Order of the Dark Moon

Above all, the darkness should be a time to act, not to wait.

Based in the mountains of Aezith, the Order of the Dark Moon is tasked with recruiting, educating, and instructing the activity of clergy devoted to Shar.

Though the Order's focus is recruitment, the overall goal of the church is to destroy the following of Selûne.

## Recruitment

Due to the stigma associated with their goddess, the base of the Order acts as a simple but remote orphanage, claiming to be run by The Order of the Setting Moon. This guise is a major source of their most loyal and useful recruits, having been groomed for their positions from childhood.

Monks who take up positions as teachers are typically those who are no longer capable of active assignments. These followers observe and choose children who display any qualities that may prove useful. Once they meet certain conditions, the chosen students begin further training specific to the doctrine of Shar.

Recruitment from the general population is done with great care, encouraged by the deity's love of secrecy. Cells of Sharran clergy will often be stationed in highly populated areas, acting as informants of activity and recruiting when they find valuable individuals.

The Dark Lady embraces those who have reason to seek vengeance or who hold onto a great deal of sorrow and anger. Recruiting members will often reach out to the most discriminated members of society, offering safety and aid to beggars, mentally ill, and physically disadvantaged citizens while encouraging them to cultivate negative feelings toward their oppressors.

In addition, they also keep note of young members of large noble families. They build on the bitterness of inheriting little but the family name while still maintaining the influence of it. Shar is particularly pleased by the recruitment of disgraced or displeased followers of Good-aligned deities. The goddess often grants a boon to any of her own who manage to do so.

Although they are not technically members of the church, some ruling factions will pledge loyalty to the church in exchange for resources - or in gaining their leadership position in the first place. These officials are closely monitored, and in most cases are eventually replaced by members of the church itself.

## Training

Once a recruit has been chosen, their training is overseen by a member of the Order. This is typically the same member who suggested them as valuable. All training is done in the base of Aezith, although publicly chosen recruits are not sent there until Shar has given the recruiter a sign that they are acceptable (usually through a dream). Training is entirely self-paced, encouraging students to form their own devotion toward the goddess and bettering themselves in her name.

Training is rigorous, preparing them for a broad range of assignments and locations:

* Martial Arts
* Meditation Practices
* Weapons
* Tactics (including discreet recruitment techniques)
* Climate Adaptation
* Resistance to interrogation techniques
* In-depth lessons on the doctrine of Shar
* Harnessing Ki
* Use of the Shadow Weave
* Any detail skills needed for long-term assignments (language and local history)

## Roles

* Recruitment is expected of every member when the opportunity presents itself.
* Students who are proficient with their chosen weapon are given small assignments, typically to eradicate disgraced members of the church.
* Monks must prove themselves by assassinating a Moonbathed priest or priestess of Selûne and dyeing a wooden amulet purple with their blood. It is kept with them until their death.
* Clerics must retrieve the holy symbol of an Initiate or High Initiate of the opposing church. The symbol is then destroyed in their ceremony of initiation if the goddess accepts them.
* Paladins are required to bring back the holy symbol and weapon of a paladin of Selûne. The holy symbol is typically destroyed, but many Sharran Paladins will use the weapon to carry out the deeds of their own goddess.
* Priests and Priestesses of Shar are given a target chosen by the goddess herself, and once their task is completed she gives them a name that only their inner circle may know.
* Children who display useful skills but do not meet the conditions to be fully trained are educated and given tasks that benefit the church and its goals.