Organizations in Northern Ravenguard
This article contains the following sections:
Riszarda's Agents • Indanach • Saulzienne's Allegiant
House Fulgrym • The Graysandine
Ravenguard and the rest of Chirua have their share of organizations. Associations, if you will. Guilds, for those inclined. But I will only be mentioning the ones that are most prominent in Northern Ravenguard, since I'm most familiar with them.
Groups that I will not be discussing in this article are the Grand Order and the Zaergenzeral Cult, as they have their own separate pages that discuss them in detail.
Riszarda's Agents
A carthraven agent, employed by Scyajun Riszarda.
The Agents are named after the current Hakimajra, being Riszarda at the time of writing. They are a distinctly uniformed elite security detail for the highest government officials first, and the top enforcers of local law enforcement second. The agents do not often make public appearances outside of pursuing the most wanted of lawbreakers, and as such their presence may intimidate us simple commoners. Agents are always sent out to complete their tasks in pairs, unless a particular mission requires more of them.
To become an agent, one must be approached by an active agent or the Hakimajra themselves, sought for extraordinary ability—or possibly, being a heritor of Saulzienne's Will. Once given the opportunity and having agreed to join the force, the potential agent is sent to the Hakimajra's station in Distroia for necessary training. After training is completed, the new agent is given official business alongside senior agents out nearly anywhere in Chirua, from simple night watch, to escorting important people, to shutting down violent criminal gangs by any means necessary.
All agents are expected to serve for a minimum of five years before returning to their previous life, unless discharged for specific reasons. Once retired, an agent is allowed to keep their uniform, with the condition that they noticeably alter its appearance to prevent mistaking the retired agent for an active one. Even former agents are held to the impersonation law.
They do not get discounts for anything.
Indanach
The common emblem for Indanach properties.
The name that strikes fear in parasites everywhere. Evolving from the collaborative efforts of vigilantes, Indanach is an organization dedicated to protecting Ravenguard from creatures that mean nothing but harm. Because the problem is so prevalent, the organization has garnered a great amount of authority to carry out the missions it believes are necessary to reduce the population of parasites.
The advertisements and public service announcements paid for by Indanach has increased awareness of all forms of parasites in Chirua. It also increased province-wide fears, causing citizens to request a stronger presence of the organization's members in their neighborhoods. Permanent outposts have been built in "troublesome" areas of Northern Ravenguard, including Smokeriver, Threshhold, Shirazura, Blacksander, and Iykregul's Den. While these areas are nowhere near cleared of threats, the presence of Indanach outposts make it easier to submit reports and ask members to check suspicious areas.
The directorate offers monetary rewards for reports that aid members of Indanach with eliminating any number of parasites. There is no limit to the amount of times one person can send in reports and be paid for it, as long as they were helpful. Offering iriyl is truly a powerful tool, as there have been blackrivers, vampires, and hawkvandals that have reported others of their own kind to obtain it. It comes back to bite them eventually.
Indanach has undoubtedly been mostly beneficial to Chirua, but may benefit itself from easing on its policy of searching for and killing every hawkvandal it encounters, as the actions it has taken for that goal has put the organization in the most hot water. Members have been caught testing the DNA of humans and carthravens that entered their outposts, something that the affected Ichauri-irin did not agree to. At least one outpost had imprisoned a vampire, repeatedly starving it into rabidity to take advantage of its ability to discern the blood of different species. Nobody cares about vampires, but it was still viewed as a cruel fate to put it through for so long. Indanach has also been lambasted for wiping out hawkvandals known to have not harmed anyone. "They didn't harm anyone yet," they'd say in their defense.
Saulzienne's Allegiant
A Mister Wolf's location, allegedly owned by the Allegiant.
A street gang that has overtaken parts of Northern Ravenguard, Saulzienne's Allegiant is the largest criminal organization in the north, the most concentrated of its influence in Smokeriver and Mirgrysn. It is currently led by Sal-eunhan an-Arranval, a fishmonger unafraid to personally engage in business to see it handled properly. Of all criminals tied to a gang that end up on the news, most of them are part of Saulzienne's Allegiant.
