Blood Heralds

The Blood Heralds are a faction that Trefoil Academy is allied with. Their symbol is the bleeding rose.

### **Alignment and Affiliations**

Their alignment is considered to be true neutral. This means that sometimes they will uphold the laws of an area, and other times, they have no qualms of circumventing it. There will be times that they will seek to help an area in need for no other reason that it is in need. They will also look and move on opportunities that further the organization's personal agenda.

To see their current affiliations/views, please see the Faction Page.

### H**ow Does the Outside Perceive Them**

The Blood Heralds are considered to be a secret organization of illegal mages by the general public. While the various ministries outlaw certain spells as illegal, the Blood Heralds disagree. They feel there are many other spells can do far greater damage - even a simple fire spell can cause unbelievable torment, yet it is not outlawed. The Blood Heralds are often labeled illegal mages because they do not view magic as good or bad, but rather as a tool.

### **How the** **Blood Heralds View of the World & Their Place In It**

The following is an example of how the Blood Heralds view the world:

> "Perceptions do not equal reality, and one’s actions are based on one’s perceptions. Therefore, we define our reality rather than reality defines us. To layman, we do not exist. We are simply shadows that one might fleetingly catch out of the corner one’s eye for a second and just as easily forgotten. To some, we are illegal mages who are capable of great destruction. We are the weapons of the night, and the whisperers of secrets that bring down governments without a second thought. Others have hail us heroes, fierce and loyal protectors who are willing to do is whatever is necessary for the greater good. The unenlightened call us the Illuminati. No matter what others may perceive us, our reality is this: to forever serve as the balancing force of this world. We are the prosecutor, judge, jury of all civilizations. Worth lies in a willingness to act. Our word is our bond. Those who strike at us find an uncannily dangerous and ruthless enemy. Those who earn our loyalty and share our agenda soon find a staunch and fierce ally. Ultimately, the ends justify the means. A wise guide knows the importance of giving a person room to grow and make mistakes but is still quick to protect the individual from harming oneself. We strive to be that guide. Civilizations have repeatedly shown themselves possessing both a great capacity for good as well as evil. Those who lack the maturity to choose wisely will find us waiting. Knowledge is Power. Power is Control. Control ensures Balance."
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### **Agenda**

The agenda of the Blood Heralds is largely kept a secret by its leadership. There are three primary objectives that the students have been able to deduced thus far.

1. Restore the Vek ruling family to their original throne
2. Defeat the Westgaard Bloodline
3. Keep the world balanced. (See Section: How the Blood Heralds View the World & Their Place In It)

### **How Do The Blood Heralds Operate**

The Blood Heralds are silent puppet masters and are essentially the Illuminati of the magical world. Their preferred tactic is to infiltrate the ranks an organization and guide from within. A whisper in the right ear can topple a government. A called in favor can bring desired aid to a much-needed area. They work as silent enforcers that operate in the shadows.

Blood Heralds are active in many political arenas, seeking ways to gain power and prevent their opponents from harming their agenda. Businesses, courts, bureaucracy, shipping industries, universities, research institutions, and marshal squads are all areas that the Blood Heralds frequently seek to infiltrate.

### **Recognizing a Blood Herald**

There are two ways to recognize a Blood Herald:

1. Active Field Mode: They will be wearing a black cape, a black half-face mask, and there will be a rose on the cape or on them. The way the costume is designed, you won't be able to really tell any identifying features.
2. Non-active Field Mode: This is when they are blending in with the general populace. For example, there are known Blood Heralds among the faculty at Trefoil Academy. They will be wearing a "rose" on them, somewhere. It can be in the form of a ring, a necklace, a bracelet charm, an anklet, a pin etc. (The Blood Heralds place a high value upon the loyalty and secrecy of their membership to protect the organization as a whole. One will be hard pressed to get a Blood Herald to admit their membership openly so approach it indirectly.)

### Joining the Blood Heralds

#### *Induction*

A Blood Herald who has not taken the vow is known as a Blood Herald Initiate. They will reside at a training facility. The earliest that someone may become an Initiate is 11. This tends to be more common than not for members of the Vek Bloodline as well as other players because that is when society recognizes the start of adulthood. However, individuals are most certainly able to become inducted into the organization later on in life. Due to the wars being waged on multiple fronts, the Blood Heralds have been aggressively recruiting new initiates and informants by any means necessary in order to replenish their ranks.

