The Immortal Harrow
Two pairs of feet slapped hard against stone, running as if Dakkru herself were on their heels. Behind them were shouts, weapons thrown in their direction. Some hit, blood spilled, but it no longer mattered. Mere death fanatics cannot contest with the will of the chosen.
Heavy was their breathing as they ran into deeper and deeper darkness, seeking desperately for the escape to their peril. They met their savior, tall, covered in silver armor, a red mask with a snake curling around it emblazoned on her chest, torch in her hands. The stopped, holding out that which caused their foe to chase them for so long. This was it, their salvation at last.
Her voice cut through their thoughts, "Your sacrifice will not be in vain."
The flames of the torch disappeared, with it the girl. Two more, unworthy and unneeded, to die among the countless, the faceless. OriginsAmong those who choose to follow paths as twisted and dangerous as ours, there have always been those who rise above, and those who are crushed. It is the belief of the Immortal Harrow that those who are destined for greatness are family in all but blood. Termed 'Harratros' by the group's leaders, they feel themselves an immortal people of the Black Flame; a line of prestige and royalty that continues to pass on the harrows, the pains, and sufferings from generation to generation in search of truth.
Harratros are born with the Whisper in their head, born with the capacity and power to lead. They consider themselves nothing short of Royalty.
PurposeThe goals of the Harrow are numerous, many the secret wishes and desires that awaken when ambitious men try to work together. Most seem to work towards their own agenda, however there are a few threads that join them together.
Keeping Secrets Hidden: Above all the Harratros and their workers feel themselves almost as a police force for the Black Flame. In scripture and story warnings are given of the consequences for betrayal, for trying to leave the service of the Whisper or tell its secrets. To deal with those who show even the slightest weakness the Harrow employs slaughter. If they haven't killed you then no doubt some other power did.
Desecration: The gods are believed to be weak. Proof of this is there inability to foresee, plan, and act like the Black Flame. While they hide our faith spreads like a plague through the people. It is for the Black Flame to contend with the other gods. For its people, we contend with religions and those who have found power in their religions. Worship must be destroyed.
Advancement: Though we are destined for power we will not simply stumble upon it. We must continue to seek power, advance ourselves, as we are destined to succeed. Experimentation, combinations of ritualistic practice and magic, and searches made into that which is the past are common for members of the Harrow, all in the goal of finding new power.
The MasqueradeTo remain above suspicion for more than just a simple cult the Harrow has taken precautions, publicly allowing themselves to take on many attributes that could be seen in Laanx followers. Many of them wear masks whenever they are not hiding. Those who hide in public claim to be Laanx followers in case they are ever caught.
Dual MasksAmong the Harrow are two symbols, both that could easily thought to be of a Laanx follower. The first is that of a frowning mask with a snake curling around it. Some members have this symbol on articles of clothing or jewelry. This symbol can also often be found burned on bodies of those who are attacked by the Harrow. The second symbol is a smiling mask, though no members ever wear it.
Mask of Fools - This is the frowning mask. It marks one whose blood is to be drained for no other reason than to promote chaos and fear. This mark is burned on, using a metal imprint.
Mask of Whispers - This is the smiling mask. It marks a true enemy to the Harrow. The burn is delivered so that if one dies or fails in killing the enemy others may see it. This mark is usually burned onto the face if it can be done.
Ranking SystemAmong the Harrow are the self-proclaimed most powerful members of the Black Flame. They do realize that there are too many disputes and differences amongst themselves to work as a small unit efficiently. To deal with this they allow other worthy members of the Black Flame to serve under them. These Loyals make up a majority of the Harrow. Only Harratros have the power to command, their sect known as the Royals.
LoyalsJester - Jesters are the initiates of the Harrow, forced to adorn masks and act like fanatic Laanx followers, a form of ritualistic hazing. Each of them carries an iron imprint of the Mask of Fools to cause chaos.
Masked Priest - These few carry the Mask of Whispers, their only duty to seek out targeted enemies of the guild and deliver the mark.
Unseen Crusaders - The highest of the loyals, Unseen Crusaders have left behind madness, their purpose now to destroy anything that stands in the way of truth. Known to them as the Unseen Crusade they work to undermine religion wherever they can, efficiently but silently.
RoyalsLord - Lord is the title given to lesser Harratri, of which there are few. They have command over the Loyals, their duties to deal with making sure they do as instructed. Most Lords side with one of the higher Harratri to keep themselves out of harms way. They too, however, often have secret agendas.
Masters Whim - The most prestigious of the Royals each feel themselves only second to the Black Flame itself. Because of this arrogance conflict between the ambitious is constant, leaders usually being the member feared the most. A majority of them go by their own, self-appointed, titles, refusing to be addressed to anyone not of their 'same' rank by anything but their title.
The Black Flame - Only the Black Flame itself calls true command over our sect. The Flame's goals surpass our own, its power the only path to truth.
Current ConquestsAt this point in time the Harrow has found itself and its focus on the desecration of religion. Its design specifically makes it look like a Laanxist cult, trying to force to public and people to show more hate and dislike for the famed 'Masked God' of Hydlaa.
A majority of the Harrow actually resides in the Death Realm, locked in secret battle with the followers of Dakkru. To those who they fight they still appear as a Laanx cult but make no mistake that the Black Flame comes to destroy the people of death. More and more of the group is returning to Yliakum, at the moment focusing their efforts on the people of Hydlaa and the cities surrounding it.
OOCOf course, follow the rules of PS, stay in character, realize this guild is made for fun and to be fun for any involved with the plots we carry out.
Know OOCly that Harratros is just a title, created. It doesn't mean anything, impart you with any special powers, or really mean you have any special place with the Black Flame than any other Black Flame faithful.
I must advise you gain access to the Black Flame temple. You -have- to read the books and understand them, no exceptions. I can understand if you've obtained access with other characters and rather not go through the process again but make sure to let us know before hand.
Know before entering the guild that there are plans for a lot of conflict both with outsiders and inside the guild itself. We are all trying to get ahead of each other and if I were you I'd make sure that your character is watching out for themselves as a top priority. For the sake of giving a good starting point my characters, Saggi and Demoik, act as 'leaders' in the guild with Saggi at the top. Go ahead and try to take me down, I welcome the challenge.
RecruitmentWar with the people of the death realm has made the Harrow weak, low on members and in need of new Loyals and in search of fellow Harratros. If you've a character or want to make a character to join our cause do so by contacting myself or Skrein through PM or posting here. If you are interested in being a Harratros inform us in the message. You can also speak to us on our
forums.
