Aequitas

Standing stable and solid amongst the businesses and bureaucratic offices of the Mids, Aequitas represents stability and heritage, a commitment to learning in the service of the care of the people of Elderforge. Publicly advertising themselves as providers of discreet healthcare services, Aequitas offers medical services to its paying customers as well as boasting a charitable arm providing succor to the less fortunate of Glaive.
In truth, however, Aequitas is far more than a 'medical' organization. Its definitions of "health care" stretch into the far more ideological, growing from roots wound deeply in Glaive's past. Aequitas is a powerful organization and a monastic order, dedicated to maintaining the balance within Glaive by removing anything disruptive and shoring up the elements that they deem most vital to the balance of the world.
Drawing generously on the abandoned and unwanted foundlings of Glaive, many of them the result of miscegenation, Aequitas trains agents, spies, and assassins, ensuring that each is utterly independent, utterly capable, and utterly obedient. For many of the wealthy or desperate who seek out Aequitas' services, 'health care' is ensuring the death or downfall of a foe or the disappearance of a potentially devastating indiscretion. For Aequitas, each case is not only a way to fund a greater cause, it also represents an opportunity to ensure the tenuous balance of a world caught between extremes.

Structure

The Three

The highest echelon within Aequitas is utterly unknown to all save members of the Conclave. As one of the organizations' deepest secrets, discovering even a hint of its existence is grounds for immediate inhumation. One of its most seminal aspects, and one of its most closely guarded secrets, The Three originated from its initial contract with the Powers of Glaive itself. The appointment of The Three was ordained in the covenant that created Aequitas as a means of creating balance, an uneven three to create a compromise between fire and ice, change and immobility. Under the contract, two spokespeople were chosen, one for fire, one for ice. Each power of Glaive had its advocate, and then between the two stood neutrality, an unbiased "third party."
The spokesperson of Ice has not changed within memory. Even depictions of those holding the role in ancient times are exact replicas of the face that appears to speak on behalf of stability and certainty. No one knows whether every individual who steps into the role of speaker is drawn into the aspect or whether the voice of stability is so immutable that its avatar is essentially immortal.
The spokesperson of Fire is different every time they appear. Were it not for the rune of flame and the supernaturally fiery delivery on behalf of the cause of change, the speaker would be utterly unrecognizable.
The third member of the trio is so pale as to appear almost albino, skin and hair bleached of color as surely as their nature is bleached of bias. Each inheritor of the Third takes on far more than merely the neutral role in the greatest conflict of Glaive; they take on the memories and knowledge of all who have gone before. The Third is the keeper of memory, the guardian of neutrality. In order to prevent being swayed and to maintain true impartiality, they need the context of centuries, the knowledge of Glaive's pendulum between the extremes that threaten to tear her asunder.
On every issue, The Three state their case to The Conclave, each speaking on behalf of a power and principle. The Conclave hears the Fire and the Ice and the space between them. It hears the need for change, the need for stability, and the need to chart a middle course. Aequitas is one of the few places in Glaive where the ancient voices echo through the halls, and one of the only ones where their words are weighed by human minds and hearts with full knowledge of what they offer and what they represent.

The Conclave

Beneath The Three sits the Conclave, the council that guides Aequitas and determines the means by which the elusive balance must be attained. Completely anonymous, the identities of the council are kept strictly secret, even to one another. In council, each member wears the three-visaged face of Aequitas, and the decisions passed down to the Equilibria are considered absolute. The Conclave has the solemn duty of listening to the cases presented by The Three and choosing what actions Aequitas must take in order to fulfil its sacred and ancient duty as the keepers of balance, the force which adds or removes the small elements whose influence lies at the heart of the imbalance constantly threatening to destroy Glaive itself.
Decisions made by The Conclave are passed down to the Equillibira to be actualized and implemented by the structure of Aequitas.

