Sentinels

The Sentinels are a chaotic good faction that Trefoil is allied with. The Sentinels are fierce warriors and will fight to defend their ideals, but the Sentinels also seek to create and maintain peace, both within, and without. However, the Sentinels are an order of scholars as much as they are an order of warriors. They take great pride in their martial skills, but also have a rich history of travel and philosophical study. They’re a very secretive organization, if you learn anything about them or see any members, it is only because they have allowed it. They tend to be liked by the academy, and have a few student informants in their ranks as well as many, many, members across both the magical and non-magical world alike. Though there was a time when this was not so, they prefer to remain hidden from view and work from the shadows.

## Sentinel Goals

The Sentinels’ highest goal is to preserve and defend freedom in every form, but they also value justice and knowledge. The Sentinels' duty is to the people. They believe that every individual has the inherent right to be free from every kind of oppression. The goal of the Sentinels' philosophy is to encourage mindful action, independent thought, and a broadened, more objective perspective. The Sentinels will never turn their backs on those in true need so long as it can be helped, but neither will they fix your problems for you. The Sentinels will also respect and value a demonstrated interest in the gaining and preservation of knowledge and wisdom. The Sentinels cannot be bought or bribed into doing anything. While some of their members may choose to accept compensation for services rendered, the Sentinels are – on principle – not 'for hire'. They will, however, accept agreements of mutual trade. They may be slow to trust, and quick to suspicion, but the Sentinels want to put faith in your potential for greatness. Let them catch you in the act of being selflessly kind to one another, coming to the aid of someone in need, or acting in a manner that positively supports the greater good. These are things the Sentinels will value and respect. Aiding the Sentinels in their efforts to root out all that is devious and foul will go a long way towards earning their lasting trust. The Sentinels wants you to help them gather information on dangerous or potentially threatening people or organizations and their plots, and they also want you to report all sightings or rumors of dangerous artifacts to them. Common methods for them include hacking (Mundane tech), espionage, infiltration, etc.

You may feel that there is a degree of contradiction to be found between the Sentinels' philosophy and their methods. The Sentinels invites you to consider the ways in which this contradiction mirrors the contradictions found within humanity itself. The Sentinels are, every one of them, living contradictions and yet they somehow function and endure anyway. The Sentinels' actions and movements are subtle and the logic may not always apparent from the outside. Wherever possible, they will seek to shift the 'established regime' from within, using politics and manipulation to  achieve their aims.

## Sentinel Tenets

'*The Sentinels live and act in accordance with a strict code comprised of three core tenets. This code shapes and influences everything the Sentinels do. The Sentinel’s first tenet is, ‘Hide in plain sight.’ Be unseen. Be subtle and efficient in everything you do. Be patient, observe, plan carefully, and avoid drawing '*unnecessary attention to yourself, or your actions. The second tenet is, ‘Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent.’ Avoid confrontation when- and wherever possible. If confrontation cannot be avoided, see to it that your actions are precise and do not bring harm to those who have nothing to do with the matter at hand. Never strike at others out of anger. The third and last tenet is, ‘Never compromise the Sentinels.’ If you are captured or chased, you must never commit any action or say anything that could be tied back to the Sentinels, bring harm to any of its members. The Sentinels do not expect you to follow their tenets, but the Sentinels expect you to respect them and do nothing to intentionally endanger those who do follow them. Failing to do so while allied with them may cause them to withdraw or reconsider their support.

The Sentinels' greatest maxim is, ‘Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.’ This, combined with their tenets, shapes everything the Sentinels do. It is not a doctrine to be followed, but merely an observation of the world. It serves to remind them that nothing in life is an absolute fact, that there are always more paths open to them than may initially be apparent, and that we each have the power (and the responsibility) to take charge of our own stories. When the Sentinels say “nothing is true”, it does not mean that there is no truth, or that nothing is real. This is intended to remind them that appearances can be deceiving, that things are not always as they seem, and that there is no such thing as 'fixed reality'. In reciting these words, the Sentinels are reminded that they are often guilty of viewing our circumstances and the world around them from a limited, frequently biased perspective and rarely see things as they truly are. In this way, the Sentinels are invited to take a step back, observe their surroundings and relative position more objectively, and then consider additional perspectives and courses of action before acting. The phrase “everything is permitted” is not a justification for doing whatever one wants and does not imply freedom from rules, law, or consequences. It is, instead, meant to remind them that their options at any given moment are never as restricted  as they may seem, and that all of these options are open to them  – are permitted – and should be considered. Saying that a given course of action is 'permitted' means that it is available to them as an option, but this does not mean that action is necessarily correct, or 'right', and it does not relieve them of their responsibility for a given actions outcome. Their code does not call for them to act, or submit, but to put the knowledge the Sentinels have to good use and choose for themselves when and how to act. Their philosophy does not commanded them to be free, it commands them to be wise.

