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<blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 2753966" data-attributes="member: 35788"><p><strong>Cross-Territorial Organizations</strong></p><p></p><p>The following organizations represent the most popular cross-territorial organizations of the land. There are others that could be added to the list, but these are the ones that the characters are most likely to have heard of in their lives. Each of these organizations has a commonality that brings the members together into community. These organizations may be further divided into subgroups based on geographic location within the group, although a member from one locale would honor the membership of a person from another locale.</p><p></p><p>Each of these organizations has requirements for entry. Some of these organizations are quite public and entrance is based upon certain abilities (often character level or other attainable/demonstrable goal). Other organizations are quite secretive and have membership requirements that are attained purely by invitation only.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Purple"><strong><u>Grammateuss:</u></strong></span> (Pronunciation: gramm-ah-TAY-uss)</p><p><strong>Literal Meaning of the Name:</strong> One Distinguished for Learning</p><p><strong>Entry Requirement:</strong> Able to cast spells like a wizard or use powers like a psion/psychic warrior</p><p></p><p>The Grammateuss are the independent wizard’s guild among the land. Many of the most powerful wizards who are good or neutrally aligned and not a part of the military belong to this guild. The homes and studies of the Grammateuss are often tall spires of magically or psionically constructed rock. The rock is typically selected to be natural to the area in which the wizard lives. Members of the Grammateuss can live in the open country if they are interested in seclusion, but most Grammateuss live in cities. Within these cities the Grammateuss is in an environment where their magic or mental abilities can be put to good use, where there is an ample workforce to maintain their libraries and collections, and where there is the greatest possibility for recruitment.</p><p></p><p>The Grammateuss spend much of their time in recruitment and training of younger apprentices. More than likely, this is because most Grammateuss were taught the arts when they were but an apprentice to a member of the Grammateuss order themselves. This process of recruitment tends to create very loyal members who understand the importance of fostering interest in the magical and psionic arts within the next generation.</p><p></p><p>The typical Grammateuss home is composed of several layers. The bottom level typically consists of the servant’s living quarters, workrooms (kitchen, pantry, etc) and any rooms used to entertain guests. The second level is usually the private residences of the Grammateuss and any apprentices they desire to take on. Attached to each room is a personal study for the time to quietly reflect upon the magical or psionic arts. The third level – and by far the tallest level – is the Grammateuss’ personal library. Most Grammateuss’ are so devoted to their art and training of the next generations that much of their personal resources go towards maintaining their library. It is commonly assumed that any spell or power that a Grammateuss is capable of casting or manifesting can be found within their personal library. In fact, this is a matter of pride among the Grammateuss; who would be horrified if their library was found incomplete.</p><p></p><p>The Grammateuss take their libraries so seriously that they go to extreme measures to ensure that entrance to their libraries can only be accomplished through the residence’s mundane secret door. The walls are typically constructed so as to redirect any planar or ethereal travelers to the current location of the Grammateuss. Most Grammateuss who have a library worth breaking into also have this redirection on a time delay, allowing the Grammateuss several moments to prepare for those who would be arriving by such means. Most Grammateuss’ consider this kind of attempted entry into any known library a declaration of war against the Grammateuss order themselves. Therefore, the would-be thieves often find themselves being redirected directly into some kind of cage where they await trial. The jury for such an intruder is composed of any other willing Grammateuss who would desire to serve. Typically, members of the Grammateuss order consider this kind of duty a pleasure and are quite creative in determining the punishment for such a trespasser. Punishment rarely consists of death, although a permanent polymorph into a harmless form such as a frog is considered fair and just. Other mages or psionicists who are caught making such an entry are often locked in prisons and secured with antimagic shackles (or antipsionic shackles).</p><p></p><p>The Grammateuss’ libraries are themselves a thing of wonder. While the library seems to extend upward into the heavens, one merely needs to stand within a silver circle inscribed upon the floor to find access to a given spell or power. If the Grammateuss is an arcanist, each spell is contained within a book (there may be more than one spell per book). If the Grammateuss is a psionicist each power is encrypted within a crystal that is itself capable of either creating tattoos (for the right price given to the Grammateuss) or teaching the power directly to the individual if they are allowed to do so. Once within the circle, one only needs to speak the name or description of the desired spell or power aloud. What appears to be an unseen force finds the spell or power off of the high library shelves and magically brings the desired spell or power downward for the use of the person within the circle. Spells are frequently copied into the spellbooks of those who have been granted access while powers are often simply memorized. Of course, the unseen magical servants within the library are equipped with identification procedures. The Grammateuss must verbally grant a clearance level to anyone allowed into the library. The library only functions in retrieving spells or powers up to the granted level for any given individual.