The Cabal of the Black

"Follow the Black and forget the Gold, defend the Black and defy the Gold, perform the Black and punish the Gold."

— The Book of the Black

The Cabal of the Black, known otherwise as the Brotherhood of the Black, the Blackblades, the Onxymen or the Servants of the Black, are a group of agents whose purpose is to protect and ensure the prosperity of Thripia at any cost. Formed by the Dynasty King Xartses, they are an organisation exempt from the rule of the monarchy and, as seen during the People's Uprising, even helped overthrow them in order to instate the Wise Council. They follow a fierce philosophy of abstinence from the greater world as a way to prevent corruption. They associate themselves with the scorpion as a symbol.

Organisation

While the Cabal largely exists based on the autonomy of its members, and relies less on a hierarchy with a single position of command than traditional organisations, it still has a chief figurehead. This individual is known as the Shadowed. The identity of the Shadowed is a complete secret, even to the highest ranking members of the Cabal. They are not elected. Rather, the current Shadowed is rumored to choose their replacement from among inductees to the organisation, particularly those of exemplary skills and personal qualities, to groom them for the role. The Shadowed gives out orders with complete discretion. Missives received from the Shadowed are not direct commands, however. They are edicts which instruct the Cabal as to what issues they must address and how they should address them. The Shadowed will only give out specific orders in situations which demand their involvement.
Beyond that, the Cabal is commanded by a triad; the Blade of the Black, the Shadow Prophet and Eye of the Black. Each is as important as the other and lead a division of the Cabal with certain specialties.
Of the three, only two are directly active in the work of the Cabal. They are the Blade of the Black and the Eye of the Black. The Blade of the Black leads the Onyxmen; trained warriors, assassins and infiltrators who serve as the agents of the Cabal and carry out tasks. They are conditioned to be vehemently loyal to the Blade of the Black and obey their instructions with clear and methodical prowess, though it is expected that they act independently as necessary in the field. It is also the Blade of the Black's role to keep track of the Onxymen and their operations, as well as to discipline them should they stray from the Cabal's strict tenets. Additionally, and more importantly, the Blade of the Black deems what missions need to be assigned and to whom with counsel from the Shadowed and the rest of the triad.
The Eye of the Black has a more complex role. It is the Eye's job to maintain the Cabal's thorough network of spies, known as the Watchers. They have a division of his own Onyxmen who specialize in spywork. Some may even abandon their nameless guises and live under cover with fabricated identities in order to gain information. Such infiltrators can assume identities for decades in order to achieve their goals. Moreover, the Eye of the Black must ensure that their informants, paid for their services and often not members of the organisation, do not see more than they need to and remain loyal. This means that the Eye of the Black must be particularly diplomatic either in threatening those who do not comply or bribing them. The Eye provides information to the Blade of the Black for the Cabal's missions and ensures that they get the resources they need. In this manner, the Eye acts as the backbone of the Cabal. If their information is found to be compromised or falsified, they are immediately removed from their position. Thus, the precedent for knowledge is extremely high.
The Shadow Prophet is the least active of the three. The Prophet leads the Shadow Seers; a sect of Cabal members trained in the Oracular Arts who operate exclusively within the Hidden Tower and are the only exemption within the organisation to the rule which forbids ichor usage. They collect useful visions of the future as well as study ichor and its properties in addition to other elements and materials in order to discern their potential uses. They are experts at producing various elixirs for the use of the Onyxmen. The miraculous potions produced by the Shadow Seers can grant a wide variety of unique benefits such as the curing of diseases, increased vitality and immunity to toxins. They are, however, best known for the poisons they create which have numerous uses, especially for the grim tasks of the Onyxmen. The Shadow Prophet coordinates their efforts and their research. The Shadow Seers themselves are far more hierarchical than the other two sects of the Cabal, and the Shadow Prophet is almost always the eldest and wisest among them.
The final important position among the Cabal, an accessory of the triad, is the Black Hand. The occupier of this role acts as a representative of the Cabal on the Wise Council where he advises the Merchant Lords on whether or not their actions are acceptable and in line with their Obligation to the People. He reports to the triad on all decisions made and must closely monitor the political situation to be exploited where necessary. Ultimately, however, it is up to the triad to enforce punitive measures where necessary. The position has a history of corruption and is thus prone to mishap.
There is, within the Cabal, a final sect. Known as the Ghosts of the Black, these elite and specially trained Onyxmen are given a crucial charge; to kill anyone, within the Cabal or otherwise, who may jeopardize their secrecy. Targets include members who attempt to leave the organisation, rogue or traitorous informants and corrupt individuals within the Cabal. They are rumored to make use of the Hidden Knowledge for shadowy magic. Their numbers are few, but they never fail under any circumstances and are greatly feared. They answer only to the Shadowed himself.

