Order of Illumination

Ancient even when the Empire was young, the Order of Illumination has stood for good since time immemorial.

So secret is the order that its origin is lost to history. The spotty lore kept by the masters holds that Pelor himself founded the order before his deification at the end of the Age of Mysteries, and that, in fact, it was the principles of the order that guided the rebellion against the dragons. This may or may not be true, but it is certain that an organization like the Order of Illumination could not possibly have remained secret for so many centuries without the direct intervention of a god.

The order is little more than a loose collection of rogues, ninjas, spies, clerics, and mages, each of them devoted to the preservation of order, and the unflinching defense of good. Wherever there is a concentration of power or money, it is certain that the Order of Illumination is active, working behind the scenes to ensure that the corruption power and wealth can bring is held in check. Likewise, one may often encounter initiates of the order out in the world, actively hunting down and slaying the most evil of creatures – though of course, no initiate of the order ever admits to an outsider that it even exists.

Communication between members, or large gatherings of initiates, is rare. New members are recruited by a single mentor, who passes his secrets down to his recruits and guides them through the mysteries of the order. Often, recruits brought into the order by the same master will join to form a loose cell, coordinating activities within a city or kingdom.

Members are not intentionally kept secret from one another. Rather, the order tends to recruit secretive individuals who also happen to share a fairly stark view of good and evil. In the eyes of an order initiate there are no grey areas between the corrupt and the pure. To members of the Order of Illumination, neutral is just another word for coward.

Membership in the order is a lifetime commitment. Failing to uphold the principles of the order – or worse, falling victim to corruption of any kind – is punished swiftly and without mercy.

It is known that the order was heavily active in the Empire before and during the Scourge, to the point that during the Golden Age leading up to the destruction of Aksum the order and the Hand were nearly one and the same. Unfortunately, the purge of the Hand by devotees of the Worm that Walks saw the end of order influence in the Empire, and the death of dozens of order initiates and masters.

Now, many of the high-level advisors to the Emperor are aging masters of the order, giving rise to hope that the reborn Empire will once again be a force for good in the world.