The Red Eyes (CShaH)

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Admits: The Red Eyes have very stringent entry requirements, and the group is unsuited to PCs. Only human sorcerers are allowed to join, and then only if they are of non-good alignments. Those with a particular scimitar to grind against nonhumans are especially favored.
Members: One hundred percent of the members of the Red Eyes are human sorcerers. There are currently only 20 such members, but they are all extremely powerful. There is not a member among them below 7th level of ability, and at least one of them is well above 15th level.
Initiation: The Red Eyes utilize dangerous initiations, many of which result in the death of those who fail.
The Red Eyes have employed spies throughout the enlightened world, and it is the task of these spies to report on the location and actions of those who may make suitable recruits into the organization. These recruits are then contacted, often through the use of magic or supernatural intermediaries (the gens of Red Eyes sha'irs, in particular) and are offered a chance to meet with a group of high-powered interested parties. The wise thing to do is to agree to the meeting, which is set for one lunar month from first contact. This gives the initiate-to-be a chance to mull over who these "interested parties" might be. It also gives the Red Eyes more time to probe the contactee for weaknesses that can be exploited for the benefit of the organization.
At the meeting, the character will be given tantalizing bits of information concerning the Red Eyes, their current projects, and the power that joining them will gamer. The name Red Eyes never comes up and those who represent the society will not use their real names. Characters who agree to side with the society will be congratulated and given a "seal ring." This small piece of jewelry is to be worn on the character's smallest finger. Its sigil is a baleful eye cast in relief. A character who refuses the ring will be attacked at once in an attempt to kill him. No one may know of the society that is not a member.
Acceptance of the seal ring begins the character's initiation. The ring attracts invisible stalkers, which will pursue the character exactly one week after he accepts the ring. For three consecutive nights, the character will be accosted by an invisible stalker, each with glowing red eyes. To prove his mettle to the Red Eyes, the character must do away with each stalker through the use of his spells. Success will notify the society's members that the character is powerful enough to be brought into the fold, and he will once again be contacted, as above. Failure results in death.
At the second meeting, the character will be instructed to turn over all his material wealth to the society, though he is allowed to keep all magical items, including scrolls and grimoires. If the character balks at having to hand over all his wealth, the society will not hesitate to destroy him. These high-level wizards do not condone rebellious behavior and are prone to fits of violence directed toward those who do not instantly and completely conform to their desires.
Once a character has given up his material wealth, the Red Eyes will begin preparing the character for his test. The test of the Red Eyes is always dangerous and contains a distinct element of lethal challenge. The test will involve either the capture of an important figure in a rival society or the destruction of someone or some creature that has thwarted the group in the past. The character is given a lengthy description of the target, as well as any known abilities, allies, and weaknesses. The character is then given 24 hours to complete the test, using only his own abilities and any magical items currently in his possession. The use of outside agencies (other than those that can be gained through the use spells) is strictly forbidden.
Success is rewarded with inclusion into the society and the granting of a name befitting one's position within the society. Failure always results in death, as the character is either destroyed attempting to perform the test or is hunted down by members of the Red Eyes once the failure becomes known.
Description: The Red Eyes are devoted to the Herculean task of ruling not only all of Zakhara, but all the rest of Al-Toril as well. Their plans for achieving this goal are very detailed and fill nearly three volumes of 500 pages each. A number of these plans are backups or alternatives to the main thrust of their plotting, as the Red Eyes are very thorough. Every contingency they or their supernatural servants and allies could think of has been planned for and written down in meticulous detail within these volumes. This work is known as the Codex Dominatrum, and is carefully guarded within the twisted mazework of a dao whose interests parallel those of the Red Eyes. Though some societies have discovered the location of this plan, none have braved the terrors of the mazework to recover it. If any could, it would do much to bring down the power of the Red Eyes.
Goals: First on the agenda of the Red Eyes was the creation of a very intricate spy network. All of their agents are loyal to the end, though there are enough eyes on these men and women that any disloyalty is dealt with quickly and with great vehemence. Disloyalty to the Red Eyes is usually rewarded with a visit from a very aggressive invisible stalker. On rare occasions, the aforementioned dao ally will provide specialized killers to deal with powerful or wily traitors.
The Red Eyes have spies in virtually every city and village in Zakhara. Even the Pantheist League has been infiltrated by members of this society. Spies there are in very deep cover and are only able to make contact with other agents of the society every four to five weeks. While this has slowed the flow of information from within the League to the Red Eyes, it still gives them a source of knowledge and insight that most sorcerous societies sadly lack.
