The Suru Revivalists
Humans are the only animal who have yet to figure out that you don't shit where you eat.
The Suru are a small group dedicated to the conservation of life in the caverns and when conservation fails, revival. They are experts in taking problems that seem too big and too complex, and breaking them down into component parts. Their success has seen them spread across several city-states of the Inner Shell as advisors, engineers and scholars.
The Suru are humanists, believers in the potential and ability of mankind to persevere and overcome but some corners of the group take their desire to conserve the whole to dark and dangerous extremes.
by Dive Store Exile
Denying Extinction
The Suru are a motley crew of scholars, hunters, farmer-cultists and Kaia, all drawn together by a common realization: mismanagement will mean extinction. Humanity is still little more than a flickering candle surrounded by an ocean of darkness, but the Suru believe that humanity can, and will, do great things. Terrible things, too - which is where the Suru fit in.
Those who join Suru have vowed to prevent such an extinction coming to pass. Day to day, the Suru work across several city-states to prevent reckless exploitation and their influence is keenly felt in places that have teetered on the edge.
When they are not advising, they are recruiting or gathering resources and information. In their home in Ahumahi, they draw great respect and command much influence.
The death of Maleun and of the Khālī Region gave the Suru a surge of recruits and funding across the depths. City-states had fallen before to starvation and dissolution, but the polluted corruption left in Maleun's wake was unlike what had been seen before.
The Suru get their funding from a variety of different sources, including the caves they heal. Past owners are charged exorbitant amounts if they wish to reclaim it and if they do not, the land is sold or rented out. The group keeps several caves in ownership for either production of crops and rare flora or research. Donations and tribute form another part of the Suru's funding, but there is rarely enough for everything they need. Every day, the Suru face difficult decisions in allocating their limited resources.
Structure
The Suru is a merit-based organization, where knowledge and the will to use it is valued above all else. The group is loosely run from their central headquarters in Ahumahi with independent cells working in whatever manner they see fit. Communication is slow and difficult across the great expanse of caves, so the Suru rely on individual initiative for most work. Larger agendas and coordination of cells is managed in Ahumahi and then carried out by the cells.
Advancing within the Suru is based on the judgement of superiors and can happen anywhere. It is a system not without its abuse, though perpetrators caught face severe penalty, the least of which is expulsion.
Hierarchy
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Associates | Allies to the Suru but not part of the organization itself. They are people sympathetic to their cause and willing to give aid, and often money. |
| Reviver | The first and only rank many have.
Revivers are the bulk of the Suru, working across any number of disciplines or projects. |
| Specialists | Specialists are Suru members with some special knowledge or talent that make them particularly valued. Most are scholars or engineers, but most Kaia qualify as well. |
| Cell Leader | Cell Leaders organize and direct the efforts of a cell's Revivers and Specialists. While nominally in command, Specialists can have more say than a cell leader in their area of expertise. |
| Provincial | Provincials organize cell leaders across a city-state or region. These are typically older, more experienced members of the group. |
| The Council | The Council are the ruling members of Suru, housed in Ahumahi. They orchestrate Suru's efforts as a whole - as much as such a thing is possible. Becoming part of the Council is possibly only by unanimous vote by all council members. |
by Dive Store Exile
Factions
With a group as wide-spread and as independent as the Suru, there are differing opinions on exactly how their goals are best met. The most notable are the Equilibrium and the Deepers.
Equilibrium
Less people. Less problems.
The Equilibrium believe in balance and on their scale, human animals are the ones to be culled first. They are concerned with a brutal sort of population control, aiming to keep humanity from killing itself by playing a sort of numbers game.
They are secretive and their allegiance never open, because the rest of Suru believe them to be callous, murderous bastards that have no place among them. The Equilibrium in turn hold themselves as pragmatic realists that are willing to do what the Suru truly needs.
The Deepers
Sand, dust, blight and monsters: why the hell would we go there?
While many parts of the Suru hold some hope that the Surface might one day be colonized at a large scale and help ease the burden on the caves, the Deepers hold no such illusions. They believe the surface should be abandoned and all attention focused deeper down.
More extreme members of this faction think that even the Outer Shell should be abandoned, but few are willing to consider exactly how to accomplish such a task.
Current Events
The fall of Maleun and the epidemic of crop-eating mold in Ahumahi occupy much of the Suru's attention. Other projects and revivals work in their shadows. Maleun's fall has been particularly ill-fated for the Suru, as members of the Equilibrium faction took it upon themselves to "solve" the problem of refugees possibly overburdening other parts of Araea. Atrocities have followed in the wake of mercenaries hired by the Equilibrium, people butchered by the dozen and their belongings sold to fund the rest of the venture. Together with the unwitting aid of House Revyera, they have begun to hunt and kill the noble-elite of Maleun in a sort of vigilante justice.
The same noble house formerly of Maleun have joined forces with the Suru almost to a man, desperate to reclaim their ancient birthright.
With it have come an influx of resources and manpower, but almost all of it is aimed to the problem of the Khālī Region. It is a problem the Suru are still figuring out exactly how to solve.
In other parts of Araea, the Suru are gaining strength. In Mharaji, the group have received official support from the House Daitau of merchant-lords, for reasons they are yet unsure of. But no matter how grim the situation look, the Suru know that they will succeed - there is no other option.
The Seekers
The Suru have formed close bonds with the Kaia guild of the Seekers. One of the largest of its kind, the Seekers are wealthy and respected, with a similar philosophy on humanity's progress. While their exact projects rarely intersect directly, both have supported the other in various ventures. Read More About The SeekersJoining the Suru
Becoming part of the Suru is a simple and informal process. The prospective member makes the request and their entry is voted on by the cell they approach. Many Revivers are only part-time Suru or work only close to their immediate homes, and the Suru try to account for it the best they can. Forced labor is always inferior to that given freely. For those who join the Suru with the intention of making it their life, they are given wage and often live with their cell. Exact rates depend on how well the Suru's finances are at any given time, but joining the Suru is never a path to wealth and comfort.Ahumahi, City of Harvest
The Suru have the most power and influence concentrated in the city-state of, Ahumahi - a place of vibrant growth in a world often devoid of such life. The Ahumahi take the well-being of their crop to be a matter of almost fanatical importance, with farmer-cults going to great lengths to make sure that the harvest comes in every year. It is a good fit for the Suru's own philosophy and their expertise in matters of conservation and revival has brought them much clout with the cults. There are more associates in Ahumahi than anywhere else in the deep. Read More About AhumahiFor the average denizen of Araea, the Suru are odd. Most in Araea never leave their village and the idea of the entire world as an interconnected whole is alien. Opinions tend to improve when the Suru salvage a polluted well or devastated farm-cave.
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