</p><p></p><p>An apprentice usually enters the Grammateuss society at a beginner’s level, although it is not unheard of for a Grammateuss to become fond of a tested, yet lower level, caster or psionicist. In either case, if the Grammateuss is interested the lower level caster may be taken under the tutelage of the higher level Grammateuss. A member of the Grammateuss order is allowed to establish their own libraries (thus becoming a master) and take on apprentices only once they have demonstrated the ability to defend such a creation as well as create the majority of magical effects within the library. [Typically, able to cast 5th level spells or manifest 5th level powers] It is not uncommon for the old master Grammateuss to help their new graduate with the construction of their library – and even supply some of the necessary tomes for the library as well as a magical or psionic form of protection not yet available to the new master. Grammateuss apprentices typically stay loyal to thei masters even once they become masters themselves.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Purple"><strong><u>Pharmakoss:</u></strong></span> (Pronunciation: FAR-mah-kahs)</p><p><strong>Literal Meaning of the Name:</strong> Those of unexplainable powers</p><p><strong>Entry Requirement:</strong> Cast spells like a sorcerer or manifest power like a wilder/warlock</p><p></p><p>The Pharmakoss are as loosely organized as the Grammateuss are rigidly structured in their diligent study. The Pharmakoss are a collection of people whose seemingly supernatural abilities come to them naturally without need for study. These powers may be arcane, divine, or psionic in nature.</p><p></p><p>The Pharmakoss typically are loyal to one another in so much as they enjoy the challenge of pitting their own power against one another in non-lethal combat. This is not to say that the damage must be non-lethal in nature; instead it implies that the premise is not to kill one another. Like warriors who train with wooden weapons to ensure their partner is not maimed – the Pharmakoss often thrill in challenging one another to the same kind of matches with magic and psionics as the weapons. The Pharmakoss believe that the ability to grow in one’s power only comes about by flexing one’s mental muscles and practicing those powers that seem to flow out of one’s personality.</p><p></p><p>The Pharmakoss gather together merely for this odd kind of companionship. They are quick to admit that they do not fit into the organized structure of the Grammateuss or the militaries of the land. Rather than marching to the beat of another’s drummer, they prefer to admit their uniqueness and identify with other people in the world who pride themselves in their unique combination of abilities. The association exists purely to challenge one another in a competitive quest for growth.</p><p></p><p>Occasionally, a member of the Pharmakoss will take up a quest with an adventuring party. These Pharmakoss may even adventure in hopes of accomplishing a greater communal purpose. However, even if the Pharmakoss member is adventuring for a more pure reason, there is always a part of the rationale for adventure that hopes for personal advancement as well. Additionally, it is also not uncommon for a member of the Pharmakoss to adventure in an attempt to prove themselves (and their spontaneous collection of powers) to the world.</p><p></p><p>To join the Pharmakoss society, an application must be made through a current member. Often, this means a member of the Pharmakos must be found in the first place. The entrance rite consists of several relatively basic magical and/or psionic tasks that demonstrate a worthy innate ability. After these rites are performed, the application is finalized by pitting the applicant against a far superior member of the Pharmakoss. The applicant is expected to lose. Thus, the applicant is not being judged on their ability to win – just their ability to fight creatively and use all their abilities. It is hoped that this superior challenge will help the applicant grow and perhaps begin the path to discovering new talents as they fight.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Purple"><strong><u>En Phusis:</u></strong></span> (Pronunciation: EN FOO-sis)</p><p><strong>Literal Meaning of the Name:</strong> Among the Prescribed Order of Nature</p><p><strong>Entry Requirement:</strong> At least one level of Druid</p><p></p><p>The En Phusis are the protectors of the wild. There is no other way of putting it than that. The En Phusis are not interested in lifting up one part of nature over the other – they are merely interested in maintaining the order of nature against the ever encroaching civilization.</p><p></p><p>Most members of the En Phusis live in groves far outside the civilized areas. Typically they live in seclusion, choosing the companionship of their animals over that of other people. These druidic groves are nearly impenetrable due to magical plant growth, although the druids who live within the groves can pass freely and allow those chosen to enter freely as well.</p><p></p><p>Occasionally a significant threat to nature comes along and members of the En Phusis band together as well as call in favors from rangers and fighters who are approved to hunt and care for the land. These bands are typically short-lived, lasting only as long as the threat against which they formed. Once the threat has passed, the members of the En Phusis go their separate ways.</p><p></p><p>Members of the En Phusis are typically on neutral terms with on another. There is little competition involved – for there always seems to be plenty of land to protect and there are an increasing number of threats encroaching outward from the larger towns. In spite of this encroachment, though, the members of the En Phusis are not often antagonistic to those who live in the towns. Instead, they attempt to treat all with respect so long as the natural laws of the land are likewise respected.