The Crimson Accord

The document was created to formalize the foundation of the Crimson Hounds as a mercenary guild, setting forth its structure, core values, and operational guidelines. It sought to unify independent warriors under one banner, create a centralized command, and establish a framework for ensuring loyalty, discipline, and profit. The document also served as a means to legitimize the guild, making it appealing to noble patrons and powerful factions seeking reliable military and monster-hunting services. It aimed to balance internal order with the external image of strength and professionalism.

1. Foundational Principles: Defines the purpose, values, and mission of the guild: loyalty, strength, and discipline.
2. Guild Hierarchy: Establishes roles, including the Guildmaster, Houndmasters, and Pack Leaders.
3. Membership and Loyalty: Outlines recruitment procedures, the Blood Contract ritual (a magical oath of loyalty), and punishments for betrayal.
4. Contracts and Payment: Details how contracts are negotiated, distributed, and fulfilled, ensuring fair profit-sharing among guild members.
5. Discipline and Enforcement: Codifies rules, punishments, and the authority of enforcers like the Houndmaster of Security.
6. Legacy and Continuation: Addresses succession protocols, ensuring the guild’s longevity beyond its founding leaders

• Loyalty Enforcement: Blood Contracts bind members; breaking them leads to magical repercussions or death.
• Duration of Membership: Members must fulfill a minimum of five years of service before seeking release from the guild.
• Confidentiality: Leaking guild secrets results in immediate expulsion or execution.
• Guild Autonomy: The guild answers to no external authority except for contractual obligations.

• Falthor's Oath: Referenced as the guild’s spiritual foundation.
• Mercenary Codes of Old Terravorn: Incorporated as precedents for fair conduct and payment.

The document is private, accessible only to the Guildmaster and Houndmasters. Select excerpts are shared with high-ranking members as part of their initiation.

The document operates under the guild’s autonomous jurisdiction and is recognized by Terravorn's major city-states and noble houses as binding within agreed-upon contracts.

The document was authored during the late Evershade of 487 AF, 1,568 years ago, in a time marked by widespread instability and lawlessness in Terravorn. Independent warriors, tired of fragmented factions and unreliable allegiances, banded together to form the Crimson Hounds. The Founding Document codified their values of loyalty, discipline, and strength, setting the stage for their rise as the premier mercenary guild in the region.

The guild’s founding marked a shift in the power dynamics of Terravorn. Independent mercenary groups were disbanded or absorbed into the Crimson Hounds, leading to the guild’s monopoly on elite contracts. This consolidation of power allowed the guild to dictate terms to nobles and city-states alike.

Initially met with skepticism by rival mercenary groups, the guild quickly gained respect due to its success in fulfilling dangerous contracts. City-states and nobles praised its professionalism, while rivals feared its growing influence.

The document established the Crimson Hounds as the premier mercenary guild in Terravorn. Its principles of loyalty and discipline became a gold standard, inspiring similar organizations but also leading to tension with local rulers over the guild’s autonomy.

The Founding Document of the Crimson Hounds has been in effect since its ratification on 18th of Evershade, 487 AF, making it 1,568 years old as of the current year, 2055 AF. The document was designed to be perpetual, with its principles and clauses remaining unaltered except through unanimous agreement by the Houndmasters. Over the centuries, minor amendments have been made to adapt to evolving circumstances, but its core values—loyalty, discipline, and strength—remain unchanged. Its longevity has solidified its role as the unbreakable foundation of the Crimson Hounds’ identity and operations.