There are several tests that a prospect Blood Herald would need to pass. While the actual tests are tailored and often double as placement tests if one is successful, the nature of the tests are universal. In addition to skill testing, one’s loyalty and ability to follow given instructions in the face of emotional compromise.

The actual rite of becoming a Blood Herald is known as the Rhoswen Accord.

#### *Rite of the Bleeding Rose aka the Rhoswen Accord*

It consists of a blood magic oath over a clear crystalline rose called the Sanguine Bleeding Rose. When the blood oath is sworn over it and blood is dripped onto it, the rose turns a brownish-red (aka sanguine). The rite was created after the "War of the Roses". (Please see Rhowsen Canopic Jar.)

The Sanguine Bleeding Rose is a dark artifact. By adding one’s blood to their ancestors and reciting the Rhoswen Accord, the individual now ties 3 permanent status effects to them. While it is an oath that all Blood Heralds take, only the leadership knows the full oath.

The oath of the Rhoswen Accord consists of two verses.

The first verse is:

> "In Blood I bind myself to Shadows, hither on to cast no light.
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> To seek no glory which others see, neither name or face revealed.
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> To this realm and to this line, I breathe balance."
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The second verse is:

> "And if I shall fail and fall to another’s magic,
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> Take my anima unto darkness, to wait in shadowed silence,
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> Until my Blood doth summon me out, I do swear."
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Newly inducted Blood Heralds are then often made to forget about this second verse in the oath of the Bleeding Rose through telepology, which is a branch of illegal magic that involves mental manipulation.

The three effects are:

1. A shadowed essence is woven the idea of the Blood Heralds, causing knowledge of the organization to slowly slip from those who are not affiliated when a Blood Herald, active or not, is no longer present. The reason the academy has not been impacted by the first effect of the Blood Herald vow is that there have always been Blood Heralds present.
2. Those who directly serve received a heightened instinct for deception and misdirection. Those who are non-players find their personal desire for fame and glory muted. The reason for this is that the opposites balance each other out. Shadow must allow a beacon to shine independent in order to survive.
3. If a Blood Herald is nearly killed/killed by magical means at the hands of an enemy, there runs the risk of one’s anima, aka consciousness, is potentially be drawn back into the Nilfheim and trapped there. (The exemption to this is the heirloom bound because their anima has been anchored to this realm by their heirloom.)

#### *Identification Numbers*

Numerous societies throughout history place a strong emphasis on one’s name. It is not uncommon for an individual to take on the attributes of their given name due to labeling theory. In various magical systems, knowing an individual’s true name grants you power over them. Because of this, Blood Heralds refer to each other by a series of numbers rather than a name pseudonym. Over time, a name pseudonym could morph into a true name.

A Blood Herald’s ID consists of six slots for the first six numbers. Any additional numbers after that point are use to clearly differentiate between individuals with identical numbers for the first six. A Blood Herald’s number ID will change over the course of their career.

* Slot 1: Position/Role
* Slot 2: Rank
* Slot 3: Lineage
* Slot 4-6: Skill Sets Slot
* 7+: Unique identifiers if necessary - more common among the lower ranks

How to Decode a Blood Herald ID Number
2. Heir or Heiress of the Vek Bloodline
3. Plumbum Stipator
4. Bodyguard (i.e. Candidates, Prospects, Guards)
5. Scholar (i.e. Researcher, Teacher etc)
6. Transporter (i.e. Smuggler)
7. Enforcer (i.e. Fighter, Assassin etc)
8. Purveyor (i.e. Merchant, Pirate, Thief etc)
9. Information Gatherer (i.e. Spy Infiltrator)*Slot 2: Rank*
1. Novice - a newly inducted who is learning the ropes
2. Field Agent - Belongs to a cell. A cell consists of 3-6 Agents
3. Corporal - Second in cell
4. Sergeant - Leader of an active cell
5. Lieutenant - Oversees 10-15 active cells in a region
6. Captain - Oversees the lieutenants in a particular country
7. General - Oversees the Captains on a particular continent
8. Advisor To Leadership
9. Leadership*Slot 3: Lineage*
1. Half Member of the Vek Bloodline
2. Member of the Vek Bloodline
3. Ruling Family of the Vek Bloodline
4. Servant to the Vek Bloodline
5. Ally of the Vek Bloodline
6. Unaffiliated*Slot 4-6: These deal with an individual’s particular talents and skill sets*
1. Tactics (i.e. Social Sciences)
2. Infiltration (i.e. Languages, Acting)
3. Criminal (i.e. Espionage, Thievery, Assassination)
4. Magic (i.e. Dark Magic, Light Magic)
5. Animal Handling/Training
6. Combat (i.e. Martial Arts, Range, Hand to Hand Weapons)
7. Trade (i.e. Networking, Negotiating, Smuggling)
8. Crafting (i.e. Leatherwork, Metalwork, Artificing etc)

