The Dusk Wardens
In public The Dusk Order serves Ithe's temples, but in secret they are also a covert order of highly trained mages, inquisitors, and monks who have made a sacred vow to eradicate the perverted practices of necromancy and undeath in every form, from the innocent accident, the common ghoul to the lich-king and powerful archmage necromancers. These Seekers and Hunters are ruthless, fatally effective, and never tire. Or so the saying goes. They are, after all, mortal men and women. There is no grey area for them when it comes to the undead. If someone shows even the faintest hint of undead taint, they have to be disposed of in a way that will forever prevent reincarnation, rebirth, or revival.
There is no gray in death. Only peace or destruction.
Hierarchy
The Dusk Wardens operate as a hierarchy where the Seekers are the first step toward independent hunting, and hunters are the foremost experts in their field.
Acolytes
After taking the Ash Vow, the initiates remain inside the temples to undergo spiritual and physical training. They serve in the temples with the rest of the Dusk Order, study rites, and are tested for resilience of both body and soul. Some never advance past this stage, opting instead to remain behind in the archives to support the cause from the comfort and safety of the order.
Their training consists of exorcism theory, anti-necromantic rituals, combat forms against undead anatomy, and silent devotion. They need to complete a seven-day watch of a desecrated crypt called the Vigil of the Still Flame in order to advance, as well as demonstrate the capacity to detect undeath unaided.
Reimbursement: They get room and board in a temple dormitory and a modest stipend. All gear is loaned, not owned.
Seekers
Once an acolyte advances to seeker, they become field operatives. Seekers travel undercover, gathering intelligence and resources, uncovering necromancers as well as hunting undead spawn and forbidden texts. At first they operate in pairs, but as they progress through their training solo ventures become more common until they are ready to advance once more.
Their duties include locating undead lairs, cults and dark tombs, executing necrotic corruption, and interrogate suspected necromancers under the guise of ecclesiastic inquiry.
In order to advance, if desired, they need to prove mastery of abjuration, combat, and exorcism. This process often takes years and includes visits to every branch of the Dusk Order in Avaleen, on all continents, in order to learn the way of the world and to be able to act without prejudice.
Reimbursement: A moderate wage with a bonus per hunt completed. Full cost reimbursement for holy water, blessed gear, and spell components. Field compensation for extraordinary accomplishments.
Hunters
Seekers advance through promotion by council when they have proved they have what it takes to walk the shadows of the world. Hunters hold the highest rank of the Dusk Wardens and are fully autonomous agents. They often become legends within the Order, masters of their craft and feared by clerics and commoners of other dominations. A single Hunter can often be dispatched where a full company of soldiers might fail.
They can override temple jurisdiction if undeath is confirmed and are authorized to use irreversible methods to succeed in their tasks, including soul-burning and grave desecration.
Only the council of the Order knows who and where the Hunters are, and what their mission is, though there are a few that remain in the public eye.
Reimbursement: The pay is high, with hazard bonuses and posthumous compensation for chosen kin. They may request relics from the Order’s hidden vaults and are exempt from the “no use of necromancy”-rule if that is the only way to prevent or destroy undeath.
Monks of the Way of the Dusk Order are known as "Ithe’s silent hand," working in secret to prevent necromancers, dark gods, and unnatural forces from twisting life and death. But an organization as successful as The Dusk Order cannot remain hidden for long.
So during the Age of Arcanists they built temples, archives, and massive libraries across Avaleen, charged with guarding sacred knowledge, ensuring that dangerous or forbidden knowledge is kept safe and hidden from those who would misuse it.
It is an open secret that the archivists, working alongside the clergy of Ithe, dedicate themselves to the preservation of knowledge, the unmasking of lies, and the eradication of corruption in all its forms. Particularly that which distorts or perverts the natural balance of life and death.
Their martial discipline is combined with knowledge and wisdom, as they are not only warriors but also keepers of forbidden lore and spies, entrusted with maintaining sacred texts and identifying those who would corrupt life or tamper with death. Ithe's will is paramount, and those who follow the Way of the Dusk Order will go to any lengths to carry it out, even if it means sacrificing themselves or others for the greater good.
For a full description and list of mechanics, see this article and scroll down a bit:
Spotlight: Alaetha Clay
Born in the ancient, secluded sanctuary of the Ashgrove, where her family dutifully tended a small temple of Ithe, young Ali set forth into a world far beyond her imagining on the behest of a strange dark robed and cloaked figure.
All she knew was that the Order required this pilgrimage which was supposed to unveil her destined role - a venture she both dismissed as folly and approached with enthusiasm. The world was gigantic for a little light halfling with a bubbly personality and a somewhat naive outlook on life. Not that she wasn't aware of death, her family's temple was a graveyard for the lost and unwanted. She just wasn't used to... well, cities and towns and such. But that did not dissuade her. Her path was clear! She would be an archivist, a master scholar of life and death.
But during a harrowing encounter with a vengeful legion of the undead, Ali's innocence shattered. In the chaos, she crossed paths with the enigmatic Krune, a wandering fighter on his own, troubled path. Together they turned the tide of the battle and Ali found herself inexorably drawn to a new calling.
Trading ink and quill for moonlit strikes and prayers of final rest, she vowed to become a Hunter of the Dusk Order, a guardian of balance between life and the inevitable. Alaetha now walks the twilight, her small frame hiding a resolve as vast as the planes, an embodiment of fated purpose woven in the shadows of life and death.
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