The Equillibria

Standing at the critical and dangerous hidden juncture between the hidden leadership of Aequitas and its practical organization, the Equillibria bears the heavy burden of translating the decisions of The Conclave into practical actions by the organization itself. Unique among the members of Aequitas, she has knowledge of both the Conclave above her (although she too remains formally ignorant of their identities) and the massive organization below. Supported by a staff that carries her directives to the proper departments of the Order, the Equillibria represents the balance of Aequitas in a vital way - she is the waist of the hourglass, the juncture between mission and application.
Traditionally, the role of Equillibria is held by a woman. Representing the forces of creation and destruction inherent within the feminine, she is the symbol of contradiction incarnate - another image of the balance that Aequitas claims to enforce. Her role is difficult but vital, enforcing an often abstract vision through the tangible channels of monastery, medical outreach, and spies and assassins - all in the name of preserving the balance of Glaive itself.

The Order

As the public face of Aequitas, the Order presents itself as a monastic organization, dedicated to the One and to the balancing of its aspects within oneself to create a unified whole. It is strictly structured, with numerous compartmentalized divisions and sections within its purview. Taking the directives of the Equillibria, the Order chooses the best ways to implement them based on the resources available at Aequitas. Although it bears the rituals and dedication of any monastic tradition, the Order also applies itself to the more practical nature of the cause. Some divisions are far more spiritual and concerned with teaching and training the youth of Glaive. Other divisions are far more bureaucratic, busy managing the business affairs of Aequitas or dispatching directives to Hospitalliers or Calibrators in order to achieve their goals. The Order is a mighty machine powered by an unflinching belief in the ideal of balance and an equally powerful faith that the unknown and unseen hands guiding Aequitas have the path to reach it in their sights. Most members of the Order, regardless of their area of service, are utterly devoted to the cause - those whose faith wavers often become the subject of internal directives regarding the restoration of their dedication or the imminent vacancy of their position.

Hospitalliers

Offering medical care for a variety of ailments, many of the people of Glaive have benefitted from the care of an Aequitas hospitallier, or at the very least, know someone who has. Trained in the arts of healing, hospitalliers dedicate themselves to the study of health, and to understanding Aequitas' principles of balance as they apply to the physiology and psychology of the body. Unified by their fascination with the concepts of health and healing, hospitalliers are divided into the readily accessible providers of care and the scholars of medicine. Eager to learn about the balance of health in every iteration, hospitalliers will treat any race of Glaive, but not all Aequitas offices are equally accessible. In Elderforge, for example, the main office of Aequitas caters to human patients, but it sends its hospitalliers throughout the city to offer charitable aid and to learn more that could benefit the order's mission to bring balance to Glaive.

Calibrator

Those who select, train, and handle the powerful agents of Aequitas are known as Calibrators. Among the most difficult positions within the organization, the role of Calibrator encompasses parent, schoolmaster, trainer, and scourge. Because of the intensity of training, most Calibrators are responsible for only 2 -5 Equalizers at any given time. Their agents are strictly compartmentalized, and few Equalizers are ever aware that their Calibrator has any other agents under her or his care. That strict maintenance of confidentiality and isolation of the subject not only ensures secrecy for missions it also creates a powerful bond between handler and agent that is deemed vital for Aequitas' effectiveness. In special cases, Calibrators are assigned a single agent, usually due to the exemplary nature of the agent or the complexity and delicacy of their mission.
Not just anyone can be a Calibrator. Taking on the role requires the ability to be empathetic and intuitive. It also requires an iron discipline and the ability to remain emotionally detached from assets that might need to be disposed of. Calibrators must compartmentalize their knowledge and maintain a constant awareness of their charges as the most powerful tools of a greater good that outweighs individual concerns at every level. It is also worthy of note that Calibrator is the highest rank allowed by Aequitas for anyone of non-human birth.

Equalizers

The legendary agents of Aequitas, most Equalizers are chosen as children and raised within the walls of an Aequitas monastery. Trained to be solitary and to maintain inner balance at all times, Equalizers are dispatched in all types of roles from assassin to bodyguard to spy to sleeper agent. Reported to have almost supernatural powers, Aequitas agents represent the height of training and control along with the uncanny ability to operate in any environment where their services are deemed necessary.
As a monastic order, Aequitas is considered a lifelong commitment. Those who survive and grow old in its service find themselves provided with duties that suit them for as long as they live. Most do not have to concern themselves with such things; they do not survive to worry about their twilight years. One thing, however, holds true. One does not leave Aequitas. Loyalty and service are absolute; those who work for Aequitas work for the Balance, and leaving that behind is unthinkable because it creates imbalance, the thing that is anathema to everything for which the order stands.
Any agent who attempts to leave Aequitas is referred to as the unbalanced, and is eliminated as quickly and efficiently as possible. Few survive long, partly due to the crippling effects of being denied Eucresia and partially because Aequitas prioritizes their elimination before its tracking benefits fade. Without the aid of a sheltering organization or a flight to the outer wastes of Glaive, few agents even consider a life outside their trained position.