</p><p></p><p>Entrance into the order of the En Phusis can be accomplished by spending time in nature and showing reverence for the wild around the person. Sometimes, it takes weeks for an En Phusis protector to take notice of a reverential participant, but if a person is persistant enough the attention of the local druid protector can be earned. If this attention is deemed sincere, testing and rites are performed. Assuming the rites and the testing are accomplished positively the fledgling member is admitted into the order. The local En Phusis protector is responsible for introducing the fledgling into the power of nature. Once properly introduced on a most basic level, the new En Phusis member is pushed back out into nature to find their own area to protect. From that area the new member is to learn from the nature around them in order to advance in their Nature-derived powers.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Purple"><strong><u>Eiss Nukti:</u></strong></span> (Pronunciation: ACE nook-TEE)</p><p><strong>Literal Meaning of the Name:</strong> Into the Moral Darkness</p><p><strong>Entry Requirement:</strong> Approached by an Eiss Nukti member.</p><p></p><p>The Eiss Nukti are an organization that exists only within other secular organizations. They do not operate openly in the world, but they secretly train and organize and infiltrate as many areas of evil as possible. Sometimes their tactics are subtle, but often their tactics are straightforward and violent once they have infiltrated an evil organization and have legitimate proof of who owns the responsibility for the evil. They are renowned for providing aide spontaneously and without being asked. However, because of their incredibly secretive nature they are impossible to ask for help because nobody knows who belongs except those in the order. Help is often only received when an Eiss Nukti member perceives a need and acts upon it out of a feeling of charity. Many in the order are highly religious and worship any good god (or St. Cuthbert) although being religious is certainly not a prerequisite.</p><p></p><p>Eiss Nukti lairs are difficult to penetrate into unless permission is granted from a current member. Eiss Nukti members can identify the location of lairs by landmarks, although it is certainly not easy – even for an Eiss Nukti member. Finding the location of a lair is a multi-step process which in itself may take many days – or even up to a week if the city is large. </p><p></p><p>Each Eiss Nukti lair has a subterranean armory. Obviously, the wealthier the town is the more complete the armory will be. No Eis Nukti armory contains magical weapons, however. This is because the Eiss Nukti do not want their own possessions to bolster the enemy should an Eiss Nukti armory be compromised. Eiss Nukti typically do not store magical items they cannot keep on their possession. Mundane stores may be kept even in vast quantities; but magical items are kept close at hand at all times. Along with the armory, each Eiss Nukti lair has a training facility. The training facility, called the sparring ring, is magically soundproofed to allow full combat training without alerting any residents who may live around the lair. All who are granted access to the lair are allowed into these two areas.</p><p></p><p>Above the armory and sparring ring is the location of the intelligence quarters. There can be any number of meeting rooms where the leader of the lair and his chosen intelligence squad gather to identify threats that need to be stopped. Each leader, or commander, of a lair has a single sub-commander. These are the only two people of rank within a lair. The leader and his sub-commander have the responsibility of selecting their intelligence squad. Nobody outside of this special intelligence squad is allowed in the upper level of the Eiss Nukti lair. There are no exceptions to this rule. General meetings within the lair with all members (or at least with a group that includes members besides the lairs intelligence squad) are held in the sparring ring.</p><p></p><p>It is not known how many Eiss Nukti lairs there are across Enigmatica. There may be some in the Eiss Nukti who know the master number of lairs, but even that is doubtful. Eiss Nukti are by their very nature secretive about their agency and thus new lairs are established without many of the existing lairs having that knowledge. The only way to identify a lair is through the secretive method known only to the Eiss Nukti. There are Eiss Nukti operations within the Kingdom of Barghost, the Alliance of Fenneress, and the Confederacy of Tongra. It is assumed that the Eiss Nukti have lairs within Quehalost, but their location is very secretly guarded and unknown by most outside of Quehalost. Very few Eiss Nukti outside of Quehalost are aware of the existence of any Eiss Nukti lairs within Quehalost.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Purple"><strong><u>Adversari Mortuum:</u></strong></span> (Pronunciation: ad-ver-SAHR-ee mor-TOO-uhm)</p><p><strong>Literal Meaning of the Name:</strong> To Be Agaisnt the Dead</p><p><strong>Entry Requirement:</strong> Swear an Oath to protect the living from the undead</p><p></p><p>The Adversari Mortuum are a unique band of fighters. The majority of the Adversari Mortuum are actually fighter, paladins, specialized rangers, or clerics. There are rogues and spellcasters among their number, but the fragility of these classes does not often align such classes with the rigors of hunting the undead threats across the land.</p><p></p><p>The Adversari Mortuum as a collective do not limit themselves to a single deity – they accept worship of any deity who asserts the needs of the living above the desires of the undead. Most commonly worshipped among the Adversari Mortuum are Pelor, Ehlonna, Heironeous, and Pholtus. Most of the members of the Adversari Mortuum are religiously faithful to at least one deity, however. The faith of the Adversari Mortuum is one of the few tools that the cold evil of undeath cannot penetrate.</p><p></p><p>The Adversari Mortuum do have headquarters, usually in the capitols of each land. The individual fighters sent out against the undead are usually dispatched from these headquarters. The Adversari Mortuum make little effort to hide their locations because they believe that their known presence can bring strength to the people of the land.