Agenda

The Cabal's goal is simple, and ordained from the moment of it's creation; protect the city of Thripia and ensure its prosperity. To this end, they will do whatever is deemed necessary. Throughout history, they have influenced the tide of fate by protecting Thripia against its enemies, destroying them utterly including, if need be, individuals within the city itself. The Dynasty King Xartses who founded the Cabal was known for his zealously unwavering dedication to justice and the prosperity of Thripia, even above his own lineage. Thus, he instructed the Cabal to kill him, and any Dynasty King to come, should they ever loose sight of what mattered most. The Cabal eventually aided the Wise Council and the guilds in destroying the monarchy altogether and are responsible for the deaths of at least two Dynasty Kings.

Philosophy

Aside from their secretive conduct and vicious dedication to their mission, the Cabal is most infamous for their strict tenets and unwavering philosophy known as the Black, outlined in an ancient tome known as the Book of the Black. A code of conduct, for which the dogma of the Deathguard served as a template and inspiration, the Black forbids the members of the Cabal in engaging in material greed. It is their belief that greed, in the forms of lust, avarice, gluttony or ambition, corrupt the morality and integrity of men as well as their ability to adhere to justice and truth. This corruption is known to them as the Gold. The Black stands in opposition of the Gold and decrees that it must be destroyed at all opportunities lest the city suffer for it.
They teach that control is key to maintaining morality whereas, in contrast, indulgence is the way of greed and corruption. Thus, members of the Cabal are forbidden from owning material, impractical things. They are denied luxury and irrational comforts as well as money; the Cabal provides everything they need for their chosen lifestyle. They may not drink ichor, for it indulges man's sense of desire for the future and encourages only obsessive ambition. Additionally, they are forbidden from spiritual vices and thus do not worship the sun god Sargos, though they do not necessarily deny the existence of the divine. Members of the Cabal, however, are not celibate. Nevertheless, relationships, especially for the sake of pleasure, are discouraged as they are potentially dangerous. Moreover, the Cabal does not allow women among the ranks of the Onxymen. As is dictated by Thripian culture, women are seen as too bound by emotions for such important work. However, there are still many female Watchers and Shadow Seers.
The Cabal views the rest of Thripia as being corrupt and tainted by the Gold. Thus, members of the Cabal are allowed little to no interaction with anyone outside of the organisation. It is especially forbidden to reveal that they are members of the Cabal, as the group maintains absolute secrecy, although most members of the public are aware, in some manner, of their existence. The above tenets are especially true for the Onyxmen who are expected to have no life other than their work.
Importantly, the Cabal recognizes that most are incapable of understanding or accepting their philosophy and thus they do not attempt to impart their understanding to outsiders. Rarely ever does the Cabal take in new members. Rather, agents of the Cabal are raised to adhere to the Black and carry out orders from infancy. Most are bastards or unwanted children who would otherwise die on the streets.

Type

Secret, Brotherhood

Alternative Names

Brotherhood of the Black, the Blackblades, the Onyxmen, the Servants of the Black