The gang does not gain respect from the Grand Order, being named after the alleged source of the world's evil. While the name may imply worship of Saulzienne, it's not the case; rather, it is but a media-propagated reference to the willingness to commit morally depraved acts for selfish gain that the members have embraced. The Allegiant not only won't be kind to the law-abiding citizens they take resources from, but they will also be intentionally crueler to those belonging to rivals Graysandine and House Fulgrym.
While Saulzienne's Allegiant does have vampires within its ranks, it is not required to be one, unlike the other two prominent criminal organizations. Despite having a larger membership, the Allegiant struggle against the Graysandine and the Fulgrymites, as most members do not have the "privilege" of vampiric ability. To prevent being overpowered by the vampires, many Allegiant rely on technology such as mechanically assisted armor, and stockpile resources and weapons known to be effective against vampires. The gang's members are said to "own" armech sale-and-repair shops in Smokeriver and Zaergenzeral, explaining the number of armech sets in their possession.
House Fulgrym
Fulgrym Sales, retail chain strongly associated with the Fulgrymites.
House Fulgrym is an old vampire clan bonded together by the blood of the silver-metal worm shared with that of their leader, Lord Wrgal Fulgrym. As all members have silver-metal worms that are genetically identical, being that they came from Fulgrym himself, they all have the same abilities and weaknesses as he does.
House Fulgrym's connections within the underworld grants members access to goods, services, funds, and allies that other vampires and the law-abiding do not. While it is a powerful group, it has far fewer members compared to rival criminal organizations Saulzienne's Allegiant and the Graysandine, mostly because of Fulgrym's finicky attitude regarding who he will bestow his silver-metal blood to. The hierarchy within the clan consists of ultimate-authority Lord Fulgrym at the top, followed by a small circle of his most trusted of the Fulgrymites, and the rest of the members and non-vampire associates below.
Those belonging to the faction have utmost respect for Fulgrym, obeying his orders and helping him achieve his goals; some of them go so far as to worship him. Dedicated Fulgrymites will show respect to fellow members as they do Fulgrym, since he does not tolerate an ounce of disrespect toward his silver-metal blood. Suppressing all beast traits and following dress code are considered forms of respect that Fulgrym prioritizes, as he believes all Fulgrymites represent him as they work across Northern Ravenguard. By avoiding acts that fall under Fulgrym's definition of "disrespect," Fulgrymites will gain his favor and have power over others as Fulgrym is a creature feared by many.
Fulgrymites are not fond of anyone outside their clan, but find Graysandine vampires particularly loathsome and refuse to work or broker peace agreements with them. The differing ideals of both organizations and their goal of total control over Ravenguard make an alliance between them impossible, leading to violent altercations in the streets and operations intended only to sabotage each other.
Unlike the Graysandine and other vampire groups, all Fulgrymites (including Fulgrym) have identical abilities.
Immediate Acquisition of Ability
All Fulgrymite abilities will fully manifest within a very short period of time, compared to the months or even years that it takes for other vampires.
Stronger Blood Discernment
Most vampires are able to distinguish the blood of different species and individuals if they compare the differences enough times, but Fulgrymites are able to remember the source of a blood sample from the first encounter, and detect finer details that outsiders cannot without laboratory analysis.
Complete Suppression of Silver-metal Reproduction
The way a silver-metal worm reproduces once it is bonded to a host is unpleasant, to say the least, but Fulgrymites are spared this miserable experience entirely. This is also to Fulgrym's benefit, as he alone is allowed to create new Fulgrymites.
Resistance to Pine
While no vampire can be completely immune to its effects, Fulgrymites have much higher resistance to pine trees and their derived products, making turpentine one of the few items that are useful in encounters against them. As mentioned elsewhere, this is indeed possible for all other vampires, but Fulgrymites do not have to build up their resistance over many years; they already have it once their parasite bonds to them.
Silver-metal Lineage Distinction
Along with distinguishing between vampires, Fulgrymites can recognize different silver-metal bloodlines as well, without needing to draw and analyze blood samples directly from the worms themselves. This allows them to confidently tell whether an unfamiliar vampire belongs to House Fulgrym from a brief in-person meeting. This is an ability that is natural for all silver-metal worms to prevent inbreeding, but it isn't inherited by hosts outside of this clan.
