Scara Scourge
Brief History: The Scourge is an enigma within Scara Brae. People know it exists, but do not know how it came to be. Centuries ago, white hands painted on doorways turned red, and finally, into the current symbol the Scourge use today and it simply came to pass that the criminal organisation operated within the city and without question.
The current Master has taken the organisation to new levels of efficiency and discipline, replacing vigilante thieves, murderers and assassins with scurrilously (but dubiously) moral agents of the Hand, who operate under order and are never failing in their approach to their tasks. They are now officiated assassins, stealing and killing only what they are paid to take; nothing left in their wake except a parchment and symbol, and perhaps a smattering of blood.
Truth be told, the Scourge rose out of the ashes of the devastation left in the wake of the war against the Innari and the Sorcerer Cordeaux, militant looters and black market traders hoping to take advantage of the economic and political, and ultimately spiritual lull in the people of the island when it was at its weakest. Within a century, the lose knitted gangs came together under a single banner and aim – to cause chaos and to tear out the feeble heart of the city guard as it tried to restore order and rebuild the city free of taint, corruption and the seeds of evil magic had implanted in the heart of the island.
When the hierarchy system that still exists today came to pass, the first Master, Seneschal Tyrone was ‘elected’, the Scourge had already infiltrated and taken seats on the council, the royal house and several positions of power and influence in the Guilds-man Circle. The only long standing place it has never been able to touch is its long-standing rivals, the City Guard, and the Thieves’ Guild. It is no secret to the citizens of Scara Brae that the Scourge and the Thieves’’ Guild are at war, constantly vying to destroy one another to take monopoly over the underhand dealings on the island once and for all.
In recent years, with the establishment of concrete bases and the rise of a moral code of operations, the Scourge has taken on a sense of spurious glamour. Whilst people do not trust the Scourge and its agents, any more than they would a dagger in the back, they no longer fear their reach for only those who have done wrong should run from shadows and flinch at sounds in the night. In a strange twist of fate, many look to the Scourge as a silent, unofficial policing force, criminals run weary of reprisal, and nobles sleep soundly at night for if they are assassinated without the mark of the Scourge, it shall be the Red and White Hand that comes flitting through the night to stave off their murderer’s advances.
Places of Interest: There are many hiding places used by the Scourge across the city, named House Havens or Bolt Holes. There are three of notable interests, which is the main bases and armoury of the Scourge. One is said to be hidden in the Numarr Slums, beneath a tavern, the other beneath a fountain figurehead in Market Square, and the third is only accessible from the Master’s Office itself, as it contains the vast repository of artefacts, both powerful and ancient, and the chronicles of the Scourge in a vast library. It is said, in legend, that the bodies of the previous Masters lie eerily in the flesh on a long row of tombs, their pale faces illuminated by ancient, ever burning candles in a vigil to darker days. The Scourge have one openly known place amongst the citizens, where messages can be left for assignments to be submitted; there is a large Oak tree, as old as the city itself standing in Martin Province to which there are a thousand pieces of paper pinned or glued or held in place with minor cantrip. Anything left here will come to pass if deemed worthy of note or moral judgement by the unseen agents who maintain a careful watch over the ‘Message Tree.’
People of Interest: Only two faces have names in the Scourge. The Master and whoever serves as his Hound.
• The Master: An old war veteran who came to power following the previous Master’s Death at the hands of a Thieves’ Guild attempt on his life. Whilst the dagger did not strike deep enough, the poison on its tip sufficed to claim his soul in three days of agony, ended at last with the current Master’s own blade to the gullet. He is an officious and logistic, cold calculated man who has brought the Scourge back from the grave to be almost business like in Scara Brae. He has seen the shifting sands of time and opportunity and remodelled his empire to suit its new world. His name, some say, is Cardoon; others know him only as the Hammer, the Master, or the Artificer. He is almost undeniably the greatest swordsmen and assassin in the Scourge at present, but he never puts himself in harm’s way, choosing instead to remain in the gold lined fortress of his office, commanding his agents to do the bidding of the people with chalked hands and a pallid expression shining out from behind his scars and moustache – if indeed the description given in whisper is his to own at all.
• The Hound: The Hound of the Scourge is invariably the most trusted agent of them all. Whoever the Master choses as his protégée will ultimately succeed his power should he be killed, or heaven forbid die of natural causes. At present, the ‘Silent Swordsman’ is the chosen, a powerful and raucous individual who is known and feared across the city – his appearance portents doom and death for whoever sees him and his blade ends contract and friendship with precision and silent death. Only those in the Thieves’ Guild know his true name, or his true identity – something they perpetually try and change to ruin his chances of becoming the next leader. The Hound must never fail his assignments, and if he does, he shall fall from grace to return to the ranks of agents and obscurity – his bite must be eternal, his loyalty unwavering, just like the roving war hounds on a field of carrion, relentless, savage, feral.
Hierarchy & Operations:The Scourge operates on a three tier hierarchy system. Those at the bottom are called neophytes, and are taken under the tutelage of an agent. The middle tier is the agents themselves, with no distinguishing rank between one over another. The higher tier is the Seneschal, the Master and his hound.
The moral compass of the Scourge has changed greatly, and so they only assassinate those who would receive the death penalty from the Guard, and only steal what is not the current ‘owner’s’ to begin with. Occasionally, the gluttony of the rich is re-distributed to the poor, and it is the agents who find the assignments from the Message Tree, or undo the lawless damage of the Thieves’’ Guild on instinct.
Agents and Neophytes use a variety of methods, and it is these many backgrounds that allow diversification and specialisation within the Scourge. All wear black clothing, except the Hound, who wears little at all, and all leave a red hand on a paper or cut into the skin as a calling card. The only common weaponry used is a single, double-edged dagger with a steel blade and iron pommel, which is used to carve the recesses to paint red or white; and to offer blood to the Master in the Senescent Ball. An agent is demoted to a neophyte if ever he loses his dagger, and becomes an agent when he is given this treasured item from his mentor.
Entrance into the Scourge: Whilst other factions and groups have conventional entry methods, the Scourge do not seek open applications. If you have become a paragon of twisted virtue, a vigilante undermining the royal house and giving back to the people, or simply an officious assassin or bounty hunter, you will get a visit from an agent who will plaster a White Hand on your person or home. It is a universal fact that when this happens, you should seek the Message Tree and be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to join the Scourge as a neophyte. When standing by the tree following your invitation, you must speak the ancient proverb, and pray:
A white hand is life.
A red hand is death.
Scourge shall come to those who do not greet the day with balance.