Factions

The Orders of Ashirion

The Knights of the Wolf

Under the command of Lord Sabrewolf and the direct command of the Lord Whitewolf the Wolfknights of Ashirion are the stalwart defenders of honour and freedom for all. Based on the Arthurian model of Knights of Old they have a legendary appearance and feel to them, they should inspire a kind of awe when they show up in their full regalia and equipment, something about a fourteen foot tall Wolf being in full plate armour with an ornate Wolf helm that moulds to their face or muzzle. They work to overthrow evil where ever it can be found, tirelessly battling their enemies the Risen and the Void. Noble and proud with a history of glorious battle, they are the icon for all young Shakari to aspire to

The Knightmages

Once under the command of the dark and mysterious, Lord Shakarovar, the Knightmages are the next step up in the ranks of Shakari magical and martial might. They combine the talents of both a sorcerer and a warrior into an armed and armoured package, backed by the Shakari's indomitable will and tenacity. They are the middle line troops in the Shakari's ever turning war against the forces of darkness. The order is now under the command of another Shakari Lord who is thought to have been the foremost student of the Lord Shakarovar. Since Shakarovar's ascension not much has been seen of the Knightmages yet their actions have been felt across the whole of the Broken Sphere.

Priest/Priestesses of the Wolf The Great Wolf

Greywolf has always had a more than open hand in the creation of his people, he quickly instilled in them the knowledge and will to worship, providing a guiding light to those in need for a number of years. His soul has always been a soft and caring one. So he gave a vision to the great Nightwolf a beautiful and deadly Shakari warrior with much in the way of martial prowess and a deep love of her creator. He bade her speak to Whitewolf and form an order of Priests and Priestesses to serve him, and provide the healing and divine magical power for the Shakari. So she did and so the Order of the Great Wolf was formed. The female members of this order prefer to use the holy weapons of the Shakari, the scimitar like Wolves Teeth, two paired blades that can fill most foes with fear when they rest in the clawed or humanoid hands of a skilled Shakari, male or female.

Wolfscouts

Under the command of Lord Ebon himself these hard working, lightly armoured warrior/rangers run from place to place and dark tide to tide, keeping mostly hidden, tracking and scouting out possible trouble. They can fight when they wish to, but mostly they prefer to get in, nose around, and get the hell out without being spotted at all. Often the scouts have wide senses of humour and outgoing personalities, probably the most fun at parties. But they are dedicated and drawn to their work, tirelessly fighting evil from within and always managing to end up in the right place at the right time.

The Talons

Under the command of Lord Talon, these are the darker side of the Shakari, those who have turned to the shadow arts of assasination, infiltration, spying and stealth. They remain the best hidden secret of the Wolf people. They shun the light and prefer the shadows and night to any other time, when the moon is high they often feel most alive. The Talons are made up of those who do not really fit into the ordered society of the Shakari Lords and Ladies. They are fringers at best, mistrusted and distrusted by those who know of them. This suits these killers fine, they serve the Shakari and the Great Wolf, that is all they need to know.

Knights Panther, Jaguar, Leopard, Cheetah etc

These are the Eldrin mirror of the Wolfknights, they are identical save that they have the Eldrin's cat personality thrown into their makeup. The various cat names are indicative of the nature of the beast so to speak. A Panther Knight is brave and proud, while the Cheetah is often their scout, fleet of foot and fast of blade. There are other orders within the order but they are really facets of the same gem.

The Claws

Like the Shakari Talons, these are the Eldrin Assassins who are damn good at their job, they are considered equal, if not better to the Talons, and they know it. For more information look at the Talon entry.

The Wayfarers

Under the watchful eye of the High Wayfarer, these are the jack of all trades and master of none order of Ashirion, secretive and open, a paradox, they provide another kind of scout, warriors, mages, priests, thieves, rogues and vagabonds. They are many things to many people, but they have a code of honour and understanding that often leads them into conflict with those who would disturb the balance. Their preferred weapon is a extending quarterstaff and they are masters of other weapons as well. They reside in the Temple of the Way, and could be described as a special kind of Monk, having a monastic and scholarly life in the shadows of the five elements. The Wayfarers have their own entry and information on their structure and what the code is.

The Circle

Little is known about this enigmatic order of Magi from the City of Ruatha, apart from that it was founded by the Legendary Serbannen himself. They make their headquarters in the Palace and serve the Queen of Ruatha directly, being an advisory and powerful group. Anything else is rumour and speculation at best.

The Knights of the Raven

Once a proud Order of valiant defenders, the Raven's leader was one of the casualties of the Shadoen's attacks. The Order fell apart and now is only remembered in songs and ballads...as the greatest loss after Kemman Dell itself, but unlike that Town - Blackraven cannot be brought back from the dead.

These events are imperative to the shape and form of Ashirion, and provide the understanding that 'Nothing remains the same' and 'Everyone's time comes sooner or later' Even great War Leaders who have seen Aeons pass before thier eyes can be cut down like so much wheat in the fields of this battle. There are only memories of the disbanded Ravens now, and the Lady Whiteraven (Blackraven's Widow) is left to count the tears in the stars.

