leader of the Crucible is said to be a man known only as Invictus. Little else is known about him.