Their information base has allowed the Red Eyes to begin enacting the second step in their plan. The Pantheistic League survives through religious restrictions on the personal lives of its citizens. While most citizens respect their government and their beliefs enough to abide by these restrictions, there are some disgruntled few that can be stirred to take action. The Red Eyes makes sure that these "dissidents" receive enough information to be a threat to the status quo within the League. Such individuals very rarely know who supplies them with subversive materials or who is responsible for the fanning of the flames of rebellion. The Red Eyes society is very careful about making sure no one connects them with the occasional uprisings within the League. If the League ever finds out what is going on, they will send out a never-ending supply of holy slayers to make sure that the problem comes to an end.
The rest of Zakhara presents some unusual logistical problems for the Red Eyes as well. Many rulers keep in close contact with the Caliphate in Huzuz and will report any unusual activity in or around their city. The Caliph is notably intolerant with open rebellion or the subversion of loyal cities. The Red Eyes must move very cautiously to avoid the mobilization of a legion of mamluks called out to deal with an insurrection.
Some cities are starting to fall under the sway of the Red Eyes from the bottom up. Peasants are paid well for small services, and their loyalty slowly shifts toward the man doing the paying. A merchant here and there may discover that certain spells can do much to increase his profit margin, and his loyalties begin to shift as well. Over time, these individuals begin to find others of a like mind, and soon large sections of a city's population can be counted on to support a new ruler, planted and backed by the Red Eyes. At least, that is the theory. So far, the Eyes have moved very slowly, and the evolution of this portion of their plan is not yet complete. Though things appear to be working, only time will tell if the full plan will come to fruition.
While "trickle up" subversion of the populace is going on, the Red Eyes are working to bring Zakhara's other sorcerous societies into line. These groups are viewed by the Eyes as the biggest threat the group currently faces. While governments have control over a large number of mamluks and a respectable contingent of holy slayers, mere physical force poses little threat to most of the members of this society. They can simply use a dimension door spell to get to an area more to their liking until such threats dissipate. At that time, they return using the same spell and take up their old schemes.
On the other hand, sorcerous societies are something else altogether. These groups of skilled wizards can do much to bring harm to the Red Eyes, and, because of this, those societies have to be eliminated or brought under control. This is a task that the Red Eyes take very seriously, and one that is not handed down to spies or other subordinates. Each of the Red Eyes has a society for which he is responsible. Each such Red Eye makes endless schemes designed to subvert or bring about the downfall of his target society and watches very closely for the right time to instigate them. Unfortunately, a large number of the other sorcerous societies have hidden themselves, making it almost impossible for the Red Eyes to get to them. However, the societies that are deeply hidden cannot effectively act against the Red Eyes without exposing themselves.
This stalemate may be broken soon. The Red Eyes are planning to make a series of gaffes that will apparently open them to attack from any number of enemies. This is all part of an elaborate plan designed to draw other groups out into the open. As soon as a sorcerous society attempts to pounce on a perceived weakness within the Red Eyes, the Eyes will strike at that society with enough force to bring it to its knees. The only way to avoid this is if all the sorcerous societies were to strike at the same time. This overpowering display of force will put the Eyes back a bit, if it doesn't destroy them out right.
The Red Eyes are also desperate to improve their standing with geniekind. They have only two sha'irs, who aren't the most powerful individuals in their society. If the Red Eyes wish to survive an assault by a group of powerful sha'irs, their relationship with geniekind must improve.
Though it wouldn't be all that hard to draw a few more sha'irs into the society, the Red Eyes have taken a very different tack. First, they are showering as many different members of geniekind as possible with the finest gifts they can acquire: extremely precious gems, powerful magical items, and anything else they can find. Second, slaves of all types are being funneled to those that ask for them. These are not typical slaves but highly skilled individuals whose services might otherwise be hard for the genies to obtain.
All manner of tasks are being performed for various genies, either by the Red Eyes themselves, or by their servitors and agents. Such tasks are widely varied but include kidnappings, quests, and other activities that are considered too lowly for genies to perform. Anything the Red Eyes think will improve their standing among the ranks of geniekind is being done.
The Red Eyes have no illusions that this alone will firmly cement them among the ranks of the genies, but it is helping. Some dao are especially susceptible to bribery and are siding with the Red Eyes to gain gifts and services. Others may follow, and the Red Eyes are glad to do what they can to make this happen.
All of these things may work in the Red Eyes' favor—or they may not. Zakhara is an ever-changing land, as malleable as the sands upon which it is built. The Red Eyes are aware of this and do what they can to end up on top of things.
In any campaign, the Red Eyes will be enemies of the player characters. They may attempt to draw the characters into their schemes, but no character should ever be asked to join. The Red Eyes are simply too restrictive a society for characters to be involved with them. Characters who become aware of the Eyes should know that they are unfriendly and are to be avoided at all costs.
As a recurring villainous group, this society has grand potential. Their plots are so far reaching and so powerful that defeating them could easily become the focus of an entire campaign. Destroying them should be near to impossible, a feat worthy of characters who wish to become legendary.