</p><p></p><p>The Adversari Mortuum value life more than they hate undeath. It is unacceptable to the code of the Adversari Mortuum to take an innocent life in the pursuit of undeath. Occasionally this code is accidentally broken, and atonement is provided for those fighters who are caught in such dire circumstances. However, such atonements are provided sparingly – any agent who requires too much atonement in this regard will be dismissed from the order and forced to take up their fight on their own.</p><p></p><p>When an undead threat is identified, the Adversari Mortuum charge themselves with the utter destruction of the threat. Turning the undead is not an acceptable option unless it directly leads to their destruction. Undead who flee are hunted until their destruction can be confirmed. The greatest Adversari Mortuum honor is bestowed upon those who answer the call to destroy one of the greatest undead threats throughout the land: the destruction of a Great Lich Phylactery. The second greatest honor is bestowed upon those who destroy a Barat and their clan of Baratzu. [Barat are evil vampires, Baratzu are Vampire Spawn]</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Purple"><strong><u>Ephistaemi:</u></strong></span> (Pronunciation: eh-phi-STAY-me)</p><p><strong>Literal Meaning of the Name:</strong> To approach suddenly and without warning</p><p><strong>Entry Requirement:</strong> 1 Rank in any skill of this list: Disable Device, Forgery, or Open Lock</p><p></p><p>The Ephistaemi pride themselves on being able to get into places of which other people intend to keep them out. However, they are not all evil, greedy, self-motivated pilferers as one might suspect. The driving force of the Ephistaemi is the ability to defeat the challenge – and earn the rewards. Sometimes their skills are hired legitimately, and there are those among their ranks who take less than upstanding jobs on the side.</p><p></p><p>Ephistaemi organize themselves as a thieving guild in a particular city and its suburbs. Typically there is only one Ephistaemi branch in a city. Each Ephistaemi guild typically seeks out the services of a reputable arms and tool supplier through which they purchase the tools needed for their tasks. Each Ephistaemi guild also seeks out a few barkeepers and innkeepers through whom their services can be made know to people who need them. Of course, most of these barkeepers and innkeepers are rogues themselves and perhaps they even worked their way up the ranks of the Ephistaemi and sought a more stable life as they aged. It can be assumed, however, that the city officials have little knowledge about where one would go to hire a team of Ephistaemi rogues.</p><p></p><p>Admission to the order demands ultimate secrecy. Thus, typically only the Ephistaemi know who each other are. Like Druids who teach a non-druid the Druidic language, anyone caught revealing the location of the Ephistaemi base of operations or the identity of one of another member of the guild is at the least shunned. If the Ephistaemi guild is lead by a more militant leader, the violator may even find themselves waking up to a torture squad or even the wrong end of a poisoned dagger.</p><p></p><p>The Ephistaemi have an official rank when they join the order. In order for an Ephistaemi member to increase in rank, the apprentice must beat his master in two out of three arenas of contest – none of them lethal. The first test is often fun regardless of who the victor is and is meant to simulate dungeon exploration. Both the master and the initiate are separately sent into a timed obstacle course. The obstacles are traps and various locked doors. The winner of the challenge is the one who makes it through in the least amount of time regardless of how many traps are set off in the process. For this test, the traps are meant to slow the participant down, not injure them substantially. The second test is a simultaneous race against one another. Both the apprentice and his master are given locked chests; and each chest has a minimum of 5 locks that need to be sprung to open the chest. Both the master and the apprentice must overcome the exact same locks. Each of the locks is known to be trapped. There are two ways to win. The winner must either beat his opponent by 5 minutes of time or set the fewest number of traps off in opening the chest. If one participant takes more than 5 minutes longer than the other, they automatically lose regardless of how many traps are sprung. The third test is one of combat. Each Ephistaemi guild has a set of four specialized merciful daggers for the purposes of this final test. Each combatant is given two of the daggers, and these daggers are the only weapons allowed to be used. The victor is the one left standing. Should the apprentice best his master, the apprentice is given a new master while the old master receives no punishment for losing. Once achieved, ranks in the Ephistaemi cannot be lost unless one is forcibly removed</p><p></p><p>There are no religious affiliations that the Ephistaemi adhere to. Some of them worship Olidammara or Xan Yae quite openly. A few even go so far as to worship Kurtlemak. There are many who opt to not revere any deity at all.</p><p></p><p>While it may seem like the Ephistaemi are indeed self-centered and desiring only to increase their own wealth, there are a number of other reasons that people join the Ephistaemi. Many whose families are touched by the dreadful consequences of an evil dragon raid seek out the Ephistaemi to learn to infiltrate the dragon’s lair and exact revenge either by stealing its horde or even slaying the beast. There are some Ephistaemi who seek to use their talents to aid nobles in demonstrating just how insecure their valuables and safety really are. Some Ephistaemi double as personalized scouts: hired hands for arties venturing into dungeons that are presumed to either be locked or trapped, or both. There are even a few Ephistaemi who join because they have had enough of the wealthy flaunting their wealth and thus they enter the wealthy homes only to distribute their wealth to the poor outside. Many seek to learn the art so that they can create better ways to protect their own wealth. However, there are evil reasons for joining the Ephistaemi as well. There are of course those who merely desire to get rich. There are many who enter the guild to learn the arts of becoming a hired assassin. One never knows the true intent of any member of the Ephistaemi as their guild is open to all who desire to practice and teach each other this particular form of art.