Bestial Trait Suppression
In nearly all other vampires, the silver-metal worm has some influence over its host's appearance and pushes changes that it believes will help with its survival, many of which can be undesirable for the host as it makes their vampirism obvious to everyone else. Fulgrymites do not concern themselves with this, for they retain total control over their appearance from the start and can make it nearly impossible for others to know they are vampires at all based on appearance alone. This is possible for non-Fulgrymite vampires as well, but it's an ability that can take years to acquire as silver-metal worms are so persistent.
Strength Limit
House Fulgrym curiously has a lack of physically strong members, with most of them opting to forgo melee weapons of any sort in altercations with their enemies, and requiring armech assistance in situations that a creature in good shape can handle on their own. It's likely that Fulgrym's silver-metal worm did not alter his bones and muscles in a beneficial way, and his followers therefore share the same weakness.
Illness Susceptibility
Like most creatures, silver-metal worms are susceptible to illness, but through adaptation can become immune to them. As the Fulgrymites don't have any diversity whatsoever in their parasites, they can succumb to disease that other vampires don't even know they've been exposed to. The fact that Fulgrymites still exist despite this implies they have found ways to mitigate this weakness, and so can't be reliably used to get rid of them permanently.
The blood distributed among the Fulgrymites is one of the oldest silver-metal bloodlines in Chirua, still in existence due to Fulgrym's unwillingness to allow silver-metal breeding within his clan. Without any new genetically different generations of silver-metal offspring, Fulgrymites retain the strong abilities that have since been weakened or absent in other vampires. Believing what they possess to be true, undiluted silver-metal blood, Fulgrymites therefore view all other vampires as inferior, never speaking to or about them in a respectful manner.
Fulgrym Sales, a major chain of retail stores in Northern Ravenguard, is believed to have been founded and maintained by the Fulgrymites. Allegedly, the inconspicuous appearances of the members allow them to frequently gather at the properties without attracting unwanted attention. However, there is a location in Ravenguard called Fulgrym in which this retail chain actually originated; people wish to believe a more interesting story. In addition to Fulgrym Sales, House Fulgrym is also claimed to own and operate Steelwork Correctional Center, a prison located in Steelwork, Eastern Ravenguard. Big if true.
Wrgal Fulgrym himself is said to be a very strange-looking being, completely unlike anything else on Chirua. An unmistakably unnatural appearance requires someone else to act ostensibly as Fulgrym in situations which he would be required to attend, contributing to the lack of confirmation about what he looks like. There's an idea floating around that because Fulgrym allegedly has a bizarre appearance, strange behavior, and has a hatred for vampires with bestial traits; he must have had somehow recovered from being vehement. There have been no documented cases of such a thing happening, but we don't know what exactly is possible in this world.
According to statements made by those who have worked with Fulgrymites, Fulgrym has a peculiar obsession with making his lackeys wear specific outfits—he tailors unique vestments for each member and requires that they wear it at all times. Infractions related to their attire are said to be punished harshly; Indanach did say that many vehement in Northern Ravenguard were likely to have been made by the Fulgrymites.
The Graysandine
A detained member of the Graysandine.
The Graysandine are members of an underworld cabal of vampires that rivals House Fulgrym and Saulzienne's Allegiant for control over Northern Ravenguard. Unlike Fulgrymite vampires, the Graysandine are not connected by identical silver-metal blood, but rather on similar goals and beliefs. The organization is currently led by Nasaiir Imarga, a carthraven of unknown age. The number of Graysandine vampires is greater than that of House Fulgrym, as Nasaiir is a lot less picky when it comes to who can work with him.
Graysandine vampires have no unique abilities, but Nasaiir finds them to be unnecessary as he believes Fulgrym's obsession with all his faction members having the same silver-metal blood is something that can be exploited. The lack of genetic diversity and mutations other vampires have acquired through the years may have weakened the Fulgrymites, and he will find a way to take advantage of that.
Lord
The Graysandine lord is the ultimate authority and dictates the actions of his cabal, getting a cut from every profitable operation his subordinates involve themselves in. He is also the sole possessor of the power to allow new members to join, promote and demote existing members, and sanction their killing. Lower-ranking members rarely receive orders directly from the lord, rather the orders are first passed to captains, who then relay them to the appropriate people.