Culture

Aequitas is an organization rooted in history and grown in faith.  Its dedication to the ideal of balance, to preventing Glaive from slipping into the madness of chaos or the stagnation of utter stability is absolute. Most of those working within its purview have a deep commitment to those goals. 
But Aequitas is still an organization made up of people. Cabals, conspiracies, and factions abound within the organization, particularly at its higher levels. Defining what "balance" truly means and what actions produce the greatest benefit for Glaive are hardly absolute or simplistic goals. Differences of opinion are not always openly expressed, but that does not imply that they do not exist.  Furthermore, the possibility that the ancient powers of Ice and Fire have begun to chafe at the contract which limits their influence is quite real. All but forgotten in the shadow of the Voice of the One, the dual powers of Glaive are not any more known by the servants of Aequitas than by the general population, but the fact that the very foundations of the organization lie in the curtailing of those forces in the attempt to create balance focuses their attention on its actions. Armed with millennia of direct contact with the people of Glaive, Fire and Ice may well be just waiting for a breach of the contract, no matter how minor, to begin asserting their influence once again.  
Within Aequitas, high ideals are presented and service to a greater good is promoted as the only worthwhile goal of life.  Most of those who spend their days dedicated to the balance believe that, and few actively question the instructions they are given.

Assets

Aequitas most visible assets are its Equalizers. Assassins and spies without peer, Equalizers are trained from childhood, physically and mentally shaped into the perfect instruments to enact the will of Aequitas and maintain its balance. Carefully trained to work as independent agents, Equalizers rarely if ever have contact with one another, and if their training involves contact with others, it is limited to casual, purposeful encounters.
In order to ensure the legendary effectiveness of their agents, and to guarantee their control over them, Aequitas grants every Equalizer the gift of Eucresia, a unique enhancement that heightens their skills to almost supernatural levels.
Rumors also swirl around the Knights of the Burning Blade and the Knights of the Frozen Blade as potential havens for rogue Equalizers in need of Eucresia. Rumors of both organizations claiming to possess drugs of equal potency capable of maintaining Equalizers' heightened skills and preventing withdrawals have circulated, although no one has documented their accuracy.

History

The foundations of the Noble Order of Aequitas are lost in memory. Most likely originating from shamanic tribes desperately seeking to survive the harsh attentions of the Fire and the Ice, aequitas represented an attempt at creating a neutral space for the creatures of Glaive, a balance between the two powers and their war where the margins of survival were wider than a knife's edge. (Further details of the now-forgotten events can be read at History: Origins )
Although the specifics are long forgotten, Aequitas emerged from a pact, a contract between the peoples of Glaive and the government of the First Empire, an organization recognized by both ruling powers, but controlled by neither, a place in which Change and Stability could make their cases and Aequitas would stand as arbiter for the good of a world.
Over time, the need to balance became intertwined with the more immediate concerns of medicine and the balance of the physical body as the manifestation of the physical realm. Aequitas' druids became monks, and the monks became physicians, and the physicians became far more as the spikes of the wheel spun and the balance teetered from one extreme to the next.
With the establishment of the Voice of the One  under Aesir the Runelord, Aequitas shaped itself into service, continuing its monastic order and maintaining its mission. Under the rule of the Empire, Aequitas maintained its focus, carefully keeping its agents and administrators compartmentalized and ensuring that its secrets and services stayed intact by making sure that none of those who served its mission ever left their place or survived to take other service if they did.

Statera Intus, Sine Statera

Show spoiler

(balance within, balance without)

Type

Religious, Monastic Order

Location

ElderForge