The Watch

The Watch is an order, with members said to be talented killers.

When joining the Watch, members are not able to hold titles while they served.

In general, the Watch are not meant to intervene in the affairs of nations without invitation. While true in principle, it hardly happens in practice.

## Oaths

Watchmen swear in service for periods of seven years.

## Structure

The Watch is made of seven Circles. One of which is a scholarly society. Though watchmen are counted as members of the Watch, less than a tenth of them are inducted into one of the Circles.

### Circles

#### The Academy, also known as the Stripes

The largest of the circles, training the Watch's officers, the Stripes.

#### The Krypteia, also known as the Masks

Both the smallest and the most secretive circle, rumoured to perform espionage and assassination. Often acts against other members or factions of the Watch.

#### The College

Made up from three scholarly societies: The Peiling (Savants) , Umuthi, and Arthashastra (Laurels)

## Locations of Note

### The Dominion of Lost Things

An island where the trials of the Watch are administered. Also known as the island of Vieja Perdida.

Those who pass the trials would be a fully-fledged member of the Watch immediately.

### The Rookery

One of the great fortress-islands of the Watch. Also the seat of the Watch where watchmen are trained in a great war camp.

## Political Relationships

### Sacromonte

The Watch is bound by an ancient treaty to never take contracts within Sacromonte save at the invitation of the Infanzones.

## Joining

### Enrolment

The traditional route of joining the Watch.

### Yearly Trials

Held on the Dominion of Lost Things, the trials are considered perilous, with less than one in five surviving the process. However, upon success, the candidate becomes a fully-fledged member of the Watch immediately.

There are paths of retreat that the Watch had arranged on the island. Safe places where a participant could desist from going any further. These paths are often taken by the infanzon who join the trial to prove their skill and daring without risking the renouncing of titles and wealth that comes with joining the Watch.

## Equipment

Members of the Watch wear a black cloak that act as a badge of office for the Watch.

## Notable members

### Osian Tredegar

Angharad's uncle, her mother's youngest brother. He'd gone into exile to join the Watch.

As part of the Watch, Osian holds the rank of captain.

## References

1. ↑ Book 1 - Chapter 1
If so, this was turning out to be a blunder. Stealing from a blackcloak was a bad idea even at the best of times, for they were talented killers one and all, but if it turned out that Tristan was obstructing a contract then it wouldn’t be the man alone that came for him: the entire free company he belonged to would become involved.
2. ↑ Book 1 - Chapter 2
It also meant, however, that she would formally be leaving her title as Lady of Llanw Hall behind. Blackcloaks could not hold titles while they served, and often not even after. She closed her eyes, gritting her teeth.
3. ↑ Book 1 - Chapter 2
She carefully read the rest, eyes narrowing when he cautioned her that he could not intervene too blatantly as her situation was a ‘Malani matter’ and the Watch was not meant to intervene in the affairs of nations without invitation. That might be true in principle, she thought, but hardly in practice.
4. ↑ Book 1 - Chapter 2
He was right that it would afford her a great deal of protection, and that the oath would not take all of her life: watchmen swore in sevens, and after seven years Angharad expected she would be either dead or ready for revenge.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Book 1 - Chapter 2
Her uncle was not much of a fighting man, her mother had always said, but he’d always been clever with his mind and his hands. He’d written of spending much time in the Rookery once, one of the great fortress-islands of the Watch, so Angharad had come to suspect he might be a member of one of the seven Circles – one of the scholarly societies, probably. That meant influence among their ranks, from what little she knew of the workings of the Watch, as though all watchmen were counted as members of the order less than a tenth of them were ever inducted into one of the Circles.
6. ↑ Book 1 Chapter 33“Have been since the age of six,” he easily replied. “Part of the reason I chose to seek out the Watch was the possibility of joining the Peiling Society. The Savants are arguably the leading light in that field of study.”
7. ↑ Book 1 Chapter 37Tristan slowly blinked. As in the Arthasastra Society, the Circle of the Watch that trained *diplomats*?

“You’re a Laurel,” he said, not hiding his skepticism.
8. ↑ Book 1 - Chapter 1
Even worse, it was said that the Watch was bound by ancient treaty never to take contracts within Sacromonte save at the invitation of the infanzones so he must have stumb- his thoughts halted, and the young thief turned a considering eye to the sleeping man.
9. ↑ Book 1 - Chapter 1
Tristan thought. So was the man here on private business? No, the thief decided, else he would not have dared to bring with him the black cloak that was as a badge of office for the Watch.
10. ↑ Book 1 - Chapter 2
Osian, her mother’s youngest brother, had been allowed by her to keep using the family arms even though he had gone into exile to join the Watch.
11. ↑ Book 1 - Chapter 2
As always, her uncle remained vague on what exactly it *was* he did for the Watch. He was captain in rank, but Angharad knew that he was not part of one of the many free companies out in the field on contracts.