As mentioned previously, the current lord is Nasaiir Imarga, having come into power after his predecessor had been slain by loyal captains after his betrayal for Indanach's favor. Despite being identified, Nasaiir has yet to be captured, likely owing to infiltration of law enforcement by fellow criminals.
Captains
Each captain holds sovereignty over a given section of Graysandine territory, and all specialists within these territories will report to the captain. In addition to handling most day-to-day business, they will also advise the lord regarding the state of the organization and future operations. The lord's favorite among the captains is second in command, and will be first to replace him should anything unfortunate happen.
Specialists
Overseeing their own small commission of enforcers and watchdogs, specialists focus on a particular activity and execute all missions of the sort within their captain's territory. Examples of specialist activities include illegal sports, smuggling, fencing, cybercrime, drug trade, weapons manufacturing, theft, contract killing, Ichauri-irin trafficking, and multiple forms of fraud. Specialists will always follow orders from their captain, and completing tasks from other specialists is voluntary.
Enforcers
The enforcers' main duty is to keep watchdogs in line so that their assigned specialists' tasks are completed, but still carry out menial work nearly as often since they are the second-lowest in rank. Promotion from watchdog is proof of worth to their superiors, allowing enforcers to carry more valuable gear and be punished less severely for their mistakes. They can also send an equally capable watchdog in their place for missions that an enforcer does not want to get involved in.
Watchdogs
The lowest-ranking and most numerous, watchdogs do the majority of the dirty work and are obliged to obey every order they're given. They are named as such due to their common duty of scouting and warning their superiors of nearby law enforcement or rival gang activity. All new members start out as watchdogs, and their usefulness determines their next position once they are promoted, if they don't die beforehand. In exchange for their loyalty, watchdogs can take advantage of most resources and connections that the clan has access to, and can rely on other Graysandine to protect them from rivals.
Collaborators
The Graysandine have collaborators that are not part of the organization but still work for them in some capacity, either for mutual benefit or as an attempt to shield themselves or their businesses from the gang. Many watchdogs began as collaborators before becoming a true part of the clan.
Thralls
The lowest of the low, thralls are subjugated Ichauri-irin forced to serve their Graysandine masters as a reliable source of blood, a criminal lackey, or both. Unlike watchdogs, they have no freedom and are the most expendable, being at the mercy of the one who has control over them. While some people are abducted with the explicit intent of enslavement, others have become captive through accumulating a "debt" that cannot be paid off with iriyl alone.
The concept is not unique to the Graysandine, but only in this organization has the lord imposed restrictions on the number of thralls for those below him: each captain and specialist can control only one thrall at any time, while enforcers and watchdogs cannot make use of them.
Prospective members will often agree to become collaborators after being tempted by material goods, or an existing Graysandine may try to convince vulnerable Ichauri-irin into becoming watchdogs using the promise of protection. In nearly all cases, Graysandine of enforcer rank or higher will recommend potential new members to the lord for true membership.
Should the lord allow the induction, an initiate must take an oath of loyalty and prove that they will obey their superiors, often being tested with an order to commit a serious crime. After completing any tests, the initiate will be given a silver-metal worm and turned into a vampire if they aren't one already, becoming part of the Graysandine. Once an individual is sworn in, they must serve the organization for life, and refuse cooperation with law enforcement and Indanach.
One type of specialist within the Graysandine focuses on selective breeding of silver-metal worms, attempting to create different variants that have desired strengths and less-impactful weaknesses. The silver-metal variants available to new members allow them to have somewhat of a choice in passive vampiric ability, which isn't possible in House Fulgrym. They've also tried to breed out the pine allergy, but have yet to make any meaningful adjustment in that regard.
Like the Fulgrymites and the Allegiant, the Graysandine have access to plentiful resources and contacts that those outside of the faction would not have otherwise. Rumor has it that multiple gas stations across Northern Ravenguard are operated by members of the Graysandine, taking advantage of the isolated locations some of them occupy to recruit potential members without risk of being caught by authorities. And money laundering.
To anyone not affiliated with either of them, the Graysandine and the Fulgrymites are both criminal gangs made up entirely of vampires that want to attain power, and may as well be a single large organization to the citizens of Northern Ravenguard subjected to their terrorism. While the two have the same desires, they will fight for them in their own ways, and have enough differences in how they operate to prevent them from ever forming alliances.