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nonlethal Force, post: 2753966, member: 35788"] [b]Cross-Territorial Organizations[/b] The following organizations represent the most popular cross-territorial organizations of the land. There are others that could be added to the list, but these are the ones that the characters are most likely to have heard of in their lives. Each of these organizations has a commonality that brings the members together into community. These organizations may be further divided into subgroups based on geographic location within the group, although a member from one locale would honor the membership of a person from another locale. Each of these organizations has requirements for entry. Some of these organizations are quite public and entrance is based upon certain abilities (often character level or other attainable/demonstrable goal). Other organizations are quite secretive and have membership requirements that are attained purely by invitation only. [Color=Purple][B][U]Grammateuss:[/U][/B][/Color] (Pronunciation: gramm-ah-TAY-uss) [B]Literal Meaning of the Name:[/B] One Distinguished for Learning [B]Entry Requirement:[/B] Able to cast spells like a wizard or use powers like a psion/psychic warrior The Grammateuss are the independent wizard’s guild among the land. Many of the most powerful wizards who are good or neutrally aligned and not a part of the military belong to this guild. The homes and studies of the Grammateuss are often tall spires of magically or psionically constructed rock. The rock is typically selected to be natural to the area in which the wizard lives. Members of the Grammateuss can live in the open country if they are interested in seclusion, but most Grammateuss live in cities. Within these cities the Grammateuss is in an environment where their magic or mental abilities can be put to good use, where there is an ample workforce to maintain their libraries and collections, and where there is the greatest possibility for recruitment. The Grammateuss spend much of their time in recruitment and training of younger apprentices. More than likely, this is because most Grammateuss were taught the arts when they were but an apprentice to a member of the Grammateuss order themselves. This process of recruitment tends to create very loyal members who understand the importance of fostering interest in the magical and psionic arts within the next generation. The typical Grammateuss home is composed of several layers. The bottom level typically consists of the servant’s living quarters, workrooms (kitchen, pantry, etc) and any rooms used to entertain guests. The second level is usually the private residences of the Grammateuss and any apprentices they desire to take on. Attached to each room is a personal study for the time to quietly reflect upon the magical or psionic arts. The third level – and by far the tallest level – is the Grammateuss’ personal library. Most Grammateuss’ are so devoted to their art and training of the next generations that much of their personal resources go towards maintaining their library. It is commonly assumed that any spell or power that a Grammateuss is capable of casting or manifesting can be found within their personal library. In fact, this is a matter of pride among the Grammateuss; who would be horrified if their library was found incomplete. The Grammateuss take their libraries so seriously that they go to extreme measures to ensure that entrance to their libraries can only be accomplished through the residence’s mundane secret door. The walls are typically constructed so as to redirect any planar or ethereal travelers to the current location of the Grammateuss. Most Grammateuss who have a library worth breaking into also have this redirection on a time delay, allowing the Grammateuss several moments to prepare for those who would be arriving by such means. Most Grammateuss’ consider this kind of attempted entry into any known library a declaration of war against the Grammateuss order themselves. Therefore, the would-be thieves often find themselves being redirected directly into some kind of cage where they await trial. The jury for such an intruder is composed of any other willing Grammateuss who would desire to serve. Typically, members of the Grammateuss order consider this kind of duty a pleasure and are quite creative in determining the punishment for such a trespasser. Punishment rarely consists of death, although a permanent polymorph into a harmless form such as a frog is considered fair and just. Other mages or psionicists who are caught making such an entry are often locked in prisons and secured with antimagic shackles (or antipsionic shackles). The Grammateuss’ libraries are themselves a thing of wonder. While the library seems to extend upward into the heavens, one merely needs to stand within a silver circle inscribed upon the floor to find access to a given spell or power. If the Grammateuss is an arcanist, each spell is contained within a book (there may be more than one spell per book). If the Grammateuss is a psionicist each power is encrypted within a crystal that is itself capable of either creating tattoos (for the right price given to the Grammateuss) or teaching the power directly to the individual if they are allowed to do so. Once within the circle, one only needs to speak the name or description of the desired spell or power aloud. What appears to be an unseen force finds the spell or power off of the high library shelves and magically brings the desired spell or power downward for the use of the person within the circle. Spells are frequently copied into the spellbooks of those who have been granted access while powers are often