The King's Shield

Once the defenders of the realm of Sudelar, they joined with Antaeus and fought against Morlane's coup. When Antaeus sided with the Shadoen all of the King's Shield and his followers were swept aside in that terrible battle, those who died rose again as Risen under the Shadoen's command. There are no known King's Shield members left alive now, since the King's Shield were made up of humans only and the battle was a long time ago.

The Hand

Another order that was once active in Sudelar, rumours whisper that this shadowy band of assassins has been wiped out. No one knows for sure, what is known is that a schism happened in the heart of the organisation and the Eye, the very leader of the Hand turned against them and those loyal to him left after the massacre. All that was left was a single playing card with the iconic image of the Ace of Spades amongst the broken and bloodied corpses.

The Knights of the Temple

In the year of 700AW at the time of the Sundering, the world broke asunder and many things changed. As the City of Draconis vanished into the ebb and flow of time it left a relic behind, a single broken and ruined temple with the vague statue of a beautiful and serene woman. This fallen temple became the meeting place for a group of survivors that were embroiled in the terrible time before Lord Shakarovar shattered Ashirion.

These men and women were remnants of the scattered holy orders that lost so many souls upon that fateful day.

It wasn't long before they began to meet regularly at this temple, they formed a new order and called themselves the Knights of the Temple, vowing to uphold those sacred vows and charges that they once remembered. The founder was a man called Donaval Keya and he began to worship the ivory statue that graced the ruined temples interior. It was not long before the knights were able to come to the attention of the powers that be.

They worked tirelessly in the background, unsung heroes of the wars and strife that followed, ever vigilant and ever watchful for the rise of the Shadoen and Void. They did not have to wait too long. The knights were instrumental in battling the many incursions and terrible creatures that spewed forth from the depths of darkness over the many years that came and went.

The order grew in myth and legend yet due to the founder's wishes, none spoke of it. They would simply fade into the mists of time for they did not crave recognition save from their own nameless goddess. Perhaps another god of Ashirion stepped in to become their patron, the Great Wolf himself disguised or Fortune on a whim, no one truly knows save those mythical powers.

The Knights of the Temple were not a rich order and nor did they crave power and fame as was previously mentioned. Yet it was not without a dark time, when corruption filtered into the order and turned their leader against the others. He was gripped by madness and began to believe that his fellows plotted his demise, he heard whispers in the dark and everywhere there was a traitor to be rooted out. Soon he was confronted by a Knight known as Heradel, their meeting did not go well and both men met their deaths when the temple collapsed upon them.

The other knights took this as a sign of ill favour from their patron and doubled their efforts to guard against such corruption in the future, the temple was rebuilt and a new leader was chosen to bring the knights back from the edge of darkness and temptation. A young man called Arathane. He took the order and gave it a thorough shake-up, he began to establish a stricter code of honour as well as rules that governed the order's use of magic (should they need it).

Over the years to the present day there have been many knights who have served the order, yet they have never taken a female leader nor a non-human one. In honour of the statue of the goddess they revere who has no name, no woman shall be above her and whilst they might accept non-humans into their ranks, the statue shows clearly this is a human figure and thusly the same rule applies to the species.

The knights have a strict code of honour, conduct and they value: duty, loyalty, fealty, valour and chivalry amongst all others.

A small note on Factions.

Factions are story based groups that are /extremely/ hard to get into ICly. They are presented here as detail only. Factions are usually NPC based and are drawn from the annals of Ashirion's history, some Factions have played a part in the shaping of the world for a long time, some Factions have been disbanded.

Guilds are not the same as Factions, Guilds are easier to get into and players do not start as a member of a Guild, however there is usually an IC interview with one of the Guild heads. This system has been put in place to allow player characters to roleplay rather than crunch the system and begin as someone in power.

If you want power, you have to work for it.

The Guilds that a player can hope to join:

Adventurers A catch all category for heroic types, those that like to explore and those characters who want to discover mysteries and unearth secrets.

Bards A guild for those characters who are less combat orientated and more inclined to strike up a tune or two.

Healers A guild for those characters that desire to heal the sick, help the infirm and put members of the Watch and the Adventurers, back together.

Crafters This guild covers all forms of Craft on Ashirion, from the makers of carts, to blacksmiths, potters and others.

Other IC organisations that a player may be able to join depending on their RP.

Mages School Ibrith Maesil is the foremost School of magic on Ashirion, it is a highly prestigious organisation, hard to get into.

The Wayfarers The mysterious Wayfarers are a paradox to almost everyone they meet, looked upon as dangerous meddlers by certain folk in and outside of Ruatha. They are the guardians of secrets that can tip the balance of power in the world, forever.

The City Watch Stalwart men and women that keep the streets of Ruatha safe from would-be troublemakers and miscreants. In times of War the Watch form the backbone of the City's defences.

There are a few more hidden organisations, but you'll have to find out for yourselves.