The Dancers
The Dancers are, in many ways, the law in Zevemlya. They are allowed to set whatever rules they want in the cities, and kill any who they see as enemies of Galvander. They are trained in the iron studio, a fortress-city in the mists of Zevemlya where they grow up as deadly assassins. They may not leave the Iron studio until they master the dance of shadows that allows them to traverse distance through shadow, rather than through physical space.
Girls are abducted by dancers and instructors who see potential, and replaced with a single platinum coin to show their worth to the country, and the honor to the family who will never see their daughter again. The training is brutal, and only a quarter of these neophytes survive to become trainees in the different studios of Zevemlya. Once the initial training is done, the trainees still must prove themselves as worthy of the role they have been trained to represent. One fifth of the remaining young women die during this process.
If a trainee joines the corpse de ballet, then the hard work is just beginning. They will be expected to keep up a grueling routine of dance and death, killing those who come to their shows in silence before the end of the performance, and occasionally, as they progress, being sent on assassinations throughout the cities against those who defy Galvander. Id a dancer shows exceptional skill, they may be advanced to a coryphée, a position of leadership over other dancers, or may even be given simpler solo assassinations. Coryphée who excell, or individual dancers who show no leadership skills, but extreme skills at assassination in other forms are occasionally advanced to soloists who primarily do work, as the name suggests, alone. Though they may be required, on occasion to lead as though in the role of coryphée.
Coryphée who excel as leaders are likely to become instructors. These are the teachers who enforce the strict regimen of the studios, and train and break the trainees and neophytes (as well as the occasional dancer who thinks that her new role allows her to relax.) The most effective instructors may become premier instructors, leading their entire studios. Both the Prima Ballerina and Head instructor are chosen. The Head director by Galvander himself among the Premier Instructors who have the blood of Galvander, the Prima ballerina by agreement of Galvander and the Director. (One of the few occasions where Galvander allows another to share in equal measure with him on decision-making.)
The Dancers are among the most effective assassins in all of Vyům, and they train for audiences weekly. Their spectacles bring morale to the devout, as their performances put all other dance spectacles to shame (except perhaps those of the Dhampir - Geɪ̯-îraje Shadow dancers, though in very different styles.) The performances leave their crowds speechless, many permanently.
Structure
The Director: leads the organization under the rule of Galvander. Receives direct instruction from Galvander, and must be one of the blood of Galvander.
Premier instructor: Leads individual ensemble locations, answer only to the Director. More highly trained or successful than instructors.
Instructors: Highly trained Dancers who have succeeded in no less than one-hundred missions, and have shown leadership potential. They answer only to the Director and their location's Premier instructor.
Prima Ballerina- The most successful and skillful dancer currently working for the organization, answers only to the Director. Typically one with the blood of Galvander, but not required. Trusted for international assassinations. Rarely works alongside others, when she does, it is only to lead other soloists for particularly dangerous missions.
Soloists: Highly skilled dancers, answer to their location's premier instructors and theDirector. Usually work alone, though may lead Ensembles of Dancers if required. This is the first rank that may be called a ballerina.
Coryphée: Leaders of squads of dancers, work alongside instructors, taking their direction during "rehearsals" but acting only on the orders of the Premier instructors for missions. Many coryphée ascend to become soloists, but others prefer their position at the heads of squads, working better as leaders than as solo "performers."
Corpse de Ballet: These are the active members of the Iron Studio. They perform nightly and will go on missions when ordered to by the instructors or coryphée. They take orders from any member of the organization above trainee and neophyte. This is the first rank that one may be called a dancer.
Trainee: These are the students who survived the neophyte training. They aspire to become dancers, and might be used during performances to eradicate lesser common folk who are assigned for removal as training for the higher roles. No trainee may advance to the Corpse de Ballet without one successful removal going undetected, nor without the approval of the Premier instructor of their location. The Director may waive these requirements if they so choose for any trainee. Roughly 20% of remainingTrainees die between this stage and joining the Corpse de Ballet.
Neophyte: Once taken from their families between the ages of 3-5 neophytes are trained in the skills required to become dancers. This stage is brutal, and many of the girls die during training. Roughly 75% of neophytes perish before becoming trainees. There is no hard age limit on ascending to trainee, though the youngest who ever attained that rank was 13, and the average age of reaching trainee is 16. A neophyte who does not show enough skill to advance to trainee by the age of 19 must challenge a current trainee for her position. If successful, the trainee is dead, and she assumes her name and identity, upon failure she is killed.
Culture
The culture of the dancers is one of strict discipline, obedience and violence. They are feared, perhaps more than any organization in Zevemlya due to how often citizens must interact with them, and how often anyone in Zevemlya can be removed by them with no recourse by the public nor through any other organization. They are the blade at the end of Galvander's fingers promising death to any who have displeased the godking.
Public Agenda
Maintain the order of Galvander.
Remove those who displease Galvander
Perform in the "Grim Ballet"
Assets
The very shadows submit to the Dancers, and their weapons are forged by the finest Zevemlyan craftsmen. They also have access to many tools of espionage.
History
Before the Dancers were the shadow guides. The shadow guides were a band of warriors who served Galvander in a religious capacity. In the year 1530 (pre) , the shadow guides were ransacked by the Mirevi who were in open rebellion. The Mirevi killed the male members, but spared the women, thinking them to be weaker than the men. The women, after they had recovered, spent the following year assassinating the heads of the Mirevi rebellions.
Galvander, seeing that the organization had died, but the survivors had done a wartime miracle granted them their own organization with more power than the shadow guides had ever had. They spent the next five-hundred years re-organizing and solidifying their rule. They started the try-outs, at this time, where they would watch the cities for children who had advanced balance or poise, or beauty, and they would abduct them for the Dancers, leaving a single platinum coin minted separately from the rest of Zevemlya's coins. It is a badge of honor, but giving it to a town magistrate ensures your family food rations for the year without pay.
In the year 1000 (pre), the first performance took place. Thousands were ordered to attend. All who did not attend were slaughtered in their homes. Of those who attended, one survived. The dancers killed the rest silently throughout the show, without the last member of the audience knowing until the final bow. When the audience member stood and heard only her own clapping, then her scream, as she looked around at the empty auditorium. By the year 989 (pre) these performances would take place in the dance hall of each city in Zevemlya. As new cities were conquered, dance halls were built within the first year.
She told the tale, and then, once a year for the next two-hundred years, the performances would occur. Many more than the single survivor would survive these following shows, and they served as bloody reminders to those who would challenge Galvander's right to rule. In the year 795 (pre) it was announced that the performances, to affect more of the populace, would occur monthly. This resulted in less deaths per show, and it was at this point that the rule of silence was implemented. The rule of silence was that, once a person was removed from the auditorium, that their name was never to be spoken of again in public.
In the year 650 (pre) the occurances of the performances became once weekly. and these performances included anyone in the city who had a birthday between the beginning of the week, and the end. Since then, some of the largest cities have taken to having performances daily or multiple times a week as the polulation requires.
In the year 80, the dancers were directly responible for the death of Brennig of the Jester's Blade, though in death, he would choose to return as a mummy, and become Ragbeard. Ragbeard has since held no grudge against the Dancers for following their orders and succeeding at a job well-done. This death, in fact was the reason that Irina Derenovna - The Ballerina was allowed to join the Jester's Blade, as Ragbeard had been defeated by one of their member, and the Jester's blade only allow recruits who can defeat one of their member in combat.
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