Order of Smoke and Ash

West of the Veridian and the Iskach mountains, lies their self-imposed jurisdiction. Ruthless and brutally efficient, the Order of Smoke and Ash will end conflicts and strife in mere days, where others would need months or years. Where Diplomacy has Failed, Fire and Iron shall not; is their credo. If you kneel before the High-Arbiter you are guilty until proven innocent. Not that it matters, innocence means little if it stands in the way of achieving victory. Once they are done, they will collect their rewards from the survivors, whomever is left standing. The Order need not coerce for coin, it merely flows into their pockets as they leave.

The pentagram, the symbol of the Order of Smoke and Ash, represents the Order protecting the west from the Five Contaminations:

* **Undead**: Undead are a vile mockery of the living. Any and all necromancers and undead beings must be destroyed.
* **Underworlders**: The despicable daemons are amoral, violent, corruptive, and altogether dangerous filth that cannot be suffered to remain in the plane of the mortals.
* **Overworlders**: Thralls of the Demiurges should remain in the Overworld. The best thing those gods have done was leave Itherra after its creation, for their direct meddling has brought nothing but ill with it. Itherra is the realm of the mortals, and the direct influence of the gods is nothing but corruptive.
* **Outworlders**: Monstrosities and aberrations belong in their own sick realm. Banishment is the only correct action one can undertake when dealing with outworlders.
* **Corrupt Mortals**: Those mortals who allow themselves to fall to their basest desires are nothing more than mindless beasts. Positions of power must be held by the pure and strong, otherwise civilizations may fall.

## Chapters

### Mageblade (Vuldyad)

"One single day." The Order is renowned for its efficiency in dealing with deadly and dangerous matters. The Vuldyad chapter holds this as the highest virtue, and have made it their doctrine. Others need months, the Order needs a week, but we need only "One single day."

Vuldyad inquisitors and officers are one of the most feared and respected members of the Order.

On the battlefield the chapter specializes in battlemage warfare, heavily armored fyordzgorou (mageblades), utilizing steel and the arcane. A fyordzgor is a person who has trained from youth for war. What the Vuldyad lacks in numbers they make up for in quality.

### Codewarden (Yündrob)

"Rïfek Kizga" - No Sanctuary

Paladins

## Former Chapters

Each Chapter Master is granted a staff by the High Arbiter at their ascension. This staff symbolizes the authority of the Chapter Master and the full might of their chapter. Knights under the Chapter Masters can temporarily be granted the staff, during which they are allowed to act in the name of the Chapter Master, with all the privileges that come with it.

In the case that a Chapter staff has been lost the power and authority of the Chapter vanishes, and the entire Chapter is stripped of their knighthood. They are disallowed to wear the black and white of the Order. These fallen knights are often referred to as Gray Knights. If a fallen Chapter retakes their staff their status is returned.

## Hierarchy

### Spider

Spiders are spies and infiltrators who answer directly to the High Arbiter. Their identities, locations, and missions are unknown to all but the High Arbiter. This means they are not officially part of the hierarchy.

### Knight

Once an initiate has proven themselves in their field they will be knighted. At that point their are officially a part of the Order, and are granted the following privileges and responsibilities.

* Knight of the Order:
	+ Receives monthly pay
	+ Granted access to Order Citadels
	+ Will be provided with standard Order equipment
	+ Must follow the code on threat of punishment
	+ Defended by the name of the Order

The Knight may receive additional privileges and responsibilities depending on their exact rank.