#### *General Organization*

The Blood Heralds are overseen by the Leader of the Blood Heralds and that individual's deputies. There is a committee that advises the leader and the deputies. The leader of the Blood Herald has always an heirloom bound of the Vek Bloodline once the Blood Heralds became established. While all Veks do join the Blood Heralds, not all Blood Heralds are Veks.

Those that serve among the leadership ranks in supporting the leader of the Blood Heralds are incapable of lying. Choose your questions with care and be specific. They tend to be very good at misleading if one is not careful.

Each continent has a Blood Herald General who is responsible for coordinating the activities in their areas and regularly reporting to the leadership. They oversee the continent's primary base, called a stronghold. These strongholds are fortresses, that are well funded and heavily armed. The largest of the strongholds is located in Norway. The estate is known as Slagenspole, and it is the flagship estate of the Vek Bloodline.

Each country in a continent is assigned a Captain whose job is to report to the General.

Countries are then divided up into different regions, with a Lieutenant assigned to overseeing 10-15 active cells, or strike teams, in a region. Lieutenants report to their country's Captain.

A cell is generally made up of 5-6 Blood Heralds called Field Agents, although cells can be larger or smaller. The leader of the cell is called a Sergeant, and reports to the region's Lieutenant. The second-in-command of a cell is called a Corporal. Often, cells create a team specific base in which team members may meet and plan their next missions. These bases tend to be small and limited to only a few rooms. Some strike teams may even choose to use a hidden room located within their home.

For sensitive or high priority missions, a temporary task force may be assembled. This is different than a strike force in several ways. The first is that members are together a limited period of time in order to achieve a particular objective. The second is that task forces tend to be larger in size compared to a normal strike team.

Initiates will reside at a regional base, called an outpost, where they will be trained and overseen by the region's Lieutenant. These outposts are often set up in locations such as a network of tunnels underneath a large city, near the docks in a highly active port, or even abandoned mines to a nearby town. Once initiates complete their basic training, they swear the oath over the Sanguine Bleeding Rose and become a novice. They will have not receive a set of numbers until they take the vow.

Once they swear the oath and become novices, they are sent to their country's primary base, called the Hub. They will train upwards of 1-2 years before receiving their first strike team assignment.  Because of the size of these bases, Hubs tend to be set up underneath a large estate with a vast part of the structure underground. While the average number of floors consists of 8-12, some of the older hubs are capable of consisting of 16 floors or more. They are overseen by that country’s captain, who reports to that continent’s general.

#### Current Organization - What Is Known

* 293164
* 392643 - Second-in-Command
* There are a number of Blood Heralds at Trefoil Academy of Magery and Sorcery
* (Former Affiliation) Garnet Itzel

### **History of the Organization**

#### *Origins*

600 years after the Westgaards had almost completely annihilated the Vek Bloodline (5400 BC approx.), the Veks had begun to show signs of recovery. Two villages bustle with activity while a growing piratical fleet firmly controls the local waterways. Although the position of Admiral of the Brethren has changed hands multiple times, each successor continues to prove worthy and surpass their predecessor. The fleet continues to increasingly travel greater and greater distances in the search of new shores to raid as well as establish profitable trade routes.

Katjay and Kennet Fiak of the Vek Bloodline were twins who were passengers who traveled aboard the Vile Serpent, a 60 gun vessel. They were tasked to establish a new trading outpost among the budding town known as Ta Khentit. (Ta Khentit was located in Upper Egypt during early Ancient Egyptian period.) These two sisters were soon to become the first Blood Heralds.

Upon their arrival at Ta Khentit, Katjay and Kennet Vek discovered with great dismay that conditions had severely deteriorated since the last time the area had been scouted. The Vile Serpent had already departed and would not be returning for at least 2 years.  Katjay and Kennet took it upon themselves to try to help the oppressed population. They had not forgotten the lessons their ancestors had learned at the hands of the Westgaards though. Therefore, they used partial animagus transformations to disguise their true faces so those they helped could not turn on them. This tactic, while effective, spawned a historical account which later muggles took to represent mythological deities. These were the starting days of the Blood Herald organization.

