The Embers
The Followers of Flame
While most in the world would not follow their greatest deity, Soreithra, rather fearing her, she does have a group of people who would do so. People who would risk the fires of her ambition, who would rather be burnt than neglect their most sacred deity. They are the Embers.To Smolder
This ancient order has never been very large, but they have always been able to attract people to their cause—people who long for the warmth of the flames, who have the great love of Soreithra smoldering within their hearts. Most often, such people will seek out the order, no small task, as their various holds are spread wide and often hidden from the view of the average person. When such an individual has been accepted as a new initiate, they will have to undergo years of training and mentorship in the ways of Soreithra.The Order
The initiation ritual preceding a new member's official acceptance involves a walk through fire and ash. Once the initiate has completed their training and officially ascends to the position of a full member, they will receive Soreithra's brand on their chest, above their heart. The order traditionally wears red, and they have various outfits for different positions within the order. Initiates wear red robes with hoods. Generally, the further up in the order you get, the more orange, yellow, or even accents of blue will be allowed in the outfit. Gold is reserved for the highest-ranking members only. The lowest position, other than an initiate, is spark, the tiniest flickers of heat in the order, ready to grow and become a greater source of heat—the flame. The more senior members, anyone who has been a member for a longer time and has become adept at the ways of the order, can be promoted by another flame. Flames, small but warm, given enough fuel, can grow even more, as they consume knowledge of the world and of the order, allowing them to develop further to the position of cinder. Cinders are the lesser commanders of the order, having achieved a position of leadership but not yet having had the chance to burn bright enough to ascend the ranks further. Given the chance and enough kindling, cinders can grow to great infernos, the higher commanders of the order. Infernos are like the generals of the army, they hold great authority within the realm of fire, but not yet are they the highest authority, which lies with the Vulcans. If the inferno is the general, the Vulcan is the field marshal, their flame has grown such as to resemble the great behemoths of fire and heat—the volcanoes. But they hold great authority within the order, but the final say does not lie with them but their lord, the grandmaster of the order, the Lord of Ashes, for when all flame has scorched the earth, what is left is the life-giving dust of their burned corpses, ash. To Summarize, they start as initiates, then advance to spark, quickly they may advance to flame, and to cinder, then inferno, Vulcan, and only the rare lord of flame will ascend to the single leading position of the order and be named Lord of Ashes.Ascension
It is possible to ascend all the way to the position of Cinder simply by being promoted by your CF (Commanding Fire), although to be promoted to inferno, there is usually first a discussion among the infernos, sometimes even involving Vulcans. But to become a Vulcan, there first needs to be a position available, of which there are traditionally only twenty-four. To become the lord of Ashes, the previous lord of ashes needs to have died, after which the Vulcans will gather and debate. They will vote on who should be the new lord of ashes, usually from among the cinders and infernos, as Vulcan is a lifelong position. If there is a Herald of Flame, this person will usually be sought out to be granted the position of Lord of Ashes since the Heralds are embodiments of the gods, and therefore, any Herald of Flame is considered a sacred individual by the Embers, the perfect person to lead them.Activities
The original purpose of the order was simple: to be a haven for all those who sought to pay their respects to their most divine goddess, Soreithra. With no real purpose other than to seek to band together, a minority in the world, to form a brotherhood of like-minded people. They went in search of Soreithra's artifacts and only found one. They built shrines in her honor, they blessed the smiths, and they would travel the world for the sake of collecting any and all knowledge of their most beloved Velen. But in the recent past, since the Forsaken have once again taken up a more active role in the world, the Embers have taken a whole new duty unto themselves, that of eradicating the influence of the darker gods.Owned Artifacts
The embers have spent many years searching for Soreithra's artifacts, and while they have located multiple, they have only managed to procure one of them for themselves. The blade of fire, Little Sorei. In modern times this blade is granted to their best swordsman, and promised to the Herald of Flame,for whenever they are to be reborn.Location
While the Embers operate in all corners of the world, their headquarters is said to be in the mouth of a volcano in the Caucus Mountains. A distant place in a far corner of the civilized world, covered in mystery and rumour, and not usually visited by those who have not yet received their brand.
Comments