## Allies and Enemies

The Sentinels are allied with Trefoil, but the alliance was put in danger at the 2002 Spring Session. A Blood Herald was offering information for a trade, and Danger was put up as an offer. The offer was mostly a joke, but it was taken very seriously as it violates the alliance between Trefoil and the Sentinels because a member was put in danger unnecessarily and without reason. The alliance was put on probation and Trefoil was given the task of finding the Crimson Knight mole within Trefoil. However, this assignment was changed to apprehending Nylora and giving her to the Sentinels. The Crimson Knight mole was Verity, but the Sentinels were never informed because Nylora was captured first. Nylora was surrounded and stopped one day and turned over to Danger to take to the Sentinels. However, Nylora took Danger’s magic, wounded her, and escaped. Nylora kept Danger’s magic on her, and constantly threatened to hurt Danger using her magic, but has been apprehended since, and the magic has been returned.

The Sentinels are very involved with other factions through alliances and enemies. They are enemies with the Crimson Knights, and the Westgaards through their alliance with Crimson Knights. They are allied with the Seelie Court, the Blood Heralds, and Trefoil Academy, despite the previous alliance endangerment. The Sentinels are on unfriendly terms with the Unseelie Court through their own alliance with the Seelie Court. They are also on friendly terms with the Vek Bloodline through their alliance with the Blood Heralds.

Enemies to the Sentinels are any individuals or organizations who seek to threaten the freedoms and rights of others by oppressing or taking advantage of those who cannot defend themselves, intentionally causing harm, instigating discord for the sake of gaining power, or otherwise attempting to gain control over, manipulate, or subdue the human mind and spirit. The Sentinels' greatest and most bitter foe is the Order of the Crimson Knights, with whom the Sentinels have been actively warring for hundreds of years. The Sentinels' conflict with the Crimson Knights is fueled by the fact that the Crimson Knights seek to gain control over all mankind by imposing an oppressive 'New World Order', designed to rob everyone all of our free will and independence. The Crimson Knights claim this is for the better. The Sentinels disagree. Where the Sentinels believe that the chaotic complexity (both the good, and the bad) of human nature is what makes us beautiful and our freedoms worth defending, the Crimson Knights believe that mankind is incapable of governing itself and is in need of dictated structure and order. Where the Sentinels seek to encourage the people of the world to enact change and create peace for themselves, the Crimson Knights wish to force it upon them through artificial means, robbing everyone of their individuality. As the Sentinels have branched out into the wizarding world, so, too, have the Crimson Knights. Siding with, supporting, protecting, or harboring the Crimson Knights or any of their allies and agents may make cause the Sentinels to terminate their alliance with you.

## Fragment Involvement

The Sentinels actively seek out fragments, it is a large part of their duty to keep the fragments from getting into the possession of the Crimson Knights. The Crimson Knights have been searching for and hoarding Fragments for hundreds of years. Their plan is to use these artifacts to subdue mankind and bend it into mindless complacency. This forms the crux of the Sentinels’ conflict with them. If you see, or hear of any such artifact, do not attempt to recover it yourself. The Sentinels want you to report it to them directly, if you can, and leave the rest to them. It is imperative that these artifacts not reach Crimson Knight hands. The Knights have rapidly learned that certain truly enchanted artifacts (artifacts of magical origin, rather than technological) are just as powerful as the Fragments, if not even more so, and have begun looking for  these as well. The Sentinels believe that the Fragments should be kept not only from the Crimson Knights, but also from human hands in general. They think no one has the right to exert such power over others. Any and all Fragments they obtain are carefully hidden or vaulted away, safe from human reach. This also applies to dangerously powerful enchanted artifacts.

## History of the Sentinels

The Sentinels are an old, almost ancient, order. The informal fou'*nding of the Sentinels dates to ca. 456 BCE. It can be argued, however, that their roots spread further back than that. When asked about why the Sentinels chose 456 BCE if they had roots before that, Danger said, “I don't believe it was a formal 'choice' in the sense you're thinking of. I think that's just roughly when things pulled together in a more organized way. When it '*was decided that there would be an actual order.”. The Sentinels' self proclaimed “greatest level of organization” was achieved during the Crusades, when they tasked themselves first with the protection of the traveling merchants and pilgrims, and then with the undermining and defeat of the riding Crimson Knights (find more about Crusades). The Sentinels have spent hundreds of years moving through the shadows, battling the forces of tyranny and oppression, secretly tipping the scales of history in favor of the greater good. It is highly likely we have all seen them, and their work before, but have never known it as such. The Sentinels have eyes and ears the world over and yet can never truly be found unless they choose to be. The Sentinels are everywhere, and nowhere. The Sentinels have been present and active – if not always as a formal order – through all major periods of human history. As you can see, they remain active now and are continuing to expand their network within both the non-magical and wizarding worlds, the Sentinels played a role in the Civil War, but it is unknown who they supported.