simply memorized. Of course, the unseen magical servants within the library are equipped with identification procedures. The Grammateuss must verbally grant a clearance level to anyone allowed into the library. The library only functions in retrieving spells or powers up to the granted level for any given individual. An apprentice usually enters the Grammateuss society at a beginner’s level, although it is not unheard of for a Grammateuss to become fond of a tested, yet lower level, caster or psionicist. In either case, if the Grammateuss is interested the lower level caster may be taken under the tutelage of the higher level Grammateuss. A member of the Grammateuss order is allowed to establish their own libraries (thus becoming a master) and take on apprentices only once they have demonstrated the ability to defend such a creation as well as create the majority of magical effects within the library. [Typically, able to cast 5th level spells or manifest 5th level powers] It is not uncommon for the old master Grammateuss to help their new graduate with the construction of their library – and even supply some of the necessary tomes for the library as well as a magical or psionic form of protection not yet available to the new master. Grammateuss apprentices typically stay loyal to thei masters even once they become masters themselves. [Color=Purple][B][U]Pharmakoss:[/U][/B][/Color] (Pronunciation: FAR-mah-kahs) [B]Literal Meaning of the Name:[/B] Those of unexplainable powers [B]Entry Requirement:[/B] Cast spells like a sorcerer or manifest power like a wilder/warlock The Pharmakoss are as loosely organized as the Grammateuss are rigidly structured in their diligent study. The Pharmakoss are a collection of people whose seemingly supernatural abilities come to them naturally without need for study. These powers may be arcane, divine, or psionic in nature. The Pharmakoss typically are loyal to one another in so much as they enjoy the challenge of pitting their own power against one another in non-lethal combat. This is not to say that the damage must be non-lethal in nature; instead it implies that the premise is not to kill one another. Like warriors who train with wooden weapons to ensure their partner is not maimed – the Pharmakoss often thrill in challenging one another to the same kind of matches with magic and psionics as the weapons. The Pharmakoss believe that the ability to grow in one’s power only comes about by flexing one’s mental muscles and practicing those powers that seem to flow out of one’s personality. The Pharmakoss gather together merely for this odd kind of companionship. They are quick to admit that they do not fit into the organized structure of the Grammateuss or the militaries of the land. Rather than marching to the beat of another’s drummer, they prefer to admit their uniqueness and identify with other people in the world who pride themselves in their unique combination of abilities. The association exists purely to challenge one another in a competitive quest for growth. Occasionally, a member of the Pharmakoss will take up a quest with an adventuring party. These Pharmakoss may even adventure in hopes of accomplishing a greater communal purpose. However, even if the Pharmakoss member is adventuring for a more pure reason, there is always a part of the rationale for adventure that hopes for personal advancement as well. Additionally, it is also not uncommon for a member of the Pharmakoss to adventure in an attempt to prove themselves (and their spontaneous collection of powers) to the world. To join the Pharmakoss society, an application must be made through a current member. Often, this means a member of the Pharmakos must be found in the first place. The entrance rite consists of several relatively basic magical and/or psionic tasks that demonstrate a worthy innate ability. After these rites are performed, the application is finalized by pitting the applicant against a far superior member of the Pharmakoss. The applicant is expected to lose. Thus, the applicant is not being judged on their ability to win – just their ability to fight creatively and use all their abilities. It is hoped that this superior challenge will help the applicant grow and perhaps begin the path to discovering new talents as they fight. [Color=Purple][B][U]En Phusis:[/U][/B][/Color] (Pronunciation: EN FOO-sis) [B]Literal Meaning of the Name:[/B] Among the Prescribed Order of Nature [B]Entry Requirement:[/B] At least one level of Druid The En Phusis are the protectors of the wild. There is no other way of putting it than that. The En Phusis are not interested in lifting up one part of nature over the other – they are merely interested in maintaining the order of nature against the ever encroaching civilization. Most members of the En Phusis live in groves far outside the civilized areas. Typically they live in seclusion, choosing the companionship of their animals over that of other people. These druidic groves are nearly impenetrable due to magical plant growth, although the druids who live within the groves can pass freely and allow those chosen to enter freely as well. Occasionally a significant threat to nature comes along and members of the En Phusis band together as well as call in favors from rangers and fighters who are approved to hunt and care for the land. These bands are typically short-lived, lasting only as long as the threat against which they formed. Once the threat has passed, the members of the En Phusis go their separate ways. Members of the En Phusis are typically on neutral terms with on another. There is little competition involved – for there always seems to be plenty of land to protect and there are an increasing number of threats encroaching outward from the larger towns. In spite of this encroachment, though, the members of the En Phusis are not often antagonistic to those who live in the towns. Instead, they attempt to treat all with respect so long as the natural laws of the land are likewise respected. Entrance into the order of the En Phusis can be accomplished by spending time in nature and showing reverence for the wild around the person. Sometimes, it takes weeks for an En