Order of the Ebon Hand

The Order of the Ebon Hand is the single most-feared presence on the continent of Sarpadia- an organization of devil-worshippers, all with a single-minded devotion to their goals. Sworn enemies of the Order of Leitbur, these nefarious diabolist have nonetheless maintained a strong foothold in Sarpadia's southern marshes, thanks in large part to the numerous rangs of powerful knights which serve at the Order's command.   In the Darkest Night Knights of the Ebon Hand are hand-selected by the Order's leaders, and are just as much chosen for their unflinching cruelty towards their foes as much as their combat potential. Once selected for servitude as a Knight, a member of the Order is first trained in the same infernal magic which the founders of the Order practice, learning to channel diabolic power through their body to cut deeper in battle. Given exactly one year to master this magic, Knights-to-be which fail this step are instead given over to the Order's reclusive Master Breeder, where their brains and flesh are repurposed for use in making thrull servants. Assuming a Knight successfully masters an appropriate level of dark magic, they are passed on to more intensive combat training, where they are taught how to properly wear the ebony armor of the Order and wield any number of devastating weapons.   The Threefold Houses of the Praetor Once a knight passes the entry levels of both combat and magical training, based on the proficiencies they showed during this training, they are sorted into one of the three further groups. Known as the Threefold Houses, the House a Knight is assigned to determines the further training they receive.   The House of Healing Those with skill in the basic magic taught in their first year as Knights are given to the House of Healing. Being part of this House means refining the magical training which all Knights receive, teaching them beyond basic combat tricks of the other Knights. Channeling infernal magic to both tear flesh and stitch it back together, summon icy blades formed from shadow, or other dark skills.   The House of Peace Knights with strong potential as leaders, whose charisma naturally inspires others to follow them, end up in the House of Peace. Responsible for the Order of the Ebon Hand's top enforcers, the training in this House teaches advanced tactics, designed around both dealing with others strengths, and making the best use of their own. The House of Peace is where most of the non-human Knights of the Order are assigned, and taught to fully use their natural gifts.   The House of Monsters This final House receives the majority of new recruits, almost as many as the other two Houses combined, but is the least-populated of the Houses. Knights sent to this House are given to the Order's strongest and most-promising diabolists, where dark rituals slowly twist and warp them into fierce creatures, more monster than man. Few have the constitution required to survive these transformations, and those that fail to stand the test are subjected to slow flesh-warping, merged with other drop-outs until a being with sufficient strength is created as the end-result. Even those who pass the tests often come out of the training for this House with a dimmed intelligence and a more feral instinct.