Order Back Story

The Order is a secret society composed of powerful warrior mages whose singular purpose is the utter destruction of The Cabal. The Order is based in the City on the Lake, deep within the Great Forest, and its Grand Master is Kha Van Huu. Aside from a small cadre of powerful mages, the Order is also composed of myriad secret cells of followers who have been raised in many of the cities and villages of other factions on Indagar. The Order secretly recruits followers to aid them in discovering Cabal infiltration and provide them with valuable intelligence as well as make-shift armies should a Purge be called and arms taken up. The Order believes that the Cabal will destroy the world, and as such, they believe that all means justify the end of the Cabal. They are a dark inquisition, doing whatever is necessary to locate Cabalists and end them, as well as discovering and destroying the source of Reaper Magic.

The Order

## Formation of the Order

The Legend of the Long Journey to the Lake tells the story of Princess Tani Taka and her heroic flight from Konagara, leading refugees from the Cataclysm across half the continent, to arrive at the City on the Lake. There, she was aided by the Bear Shamans of the Great Forest Tribes to fend off a demonic assault led by Kha Van Huu, her once fiance, as he had chased her all the way into the Great Forest, intent on killing or converting her into a Cabalist. Kha Van Huu was captured during that great battle, and rather than executed, he was taken by Isbeil Bruis into the Great Forest for weeks to undergo a transformation process which she believed would restore his mind and remove the Reaper poisoning. Recognizing that the transformation Kha Van Huu had undergone when becoming a Cabalist was not unlike her own when becoming a Bear Shaman, she took pity on the man but also saw that if she were successful, could create a powerful ally in the upcoming war against the demons which was sure to come eventually the edge of the Great Forest. Binding him and using her own magic, she forced a great, painful turmoil on Kha Van Huu at a sacred site to the Bear Shamans, battling against the Reaper Energy in his mind by infusing him with even more magic. Likely to kill him, Isbeil proceeded cautiously, and at last, she was able to restore sanity to his mind. Below the neck, his body still hideously disfigured into that of a demon, Kha Van Huu's mind was restored, and he had not forgotten what had befallen him on the night of the Cataclsym.

He remember his mind being corrupted by magic, and he also remembered that there were many more like him that were born from the ashes that night and bent on destroying the world. He returned with Isbeil to the City on the Lake where Tani Taka, now Queen, showed him mercy and allowed him to stay. After he told her his story, she too became convinced of the dire threat of the Cabal and decided that she would fund and aid him on a quest to seek out and destroy other Cabalists. The Great Temple of the Order was established in the City on the Lake, utilizing a since abandoned temple of the Priests of Light, and Kha Van Huu assumed control. His first mission was to locate other Cabalists and either attempt to convert them as he had been converted, or to simply end them. With the aid of Isbeil and some forces on loan from Tani Taka, he set out back towards the Dead Lands, heading to where reports of demonic attacks were occurring in local villages. Over a few years, he was able to capture several Cabalists, becoming part of the Inner Order, and using them, they captured or killed yet more Cabalists, growing the ranks of the Order to its present day count of 23.

Learn More About: Process of Reclamation

## Structure of the Order

The Order is led by Kha Van Huu who acts as Grandmaster of the Order. Beneath him are his trusted generals who make up the Inner Order and are some of the first converts Kha Van Huu created. Beneath the Inner Order are three branches, the Sowers, the Heralds, and the Hunters. Each of these three branches are made up of just a handful of powerful mages, once Cabalists, and each serve an important purpose in the business of the Order. The Sowers are a branch of the Order serving as infiltration experts whose primary goal is to infiltrate the various cities and villages of Indagar and find allies there who can provide information, arms, and even small armies should the Order need to call upon them to destroy a Cabalist in their local area. They refer to this as planting the Seeds. The Heralds are the strictly martial arm of the Order, warrior mages who spend their time training and honing their magic so as to be able to overcome even the most powerful horrors the Cabal can muster. They mostly execute assassination or capture missions of the Order, traveling alone throughout Indagar to hunt down suspected Cabalists. Sometimes, they are called upon to lead the armies of the Order, raised by the Sowers, to thwart demonic incursion. The Hunters are spy masters, who spend their days traveling Indagar seeking information about possible Cabalist infiltration and finding the information and intelligence that the Heralds need to execute their mission.

Learn More About: Inner Order, Sowers, Heralds, Hunters, Seeds

## Life Within the Order

The Order is a militaristic, cult-like operation acting as an inquisition bent on destroying the Cabal. Their structure is extremely rigid, with absolute obedience demanded by the chain of command. Failure to comply is a sign that the Reaper still taints you, and will most likely result in swift execution by the Heralds. The Order maintains absolute secrecy, ensuring that their mission can go unimpeded by the great powers of Indagar. The Great Temple is most often nearly empty, as most of the 23 are away on business, except for Kha Van Huu and one or two of the Inner Order, who are generally planning, issuing orders, or executing the rites of the Process of Reclamation. Although funded by Queen Tani Taka, their lifestyle is spartan, foregoing most of the material wealth of life in order to better focus on the mission at hand. Food, supplies, and weapons are provided to them by the people of the City on the Lake who also rely on the immense power of the warrior mages to defend their city.

Learn More About: Workings of the Order