Phusis protector to take notice of a reverential participant, but if a person is persistant enough the attention of the local druid protector can be earned. If this attention is deemed sincere, testing and rites are performed. Assuming the rites and the testing are accomplished positively the fledgling member is admitted into the order. The local En Phusis protector is responsible for introducing the fledgling into the power of nature. Once properly introduced on a most basic level, the new En Phusis member is pushed back out into nature to find their own area to protect. From that area the new member is to learn from the nature around them in order to advance in their Nature-derived powers. [Color=Purple][B][U]Eiss Nukti:[/U][/B][/Color] (Pronunciation: ACE nook-TEE) [B]Literal Meaning of the Name:[/B] Into the Moral Darkness [B]Entry Requirement:[/B] Approached by an Eiss Nukti member. The Eiss Nukti are an organization that exists only within other secular organizations. They do not operate openly in the world, but they secretly train and organize and infiltrate as many areas of evil as possible. Sometimes their tactics are subtle, but often their tactics are straightforward and violent once they have infiltrated an evil organization and have legitimate proof of who owns the responsibility for the evil. They are renowned for providing aide spontaneously and without being asked. However, because of their incredibly secretive nature they are impossible to ask for help because nobody knows who belongs except those in the order. Help is often only received when an Eiss Nukti member perceives a need and acts upon it out of a feeling of charity. Many in the order are highly religious and worship any good god (or St. Cuthbert) although being religious is certainly not a prerequisite. Eiss Nukti lairs are difficult to penetrate into unless permission is granted from a current member. Eiss Nukti members can identify the location of lairs by landmarks, although it is certainly not easy – even for an Eiss Nukti member. Finding the location of a lair is a multi-step process which in itself may take many days – or even up to a week if the city is large. Each Eiss Nukti lair has a subterranean armory. Obviously, the wealthier the town is the more complete the armory will be. No Eis Nukti armory contains magical weapons, however. This is because the Eiss Nukti do not want their own possessions to bolster the enemy should an Eiss Nukti armory be compromised. Eiss Nukti typically do not store magical items they cannot keep on their possession. Mundane stores may be kept even in vast quantities; but magical items are kept close at hand at all times. Along with the armory, each Eiss Nukti lair has a training facility. The training facility, called the sparring ring, is magically soundproofed to allow full combat training without alerting any residents who may live around the lair. All who are granted access to the lair are allowed into these two areas. Above the armory and sparring ring is the location of the intelligence quarters. There can be any number of meeting rooms where the leader of the lair and his chosen intelligence squad gather to identify threats that need to be stopped. Each leader, or commander, of a lair has a single sub-commander. These are the only two people of rank within a lair. The leader and his sub-commander have the responsibility of selecting their intelligence squad. Nobody outside of this special intelligence squad is allowed in the upper level of the Eiss Nukti lair. There are no exceptions to this rule. General meetings within the lair with all members (or at least with a group that includes members besides the lairs intelligence squad) are held in the sparring ring. It is not known how many Eiss Nukti lairs there are across Enigmatica. There may be some in the Eiss Nukti who know the master number of lairs, but even that is doubtful. Eiss Nukti are by their very nature secretive about their agency and thus new lairs are established without many of the existing lairs having that knowledge. The only way to identify a lair is through the secretive method known only to the Eiss Nukti. There are Eiss Nukti operations within the Kingdom of Barghost, the Alliance of Fenneress, and the Confederacy of Tongra. It is assumed that the Eiss Nukti have lairs within Quehalost, but their location is very secretly guarded and unknown by most outside of Quehalost. Very few Eiss Nukti outside of Quehalost are aware of the existence of any Eiss Nukti lairs within Quehalost. [Color=Purple][B][U]Adversari Mortuum:[/U][/B][/Color] (Pronunciation: ad-ver-SAHR-ee mor-TOO-uhm) [B]Literal Meaning of the Name:[/B] To Be Agaisnt the Dead [B]Entry Requirement:[/B] Swear an Oath to protect the living from the undead The Adversari Mortuum are a unique band of fighters. The majority of the Adversari Mortuum are actually fighter, paladins, specialized rangers, or clerics. There are rogues and spellcasters among their number, but the fragility of these classes does not often align such classes with the rigors of hunting the undead threats across the land. The Adversari Mortuum as a collective do not limit themselves to a single deity – they accept worship of any deity who asserts the needs of the living above the desires of the undead. Most commonly worshipped among the Adversari Mortuum are Pelor, Ehlonna, Heironeous, and Pholtus. Most of the members of the Adversari Mortuum are religiously faithful to at least one deity, however. The faith of the Adversari Mortuum is one of the few tools that the cold evil of undeath cannot penetrate. The Adversari Mortuum do have headquarters, usually in the capitols of each land. The individual fighters sent out against the undead are usually dispatched from these headquarters. The Adversari Mortuum make little effort to hide their locations because they believe that their known presence can bring strength to the people of the land. The Adversari Mortuum value life more than they hate undeath. It is unacceptable to the code of the Adversari Mortuum to take an innocent life in the pursuit of undeath. Occasionally this code is accidentally broken, and atonement is provided for those fighters who