Holy Order of Sobek
The Holy Order of Sobek is a legitimate—but wholly Lawful Evil—religious organization dedicated to the demigod Sobek. The Order's existence is a calculated move to gain acceptance within the pantheon by adhering strictly to the Lex (Ra's Law), but its theology remains based on the harsh creed: "Eat or be Eaten." They are dedicated to the mastery of dangerous natural forces and the extraction of wealth and obedience through local intimidation.
Structure
See "Priesthood" below
Dicastery of the Monasteries
The Holy Order manages its monastic orders through the Prior of the River Lairs. This leader must hold the rank of Gaping Jaw (Quorum Rank). Quorum oversight guarantees the Monks are directed toward the Order's territorial and predatory goals, using their discipline for resource extraction and local dominance.
Tenets of Faith
The tenets reflect a harsh, Darwinian interpretation of Law, focusing on self-preservation and calculated cruelty.
- The Law of the Riverbank: The world is hostile, and the only true Law is survival and domination. Followers must be ruthless opportunists, focusing on self-preservation and exploiting any available weakness in rivals or prey.
- Order for Domination: The Order adheres to the laws of the land just enough to gain legitimacy and avoid destruction by Horus's forces. Their ultimate goal is local domination, using Law as a shield, not a moral guide.
- The Price of Passage: Sobek controls the hazards of the rivers and wetlands. The Order must extract tribute and obedience from those who wish to travel safely through their domain.
- Rejection of Softness: Mercy, empathy, and charity are weaknesses that invite ruin. They are to be rejected entirely in favor of strength and calculated cruelty.
Worship
The Order's worship is functional and predatory, designed to enforce local control and instill fear in their chosen domain (waterways, ports, and wetlands).
Everyday Practices (The Rites of Surveillance)
Daily rituals are acts of discipline and territorial enforcement, ensuring the Order is always ready to strike.
- The Vigil of the Unblinking Eye (Daily): This mandatory ritual is performed in isolation, involving long periods of silent, focused surveillance over the Order's claimed waterway or territory. Followers train their minds for patience and ambush tactics, honoring Sobek's predatory nature.
- The Lawful Taxation: Followers dedicate themselves to the meticulous and legalistic enforcement of the "Price of Passage," ensuring tribute is collected precisely according to the Order's decree. This practice reinforces their Lawful nature and justifies their existence as local power brokers.
- Martial Discipline: All members, especially the Croc Fangs (Blackguards), maintain a brutal regimen of martial training focused on ambush, stealth, and swift aquatic assault.
Weekly Service (The Tribunal of the Gaping Jaw)
The communal gathering is highly insular and focused on planning resource extraction and consolidating regional power.
- The Tribunal of the Gaping Jaw: The primary weekly service is a closed meeting held in a secure fortress or river cave. Presided over by a Warden of the Deep Water, the service includes:
- Territorial Review: Discussions focused on mapping new territories for expansion and identifying targets of weakness for exploitation.
- The Vow of Self-Preservation: A communal affirmation to maintain absolute loyalty to the Order and adhere strictly to the Law of the Riverbank, ensuring the Order's survival above all else.
Sacraments and Ordinances
The Order's ordinances are reserved for the consecrated ranks and mark their commitment to the predatory Law of the Strongest.
| Sacrament/Ordinance | Description and Purpose | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| The Consecration of the Domain | A rite performed by a Tribute Master to ritually claim a new waterway or territory in Sobek's name. It involves a public display of brutality to instill fear and obedience in the local populace. | Clergy and Blackguards. |
| The Trial of the Current | A rite of passage for higher ranks. It involves a solitary, dangerous test of survival within a major river or wetland, proving the follower's ability to master the natural hazards of Sobek’s domain. | Clergy and Blackguards. |
| The Rite of the Iron Scale | A solemn, private renewal of the commitment to reject mercy and compassion, ritually asserting the necessity of calculated cruelty for survival. | Clergy and Blackguards. |
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Annual Festivals and Holy Days
The annual calendar celebrates the raw power of nature and the Order's continued dominance.
- The Festival of the Flood Tide: The primary annual celebration, coinciding with the peak of the seasonal floods. It is a day dedicated to demonstrating the Order's strength by performing massive, organized acts of resource extraction and territorial expansion.
- The Day of the Taxing: A day dedicated to the rigorous and highly visible collection of tribute from all subjects within the Order's domain, serving as a forceful annual reminder of the Price of Passage and the Order's territorial dominance.