* Inquisitor:
	+ May invoke the name of the Order
	+ Receives additional travel pay
	+ Will be allowed council with Lore Masters
	+ Must report quarterly to CO
	+ May use non-standard equipment, must report it, may require standardization (colors), officers may relinquish for any reason

* Seeker:
	+ Receives additional travel pay
	+ Will be allowed council with Lore Keepers
	+ Must report monthly to CO

### Initiate

* Seeker Initiate:
	+ Must complete a mission that is within the aptitude of the Seeker Initiate and which cannot sully the name of the Order
	+ Will be provided with Seeker equipment
	+ May leave the Chapter encampment
	+ Must report weekly to CO

* Battle Knight Initiate:
	+ Will receive Battle Knight training
	+ May not leave the Chapter encampment unsupervised
	+ May be supervised by a Knight of the Order

* Apprentice Initiate:
	+ Will be provided with access to the camp lore books for Apprentice training
	+ May not leave the Chapter encampment unsupervised
	+ May be supervised by a Knight of the Order

* Initiate:
	+ Will be tested to see which path the initiate may take
	+ Will be provided with training equipment, barracks, and sustenance
	+ May not leave the Chapter encampment unsupervised
	+ May be supervised by a Knight of the Order

## The Code

* In the case of a Grand Calamity (Übik), all Chapters Masters must fully mobilize and relinquish authority to the High Arbiter.
* Any undead or makers of undeath shall be put to death or destruction.
* Any and all daemons, fiends, and underworlders shall be banished or destroyed.
* Any and all aberrations and outworlders shall be banished or destroyed.
* Unsanctioned and or violent celestials and overworlders shall be banished or destroyed.
* Dragons are considered sanctioned as per High Arbiter Torüdz' decree.
* Dragons under the age of two-hundred-and-forty that are in violation may be considered Unwanted Entity (Zdru Krï), by an Adjudicator or higher.
* Dragons under the age of six-hundred that are in violation may be considered Unwanted Entity (Zdru Krï), by a Chapter Master or higher.
* Dragons over the age of twelve-hundred that are in violation may be considered Unwanted Entity (Zdru Krï), by the High Arbiter.

A guilty humanoid will be judged by the appropriate ranking Order member.

* An undesirable may be judged by a Seeker Initiate or Knight of the Order or a Knight of a higher rank.
* A non-property owner may be judged by a Seeker or Inquisitor or Officer, if there is any uncertainty an Apprentice must be consulted.
* A direct property owner that is not part of the political class or is of low political ranking may be judged by an Inquisitor or Officer, if there is any uncertainty a Lorekeeper must be consulted.
* An delegated property owner may be judged by an Adjudicator or an Officer of higher rank, if there is any uncertainty a Loremaster must be consulted.
* A royal or high bureaucrat may be judged by a Chapter Master the High Arbiter, if there is any uncertainty the Supreme Judge must be consulted.
* Rulers of realms may only be judged by the High Arbiter.
* Any Initiate may defend themselves with lethal force until the foe has been defanged.

Punishments will be executed in the following order.

For the following crimes a humanoid will be required to pay a fine to the Order.

* Insulting a Knight of the Order, amount dependent of apparent wealth of the guilty party.
* Wasting the time of a Knight of the Order.

For the following crimes a humanoid will have their fingers be broken.

* Suspected pickpocketing.
* Suspected lockpicking.

For the following crimes a humanoid will be subjected to beating.

* Provoking a Knight of the Order.
* Threatening the life of a non-Order individual.

For the following crimes a humanoid will be subjected to lashing.

* Assault of a non-Order individual.
* Refusing to leave Chapter encampment area.

For the following crimes a humanoid will be put to death.

* Any individual that attacks a Knight of the Order or steals or damages Order property forfeits their life.
* Trespassing in an Order citadel.
* Accepting or giving bribes exceeding the yearly income of a noble or bureaucrat.
* Ownership, or trafficking, of mortals.
* Unsanctioned summoning of, or dealing with, contaminations.
* Participation in, or support of, subversive or terrorist organizations.

For the following crimes the Knight will determine the severity of punishment.

* Obstruction of justice.

## The Edict

The Edict is a well known but little discussed concept within the Order. It occurs rarely, but the High Arbiter has the authority to issue an Edict. A missive is magically sent to the appropriate Chapter Master or Officer. This missive contains only a description of a location and the Seal of the Edict. The knight is then obliged to use all assets available to completely destroy everything and everyone at that location. Kyne, beast, contamination, plant, building, anything.