are caught in such dire circumstances. However, such atonements are provided sparingly – any agent who requires too much atonement in this regard will be dismissed from the order and forced to take up their fight on their own. When an undead threat is identified, the Adversari Mortuum charge themselves with the utter destruction of the threat. Turning the undead is not an acceptable option unless it directly leads to their destruction. Undead who flee are hunted until their destruction can be confirmed. The greatest Adversari Mortuum honor is bestowed upon those who answer the call to destroy one of the greatest undead threats throughout the land: the destruction of a Great Lich Phylactery. The second greatest honor is bestowed upon those who destroy a Barat and their clan of Baratzu. [Barat are evil vampires, Baratzu are Vampire Spawn] [Color=Purple][B][U]Ephistaemi:[/U][/B][/Color] (Pronunciation: eh-phi-STAY-me) [B]Literal Meaning of the Name:[/B] To approach suddenly and without warning [B]Entry Requirement:[/B] 1 Rank in any skill of this list: Disable Device, Forgery, or Open Lock The Ephistaemi pride themselves on being able to get into places of which other people intend to keep them out. However, they are not all evil, greedy, self-motivated pilferers as one might suspect. The driving force of the Ephistaemi is the ability to defeat the challenge – and earn the rewards. Sometimes their skills are hired legitimately, and there are those among their ranks who take less than upstanding jobs on the side. Ephistaemi organize themselves as a thieving guild in a particular city and its suburbs. Typically there is only one Ephistaemi branch in a city. Each Ephistaemi guild typically seeks out the services of a reputable arms and tool supplier through which they purchase the tools needed for their tasks. Each Ephistaemi guild also seeks out a few barkeepers and innkeepers through whom their services can be made know to people who need them. Of course, most of these barkeepers and innkeepers are rogues themselves and perhaps they even worked their way up the ranks of the Ephistaemi and sought a more stable life as they aged. It can be assumed, however, that the city officials have little knowledge about where one would go to hire a team of Ephistaemi rogues. Admission to the order demands ultimate secrecy. Thus, typically only the Ephistaemi know who each other are. Like Druids who teach a non-druid the Druidic language, anyone caught revealing the location of the Ephistaemi base of operations or the identity of one of another member of the guild is at the least shunned. If the Ephistaemi guild is lead by a more militant leader, the violator may even find themselves waking up to a torture squad or even the wrong end of a poisoned dagger. The Ephistaemi have an official rank when they join the order. In order for an Ephistaemi member to increase in rank, the apprentice must beat his master in two out of three arenas of contest – none of them lethal. The first test is often fun regardless of who the victor is and is meant to simulate dungeon exploration. Both the master and the initiate are separately sent into a timed obstacle course. The obstacles are traps and various locked doors. The winner of the challenge is the one who makes it through in the least amount of time regardless of how many traps are set off in the process. For this test, the traps are meant to slow the participant down, not injure them substantially. The second test is a simultaneous race against one another. Both the apprentice and his master are given locked chests; and each chest has a minimum of 5 locks that need to be sprung to open the chest. Both the master and the apprentice must overcome the exact same locks. Each of the locks is known to be trapped. There are two ways to win. The winner must either beat his opponent by 5 minutes of time or set the fewest number of traps off in opening the chest. If one participant takes more than 5 minutes longer than the other, they automatically lose regardless of how many traps are sprung. The third test is one of combat. Each Ephistaemi guild has a set of four specialized merciful daggers for the purposes of this final test. Each combatant is given two of the daggers, and these daggers are the only weapons allowed to be used. The victor is the one left standing. Should the apprentice best his master, the apprentice is given a new master while the old master receives no punishment for losing. Once achieved, ranks in the Ephistaemi cannot be lost unless one is forcibly removed There are no religious affiliations that the Ephistaemi adhere to. Some of them worship Olidammara or Xan Yae quite openly. A few even go so far as to worship Kurtlemak. There are many who opt to not revere any deity at all. While it may seem like the Ephistaemi are indeed self-centered and desiring only to increase their own wealth, there are a number of other reasons that people join the Ephistaemi. Many whose families are touched by the dreadful consequences of an evil dragon raid seek out the Ephistaemi to learn to infiltrate the dragon’s lair and exact revenge either by stealing its horde or even slaying the beast. There are some Ephistaemi who seek to use their talents to aid nobles in demonstrating just how insecure their valuables and safety really are. Some Ephistaemi double as personalized scouts: hired hands for arties venturing into dungeons that are presumed to either be locked or trapped, or both. There are even a few Ephistaemi who join because they have had enough of the wealthy flaunting their wealth and thus they enter the wealthy homes only to distribute their wealth to the poor outside. Many seek to learn the art so that they can create better ways to protect their own wealth. However, there are evil reasons for joining the Ephistaemi as well. There are of course those who merely desire to get rich. There are many who enter the guild to learn the arts of becoming a hired assassin. One never knows the true intent of any member of the Ephistaemi as their guild is open to all who desire to practice and teach each other this particular form of art. [/QUOTE]
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