Priesthood
I. Priesthood Structure: The Masters of the Waterway
The structure is small and localized but uses the Quorum size to project strength and stability.
| Position | Title | Role and Function |
|---|---|---|
| Spiritual Leader | The Grand Executor (High Priest) | The supreme local leader; responsible for tactical command and maintaining the cult's fragile political standing with the greater Holy Orders. |
| Governing Quorum | The Quorum of Five Gaping Jaws | The local administrative council. Sets policy for regional tribute, raids, and cult discipline. |
| Quorum Rank | Gaping Jaw | Highest earned priestly rank; master strategists in local terror and extortion. |
| Grandmaster Rank | Master of the Riverbank | A rare, ultra-elite rank signifying profound mastery of survivalist theology and ruthless territorial strategy. This priest serves as a Master-at-Large, directing high-level extortion and conquest policies. |
| High Administrative | Tribute Master | Senior priests responsible for overseeing the collection of tribute and the acquisition of resources through legal or illicit means. |
| Presiding Keys (Local Temple) | Warden of the Deep Water | The specific calling given to a cleric to preside over a local shrine, often a heavily guarded river cave or swamp fortress. |
| Mid-Level Rank | River Runner | The core clerical rank; responsible for surveillance of waterways, scouting, and delivering threats and messages. |
| Low-Level Rank | Scale Scratcher | Entry-level rank; performs menial tasks, assists in guarding the lair, and serves as initial lookouts on the shore. |
Paladin Substitute Order
Because Sobek's alignment and creed are incompatible with D&D 3.5e's alignment restriction for paladins, his order uses the Blackguard class instead of paladin.
The Croc Fangs
The Croc Fangs are Sobek's consecrated military force. Ranks focus on stealth, ambush, and local water-based enforcement.
| Military Rank | Title | Role and Function | Base Class Progression |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme Commander | The Grand Ambusher (Chief Blackguard) | Leads the Blackguards; primary mission is to enforce local tyranny and manage assassination teams. | Blackguard (Highest Level/Authority) |
| Presiding Blackguard | Master of the Waterway | Presides over a local river headquarters, ensuring the enforcement of the "Price of Passage" and protecting the Order's claims. | Blackguard (Senior Officer/Commander) |
| Officer Corps | River Captain | Commands ambush detachments; specializes in navigation, swift assaults, and resource extraction. | Blackguard (Officer/Commander) |
| Core Warrior | Croc Fang | The consecrated warrior rank; ambush specialists, guards for high priests, and enforcers of local tribute collection. | Blackguard (Core Rank/Ambush Specialist) |
| Novice | Acolyte of Strength | Entry-level training; focused on displaying brutality and absolute loyalty; enforces low-level territorial control. | May or may not yet have attained the Blackguard Prestige Class yet. |
Ordination & Promotion
The process is defined by strict adherence to seniority and the centralized control required to enforce the Order's predatory Lawful Evil goals. All ordination occurs by the laying on of hands, transferring the Lawful Evil authority.
I. Priesthood Succession (Highest Offices)
The supreme leadership mirrors the seniority structure to project stability and legitimacy to the outside world, while ensuring the most experienced practitioners of tyranny hold power.
| Office/Rank | Appointment Authority | Ordaining Authority |
|---|---|---|
| The Grand Executor (High Priest) | Succession by Seniority: Automatically granted to the Gaping Jaw with the longest continuous time in that rank. | Ordained by the Quorum of Five Gaping Jaws collectively. |
| Gaping Jaw (Quorum Rank) | Appointed and called by the High Priest. | Ordained by the High Priest. |
| Master of the Riverbank (Grandmaster Rank) | Promotion approved by the Quorum of Five Gaping Jaws | Gaping Jaw (Quorum Rank) |
| Tribute Master (High Administrative) | Must submit a recommendation from a Warden of the Deep Water and receive approval from the Quorum of Five Gaping Jaws. | Ordained by a Gaping Jaw (Quorum Rank) OR by the Warden of the Deep Water after receiving specific ordination authorization from the Quorum. |
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II. Delegation of Presiding and Ordaining Authority (Clergy)
Authority is strictly delegated to maintain tactical control over the Order's territorial claims and collection of tribute.
| Office/Rank | Appointment/Promotion Authority | Ordaining Authority (Who Performs Ceremony) |
|---|---|---|
| Warden of the Deep Water (Presiding Keys) | Called by the High Priest to preside over a local territory or fortress. | Ordained by the High Priest or a Gaping Jaw designated by the High Priest. |
| River Runner (Mid-Level Rank) | Promotion granted after display of ruthlessness and success in tribute collection, approved by the local Warden of the Deep Water. | Ordained by a Tribute Master. |
| Scale Scratcher (Low-Level Rank) | Promotion granted after approval from the local Warden of the Deep Water. | Ordained by a River Runner. |
III. Military Promotion and Ordination (The Croc Fangs - Blackguards)
The ordination authority is held by the priesthood, ensuring the Blackguards remain fully consecrated to the Order's Lawful Evil goals.
