Khabbi, The Secret Keep

[Mordecai Fury 18]

You awake after a strange dream, and can only seem to remember a small part of it.

Mordecai squinted and looked out over the frozen land before him. The cold wind brought tears to his eyes. Snow danced down to settle in his beard and hair, and then melted away. He put on his helm to try and conserve all of the body heat he could. He pulled his cloak tighter about his shoulders and continued trudging through the snow.

He looked for familiar signs as he walked; a broken branch here and there, all seeming to point in the same direction. He followed their hidden instructions. He listened to the howling of wolves in the still twilight. He was in the wilds, and he loved it. He thrived on the risk and the even greater rewards.

As he came to the top of a hill the keep came into sight. It stood strong against the wind and snow, drifts piling against its walls to a height of six feet. He trudged through the farm land that lay fallow in the winter. Approaching the gate, he called out into the night.

“Open the gate!” His call was answered by the scraping of metal against stone as the portcullis was raised. Hardened men with swords and axes stepped up to meet him. He could hear the whisper of bow strings being drawn taut.

“Oi, who might you be?” One of the men inquired. In the wilds, suspicion was rewarded with a long life. Mordecai removed his helm, and the man nodded to him then turned to shout over his shoulder.

“It’s Lord Mordecai, returned from his journey.” Mordecai stepped through the gate and into the keep. A roaring fire near the gate heated his side as he passed it. All of the men nodded as a sign of respect. Not one of them bowed. In Khabbi, no man bowed to another.

Mordecai passed the busy tavern on his way to the under city. Passing more guards he stepped into the tunnel that led to the deeps. He descended the stairs quickly, the air growing warm around him. He removed his fur cloak lest the heat grow stifling.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was greeted by an old friend. “Ahh Mordecai, good to see you made it back before dark,” Zazzerok said, clapping him on the back with a large hand.

“Aye, the wilds are a dangerous place at night… A man can get very thirsty after a full night with no ale.” Zazzerok laughed at his friends joke and they fell into step next to each other, walking towards the next gate. “The mines are coming along nicely. We are very lucky to have found this place.” Mordecai scoffed and replied, “Wasn’t no luck to it. You worked yer ass off searching and it paid off.”

Zazzerok simply nodded and continued, “Regardless. The rifts and tunnels lead farther than we may have thought.” As if to demonstrate his point, he led Mordecai out of a tunnel onto a balcony. Gesturing towards the rift before them, he continued. “We will need more men Mordecai; Miners and excavators. There is enough ore here to make us all very rich men.”

Mordecai stared in awe at the rift before him. It stretched as far as the eye could see, all alight with torches. He could see narrow ledges hewn into the stone, circling the rift all the way to the base. Zazzerok took his silence as an invitation to continue. “The ancient tunnels leading out from this rift connect to another giant rift that seems to be under the ocean. It has portions that are full of water. After that the network of tunnels crisscrosses’ the underground for miles in three directions. Currently, We do not have enough soldiers to guard all of the tunnels to the deep. We have almost an endless supply of dark creatures rising from the depths.”

Mordecai recovered and spoke. “We are at war with nature herself. On the surface her touch is cold. In the warm underdark, her children are dangerous.” Mordecai sighed with the enormity of the task they faced. “Your right Zazz, as always. We need more men.”

Thinking nothing of the dream, you are surprised when you see a note posted on a board at the cloud temple.

Men of all skills needed for the secret keep. We fight the darkness to the deepest depths. We fight to survive against the harsh wilds. We need men who aren't afraid to gamble their lives on a dream. Our collective dream is freedom.

Come hone your skills with us in the wilds. Ale, battle, ore and tales of glory by a roaring hearth. Best of all, no emperor, no kings, no squabbles over lands and titles.

Send a bird, we will find you

Mordecai Fury

A shiver runs down your spine as you read the name. Could this be fate?

The Secret keep is a haven for any non-criminal who has fallen out of favor with the Emperor, a king, or any other ruling authority. They seek to replace the current Emperor with a ruling council of lords. Currently they hide in the wilds and gather strength to achieve this goal.

Guild leadership: The guild is run democratically. "Lords" are ellected by the members, and then sit on a ruling council. This council judges crimes and sets policy for the guild members. When possible, decisions are put to a vote.

Guild location: They are out there. You will not find them. They will find you.

Guild purpose: To promote equality amongst all races, and to dispose the Emperor of the Holy Oren Empire. They currently gather strength of arms in an undisclosed location. The Secret Keep will be a bastion of defense against the evils created by the Emperor and his lords. All men with power who are supposed to protect, but instead squabble over titles and land while their people suffer around them.

Guild needs: The Secret Keep needs people of all skills and specialties. It takes food, ore and ale to keep an army happy and relevent.

Guild lore: The Secret Keep was begun recently by disgraced HighTower Bannermen. They watched as the city of Solace burned in the wake of an attack by The FlameBringer. In the aftermath of the attack, the Emperor arrived. A soldier, flushed with victory, address the Emperor as a friend, and was punished and disgraced. Hate grew in the hearts of the witnesses, and they began to plot and seek others who had no love for the Emperor. Gathering there things, they set out into the wilds in search of a new home. There they bide their time, waiting for the day when they will return to the Holy Oren Empire and bring the ruling class to their knees. No more will people bow to kings. Rather, all men will greet each other as equals.

Other Info: The Secret Keep is not an evil faction. Rather they are just malcontents who want to seek their own way in the world without having to rely on the graces of a lord. They seek the equality of all men, and that a mans labor will reap him rewards. Every man's hard work belongs to him alone, and it is his choice to share it with his fellows. If a man wants to mine, then let him mine. If a man wants to hunt, then let him hunt. All men contribute equally to The People, whether they seek resources, or choose to administrate how those resources are used. There are no born kings, only those chosen to lead for their merits.

Not all members will be required to fight when the time comes. Many members will just be present to provide infrastructure for the army. All swords are welcome, but so are all hammers, picks, and axes.

((Probably never going to war with the empire, just in place for RP))

[Boomack21 124]

This current Guild has been deemed inactive and has hereby been moved.

If you wish to appeal this decision you must present evidence to myself proving the guild is still active.