The cult of Isis spread like wildfire under the harsh rule of the oppressors. The Ancient Egyptians who worship her believed that she was the patroness of magic and those who behave ill towards the downtrodden feared her vengeful wrath. Her protection also extended to other vulnerable populations including children and mages. The symbol of Isis was a rose. To champion this cause, the Blood Heralds adopted this as their symbol. To further drive fear into one’s enemies’ hearts and unnerve them, the Blood Heralds would leave a calling card of a rose dipped in the blood of the recently slain. Their unspoken challenge was simple: Go ahead and prepare. You will not stop the inevitable. I am coming.

Ancient Egyptians believed that the heart, rather than the brain was the source of the one’s essence. The heart not only provided wisdom but one’s emotions and personality. This is the reason that the heart was one of the few organs not permanently removed during mummification. Blood represented health and good fortune. Ancient Egyptians believed that when blood was able to flow freely within the body, a person was thought to be in good health. Otherwise, much how the crops would die with a blocked irrigation canal, disease, destruction, and even death would soon followed blood that had been allowed to stagnate. Because of the bloody roses that Katjay Fiak of the Vek Bloodline left for their enemies, it was their enemies who first named them the Blood Heralds. The bloody rose herald the coming vengeance and that one was marked as a target.

#### Blood Herald Involvement In History

* Mary Stuart, Mary I, or Mary Queen of Scots, was born on December 8th, 1542, and stepped into the throne when she was just 6 days old, so for a long time, Regents took care of the work, while Mary grew up in France. When Mary was around 16, a wedding was planned between her and Francis II, the former Dauphin of France. The purpose was to show peace between France and Scotland. A Dauphin is a person who is next in line for the throne, and the term is no longer used in France. After one year of marriage, in 1559, Francis's father died, making Francis II the King of France. This made Mary I the Queen Consort of France. However, in 1560, Francis II died. The cause of death is unknown, supposedly an ear condition had something to do with it.Now a widow, Mary Stuart returned to Scotland. Four years later, in 1565, she married her first-cousin, Henry Stuart. They had a child together, James VI. Eight months after James was born, Henry Stuart died. He had smallpox, so he went to stay with his family in Glasgow. Mary did not come with him, and instead attended the wedding of a servant/musician. While Henry Stuart was sleeping upstairs at a 2 story house, 2 explosions went off in the room under where Henry Stuart was sleeping. His body, and the body of his valet were discovered outside, surrounded by a cloak, a dagger, a chair, and a coat. The cause of death was ruled to be strangulation that took place after the explosion. Initially, James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, was accused, along with Mary I herself. Hepburn was found not guilty, and Mary's trial was long and ended with no definitive finding.

> Between April 21st and April 23rd, Mary, Queen of Scots went to visit her son in Stirling, and was abducted, whether willingly or not is unknown, by none other than the 4th Earl of Bothwell himself, James Hepburn. On May 6th, Hepburn and Stuart went to Edinburgh, and later in May, they were married according to Protestant Rites. This marriage was widely disliked due to the fact that most people believed Hepburn killed Mary's former husband. In fact, it was so disliked that a riot broke out, taking both James Hepburn and Mary Stuart. There were negotiations, and Hepburn was safely let go. Mary I, on the other hand, was taken to Edinburgh and was slandered by crowds. Due to her imprisonment, she was forced to vote in favor of her son replacing her throne in Scotland. James VI replaced her during July of 1567. Mary was being imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle, which was owned by Sir William Douglas. With the help of William's brother, George Douglas, Mary Stuart escaped and had to flee south to Cumberland.
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> When Mary I was in England, she called upon the help of her first cousin, once removed, Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth I, however, was very timid in helping Mary, due to her bad reputation and rumors of her murdering Henry Stuart. Because many Catholics believed that Mary, Queen of Scots was the rightful owner of the throne in England, Queen Elizabeth I considered her to be a threat. Thus Elizabeth ordered Mary to imprisonment in various places across England. It was here in these prisons where Mary Stuart first came up with the plans to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I. Somehow notes were passed between the imprisoned Mary I and the other people in the assassination plan, but they passed notes written in code. Queen Elizabeth I had a spymaster by the name of Sir Francis Walsingham. Francis Walsingham, with the help of some others, was able to intercept the messages from Mary I before they reached her supporters, and vice versa. Then, he was able to copy and return the messages without being caught. After a little bit, he cracked the code being used to send the messages, and could now discover what exactly they were all planning to do. Walsingham was then able to add in his own messages to Mary I, making her believe it was her trusted friends who were not in jail. Francis caught Mary I by laying a trap in the notes, and Mary, Queen of Scots, was sentenced to death by Queen Elizabeth I.
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> The significance of this story is that Elizabeth the First was also a Blood Herald. Her number was 975132. Her older sister Mary, however, was not. There are always consequences to one’s actions, and Mary’s reign was plagued by countless obstacles that did not necessarily have to be there. Elizabeth proved to be wiser than her sister in accepting.
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> As for the letter that condemned Mary of Scotts. The back and forth couriering was done by various Blood Herald informants who had orders to make sure it was eventually delivered to 975132 herself. This is an example of Blood Heralds protecting their own.
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* 38 Blood Herald Fortresses found throughout the Roman Empire coordinated together. Collaborating with each other, they handle the negotiations and meditated between the Roman Empire and the various personalities of the conquered people. As a result, Pax Romana occurred. Pax Romana was the precursor to the modern concept of the nation-state. Many innovations were developed that are still used today, such as a postal system, plumbing, improved engineering in roads, a new legal system, and various cultural advances.