| Rank/Title | Promotion Requirement | Ordaining Authority |
|---|---|---|
| The Grand Ambusher (Chief Blackguard) | Appointed by the High Priest based on strategic and ruthless merit. | Ordained by the High Priest. |
| Master of the Waterway (Presiding Blackguard) | Calling: Appointed by the Grand Ambusher. | Ordained by the Grand Ambusher. |
| River Captain (Officer Corps) | Requires documented merit in ambush tactics and a recommendation from the Warden of the Deep Water (Priesthood). | Ordained by a Gaping Jaw (Quorum Rank). |
| Croc Fang (Core Warrior) | Requires successful completion of all training and approval from a River Captain. | Ordained by the Warden of the Deep Water (Presiding Priest). |
| Acolyte of Strength (Novice) | Entry granted after displaying unquestioning obedience. | Vow administered by a River Runner (Mid-Level Priest). |
Granted Divine Powers
I. Affiliation Score Criteria (AS)
The stacking modifiers reward territorial control, successful tribute collection, and ruthless enforcement of the Law of the Riverbank.
| Action/Event | Modifier (AS Change) | Type |
|---|---|---|
| One-Time Modifiers (AS Added Once) | ||
| Take the Vow of the Riverbank (Initiation) | +5 | One-Time |
| Character Level | +1/2 Character Level (rounded down) | One-Time |
| Knowledge (Geography) 5 or more ranks (Waterway mastery) | +3 | One-Time |
| Knowledge (Local) 5 or more ranks (Territorial intelligence) | +3 | One-Time |
| Possess Track feat (reflecting ambush/scouting) | +2 | One-Time |
| Possess 1st level spells of the Water or Animal domain | +2 | One-Time |
| Successfully perform a High-Level Consecration Rite for the Quorum | +10 | One-Time |
| Successfully secure a new, valuable waterway or port for the Order | +12 | One-Time |
| Stacking Modifiers (AS Added Multiple Times) | ||
| Successfully enforce the Price of Passage (collect tribute) | +4 | Stacking |
| Successfully ambush and defeat a rival attempting to enter claimed territory | +3 | Stacking |
| Successfully intimidate a community into unquestioning obedience | +3 | Stacking |
| Successfully destroy a structure/symbol of weakness or mercy | +2 | Stacking |
| Penalty Modifiers (AS Deducted) | ||
| Fail to enforce the Order's Law, allowing defiance/anarchy | -8 | Stacking |
| Willfully fail to seize a clear opportunity for power/tribute | -6 | Stacking |
| Show genuine mercy or compassion to a rival or victim | -10 | Stacking |
| Engage in reckless, uncalculated, or Chaotic behavior | -4 | Stacking |
II. Priesthood Ranks, Benefits, and Duties
This track is focused on administration, resource extraction, and strategic planning.
| AS Range | Title/Rank Achieved | Priesthood Office | Primary Duty & Benefit (Game Mechanics) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - 5 | Lay Follower | None | No special duties or benefits. |
| 6 - 15 | Scale Scratcher | Low-Level Rank | Duty: Perform menial tasks; assist in guarding the lair. Benefit: +1 bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks in aquatic or swamp terrain. |
| 16 - 30 | River Runner | Mid-Level Rank | Duty: Surveillance of waterways; scouting; delivering threats. Benefit: Gain +2 bonus to Swim checks. Once per day, may reroll a failed Sense Motive check. |
| 31 - 75 | Tribute Master | High Admin Rank | Duty: Oversee tribute collection; manage financial resources. Benefit: Gain Leadership feat (if eligible). +2 bonus to Concentration checks for casting spells with the Law or Evil domains. |
| 76+ | Master of the Riverbank | Grandmaster Rank | Duty: Direct high-level resource extraction and conquest policies; advise Quorum. Benefit: Gain Spell Mastery over two 1st or 2nd-level spells of the Animal or Water domains. Gain a +1 bonus to the save DC of all spells of the Law or Evil domains. |
III. Military Ranks, Benefits, and Duties
| AS Range | Title/Rank Achieved | Military Rank | Primary Duty & Benefit (Game Mechanics) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - 5 | Lay Follower | None | No special duties or benefits. |
| 6 - 15 | Acolyte of Strength | Novice Rank | Duty: Entry-level training; enforcing low-level territorial control. Benefit: +1 bonus to Intimidate checks. |
| 16 - 30 | Croc Fang | Core Warrior | Duty: Ambush specialist; enforcer of local tribute collection. Benefit: Gain Weapon Focus (Chosen Martial Weapon). Gain a +1 bonus to all Saving Throws against mind-affecting effects. |
| 31+ | River Captain | Highest PC Rank | Duty: Commands ambush detachments; resource extraction missions. Benefit: May use Smite Good one additional time per day. Gain Improved Initiative feat (if eligible). |
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