Branches

When you first join Maelstrom and become initiated, you'll have no defined place in the organization, instead your time will spent working for the various branches. Given enough time you'll be able to choose to join one of them, expanding your options in the guild. It's worth to mention that given the size of Maelstrom, just because you join, doesn't mean they immediately trust you. Your character probably had to endure months of being spied on before they even sent you the invite in the first place. This means that characters with a strong past in organizations like SI:7 are not likely to be considered and it makes Maelstrom extremely difficult to infiltrate in the process as well.

Those who work hard and keep the right mind set involving the organization are eventually offered the chance to join the inner circle. This means dedicating your life for Maelstrom as a cause, rather than simply working for them. You are at this point more entitled to work with the inner parts of the organization but you don't really get any sway over other people. On the other hand, it's worth to note that ringleaders (officers) and the Parun (guild leader) also don't tend to tell people what they can and cannot do, the only exception is during missions where command is necessary. The Parun has the right to absolve anyone of Maelstrom's protection, this means that person becomes free game for any other member of the Organization. This is usually only used as an act to teach someone a lesson, because otherwise the single rule of Maelstrom applies for anyone.

## Dagger's Hilt

The Dagger's Hilt mercenary company has been reborn, taking Maelstrom closer to it's roots. The decision to reform the dissolved mercenary company was quite unanimous amongst the fighting elite of Maelstrom. Now every mercenary, gladiator and brawler has a branch they can call their home, stepped in a rich history of successful contracts and perhaps some under the table dealings. Unlike the other branches of Maelstrom, the Dagger's Hilt mercenaries never really need to hide their identity. They are on paper everything a proper mercenary company should be, the only difference is that they only recruit Maelstrom members. Other than that the members of the hilt don't tend to dabble in just mercenary work but also stage their own challenges and hunts. In essence, you can expect them to be involved in anything that includes a lot of fighting. Finally, it's worth to note that this is the only branch that truly uses a tabard in the entirety of Maelstrom, but even those outside of the branch itself are allowed to call themselves members of the Hilt.

## The Cartel

The cartel is Maelstrom's primary source of financial stability and of course, they specialize in crime. Anything from production to robbery is processed through the cartel. Small time work such as pick pocketing and burglary are also a staple of the cartel, it literally covers anything crime related. Those who work for them often start at the bottom, but the work gradually becomes more demanding as you progress, as the rewards pile up. This is the only branch of Maelstrom that actively engages other organizations. The cartel is always open towards trade and showing a friendly face, but of course, they're all trained liars and tend to keep more than one facade in place. The cartel rarely introduces itself as the cartel but otherwise takes the shape of various other organizations, most often viewed as benevolent or mundane. This makes tracking all the crime back to Maelstrom extremely difficult, if not impossible.

## Audience

The audience is perhaps Maelstrom's strictest branch. They serve as the first line of defense towards any external threats and provide the entirety of Maelstrom with an impressive safety net. Working for the audience is tough and requires some self sacrifice, but it pays well if you're not too squeamish about doing the really dirty work. The audience handles espionage, intelligence and assassination foremost. Information is their game and they're really good at it. One can only become a true member of the audience once one is part of the inner circle, as this gives access to the most sensitive tasks. They otherwise employ people to handle the less demanding work, often providing Maelstrom with eyes and ears across various cities and strongholds.

## Wildfire

Wildfire can be considered the unruly children of Maelstrom, but they can also be considered to represent it's spirit. In truth, they don't really have a greater purpose in the organization. Their only purpose is to sew anarchy and live by their own rules. Maelstrom tolerates Wildfire, provided their actions don't cause trouble for itself, which they usually thankfully don't. Most people join Wildfire simply to get that extra thrill, but a lot of people actually seek them out for political reasons, as Wildfire loves to intervene with modern day politics, often through acts of terror and destruction. Progressing through wildfire is easy enough, the person who can wreck the most things wins... mostly.

## The Slaughter Cult

The followers of the goddess Lycenai are plentiful in Maelstrom. Together they form the strongest cult in the entire organization, with deeply rooted traditions that date back to the founding of Maelstrom itself. The Slaughter Cult follows the teachings of the cult founder, Thalia. Their most common religious theory is that Lycenai was strong in a time before the titans, where flesh was strong and therefore there was blood. Lycenai, the goddess of life, existed in the blood of every being. Primarily through the primordial blood of the old ones. But when the titans came, they polluted the blood with their machinations, causing Lycenai's bond with the world to weaken. Today, Lycenai is an echo of her former power, but the cult is intent on reigniting the purity once found in the blood, aiming to make Lycenai stronger in the process. They are known for their powerful blood magic and the ability to delve into the future, an asset Maelstrom considers highly valuable.