* Robert Gutenberg, known as 521872, invented the printing press around 1440. Before this monumental creation, books were copied by hand. Laboriously, monks and other men of learning would spend hours and hours through the bright sunlight and the weak light of an oil lamp to make copies of religious texts, literature, and official documents. It could take years just to copy one book. When Gutenberg devised a printing press that could print copy after copy in just a small fraction of the time, the whole world changed dramatically. Learning was not limited to a select few. It was available for all. No more would we lean on a select few to direct us. We could take it for ourselves.
* A lot can ride on a hand of poker, and the American Revolution would have happened very differently if it had not been for Blood Herald involvement. Prior to the crossing of the Delaware River, General Washington had not had any successes nor pay for the men in his army. The military contracts were due to expire. The night before crossing was going to occur, General Washington’s second attempted to cross early and got captured. A warning was sent to Col. Rall and the Hessians at Trenton to be ready for a possible attack. While the message had been delivered to the colonel, it was never read. He was too distracted by a stroke of extremely good luck at the poker table. The Blood Herald agent was later reported remarking, “It is surprisingly hard to lose at a game of poker convincingly.”
* The Chernobyl disaster, also referred to as the Chernobyl accident, was a catastrophic nuclear accident. It occurred on 25–26 April 1986 in the No. 4 light water graphite moderated reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the now-abandoned town of Pripyat, in northern Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union, approximately 104 km (65 mi) north of Kiev. The reactor was encouraged to fail in order to take out an enemy strong post that was growing too large for the local Blood Herald fortess to handle.
* The Spanish Armada was a Spanish fleet of 130 ships that sailed from A Coruña in late May 1588, under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England. The strategic aim was to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I. A team of Blood Heralds slipped under the cloak of a raging thunderstorm to sabotage over a third of the ships and scatter the rest. The attempted invasion was a failure.
* Amelia Earhart was a trailblazing pilot and author went “missing” in 1937, while trying to fly nonstop around the equator, along with navigator Fred Noonan. Earhart had been the first female aviator to fly across the Atlantic Ocean all by herself. Radio transmissions were heard from her plane before it went missing. In one recording, Earhart said she was running low on gas. Metal was found on a Pacific Island, and some experts believe that could be part of her plane. It was a fake crime scene. Earhart was 532162. Her cover had been blown by the Westgaards, and she was cleaning up the loose ends.
* What the Bermuda Triangle is to landlubbers, Palmyra Island is to seafarers. After its discovery, Palmyra quickly gained a reputation. Passing boats reported that ghostly lights could be seen flittering the uninhabited island. Ships would outright disappear. Flying broomsticks would fall out of the sky for no reason. The surrounding seas were said to be infested with vicious sharks and mysterious sea monsters.The perilous reefs around Palmyra were also notorious for wrecking ships. Those who avoided such fates often spoke of how the reefs almost seemed to spontaneously jut forth from the sea where there was nothing moments before. The reefs of Palmyra atoll were sometimes whispered about as almost some sort of willful and sentient thing. A Blood Herald secret exists on the Palmyra Island and is the cause for the disturbance.
* More coming as it is discovered

### Related Pages:

* Rhowsen Canopic Jar
* Whispers of the Void