Around August in 2000, there was a betrayal from within. The mole had worked his way into Sentinels ranks, and caused a very effective strike. Danger did not know him personally, he was a mundane. The man was a sleeper agent and a mole who was waiting for the right time to give away information. The mole gave away the location of many major Sentinel outposts. No Sentinel vaults were compromised in this attack, except for one that did not contain any fragments. Danger did not know what was in the vault that was compromised, and Danger doesn’t know what he was looking for. Platinum was sent on a damage control mission to investigate and look for more moles, the mission was a success, according to Platinum there are no more. The goal of the attack was to cause as much damage as possible and open up a gap for future attacks. The mole is theorized to be being protected by the Crimson Knights.

## Sentinel Membership

While the Sentinels do have a certain traceable lineage, they are not connected to, or bound by any particular bloodline. Bloodline loyalties and politics mean little to them and hold no authority over their actions. Some of the Sentinels' members are born into their order and trained from childhood within closed communities. Some are recruited from the outside. Regardless of how one comes to the Sentinels, their membership rites are rigorous and demanding. The Sentinels are open to all, but full initiation is difficult to achieve and often requires years of intense training and evaluation. Those wishing to join the Sentinels' ranks are received as novice recruits and assigned a mentor, whose responsibility it is to coach the recruit in Sentinel philosophy and to guide them in their training. Once it is decided that a given apprentice's training is complete, they will be invited to participate in an initiation ceremony. This ceremony grants the title of Sentinel and opens the door to further advancement through Sentinel ranks. The Sentinels have a strong interest in locating and recruiting any individuals who still have active Old Ones abilities. When present (and functioning), these abilities form one of their strongest advantages. This is not, however, a requirement. Not all Sentinels have these abilities, and not all of those who have it, are Sentinels.

## Questions and Theories

### Known Sentinels

There are many Sentinels the academy knows by nicknames the students made to tell them apart. These are nicknames that the individual Sentinels have accepted from the Academy, as they are our allies and we wouldn't want to be rude by calling them something they do not like.

The Sentinels that we know of are Fire Red, Leaf Green, Infinity, Optimus Prime, Platinum, Tiz (Amazon Prime), Crystal, Poppy, Bow and Arrow, and Rose Petal.

* Fire Red is the alias that Danger goes by in uniform and is high ranking. She has a black cat.
* Leaf Green is another high ranking member of the Sentinels, but often reports to Fire Red. She was first seen at the same time as Fire Red, which is how they were given their nicknames. She seems to have a very mischievous streak and enjoys playing games with the students, and often leaves small toys as gifts. She is not good at English, but has been learning enough to understand what is being said in the past few years working with the Academy.
* There is a male sentinel who hasn’t been seen around Trefoil during the summer and has areas of expertise of technology, potions/alchemy, and charms. His nickname is Mr. E.
* Not much is known about Optimus Prime, he was a huge helper when several academy students were laying low in the Shrieking Shack after capturing and interrogating a Crimson Knight member.
* Infinity was a decently ranked Sentinel member who once dabbed in a meeting and is now the lowest possible rank, his uniform is just a handmade robe.
* Platinum is a decently ranked Sentinel Member whose color is orange and can be seen often at Trefoil, Platinum doesn’t know a lot of English.
* Tiz, nicknamed Amazon Prime, is an acquaintance of Stringbean and was talked to a few times about means of magical restoration.
* Crystal has been seen at Trefoil and normally wears Purple.
* Poppy is another member seen at Trefoil. She is characterized by her black and white robes and red lipstick. When mingling with the Academy, she usually hangs out with Infinity.
* Bow and Arrow are Sentinels that have been seen at the Academy in the last few years. They appear to be fairly highly ranked. Their matching Sentinel uniforms are slightly different from the others more familiar to the Academy. They are fluent in English and speak with a southern American accent, but also speak French, one a bit better than the other. They are also known to speak a few words of German. They are often seen in the company of Leaf Green.
* Not much is known about Rose Petal, who has been seen at Trefoil at least once.
* There are a few Sentinel informants that are Trefoil students, their names will not be given.