Summary
What remains of the Black Hand of Bane’s legacy in Sundren must surely reside amongst the Order of Rod and Star, informally known as the Black Cloaks of Sestra. The Rod and Star are a militant organization whose devotees count the expansion of Sestra’s military influence in the valley as chief among their goals. They are soldiers, tacticians and masters of warfare. While other militaries may be larger in number, none can confidently claim that their armies are better-trained than the Sestran hosts and many of it’s prominent members count themselves among the rank of the Rod and Star.
Recognizing that a military cannot be fed or geared without a strong economy, the Black Cloaks reluctantly coexist with the Sable Order. Tension rises where the two orders’ aims conflict; in recent years, the mandate of conscription instituted in Sestra (with full support of the Order) has come under particularly heavy criticism. The current Exarch has yet to make any comments on the matter but the Rod and Star are adamant that the mandate should stand.
Typical Member Traits:
- Usually Fighters, Blackguards, and Clerics of the Dead Three
- Strong sense of duty and pride.
- Comfortable in strict hierarchies
- Typically LE, LN, NE, N
Origin/History
The fanatical elements of the Black Hand may have been driven out by Marshal Hashart Datton after the Declaration of Silent Peace and the waning of Colibrus’ influence in Duskfall, but the worship of Bane and the Dead Three would never die. Datton himself was a devout follower of Bane until the last of his days and his leadership ensured that those faithful to the Lord of Darkness would always have a place of power in Sestra. This Order was begun by members of the Knights of the Black Gauntlet after the death of former Sestran military leader Korvus Tehk. The Order was originally comprised of prominent members of the Banite Clergy, Administration, and Korvus’ Knights as means to consolidate power and influence within the government and Military with coordinated goals. Today they serve as a staunch counterpoint to the city’s ambitious economic exapansions supported by the Sable Order. They believe it is among their duties to ensure the people know that no matter how wealthy a citizen of Sestra could become, they would always know their place.
The Rod and Star’s soldiers were trained by its leaders to become exceptional, supremely disciplined warriors. Draped in their namesake black cloaks, they are widely feared – but more than that, they are generally respected by Sestra’s populace. The order counts many members among the Sestran Guard leadership and the populace see crime answered swiftly and to the letter of the law, without question and without exception. Anyone able to carve out an existence under this new world order knew that they could rely on the law, as cruel as it may sometimes be. And so, even after the mandate of conscription many families in Sestra have taken a cold comfort in knowing that their sacrifice would ensure the city’s safety and stability.
Base(s) of Operations
Sestra
Objectives
The Order of Rod and Star work toward the expansion of Sestra’s military capabilities and influence. It is a poorly-hidden secret that the Black Cloaks have ambitions for the domination of the entire valley under the Sestran banner.
Alas, fending off the Sable Order’s lobbying and denunciation of Sestra’s mandate of conscription has become a primary objective of the Rod and Star alongside their insistence on planning further expansion within the Valley by means of force and martial influence.
Ranks
- Grand Marshal
- Marshal
- Banneret
- Knight of Order
- Knight Obedient
- Armiger
- Adept
- Neophyte
Timeline/Historical Events of Note
- 1385 – 1389 – Duskfall and the Silent Peace. Elements of the leadership take advantage of Marshal Hashart Datton’s actions to excise the more fanatical and tyrannical elements of the Black Hand to garner support.
- 1402 – Hashart Datton, seeing the need for a balance to rising external influence, quietly throws support behind Regus Drach, an aspiring military leader and pupil of the aged and departing Korvus Tehk.
- 1408 – Regus Drach is promoted to General of the Sestran military. He formally establishes the Order of Rod and Star.
- 1409 – The Rod and Star, headed by Drach, help to influence Datton’s institute of Sestra’s Conscription Mandate, much to the chagrin of the Sable Order
- 1413 – Members of the Order of Rod and Star put down a nascent rebellion in Sestra. Hashart Datton rewards the order with cloaks as black as midnight, soon to be adopted as part of the Rod and Star’s formal uniform.
- 1417 – Regus Drach earns the title of Grand Marshal upon winning a series of border skirmishes against nomad barbarians.
- 1428 – The Rod and Star are behind an initiative to strictly regulate – but not ban – necromancy in Sestra.
- 1432 – Wyman Zuul is named Exarch of Sestra in accordance with Sestran Law. He appoints Regus Drach to the Exalted Ministry as Minister of War
Leadership/People of Note
Grand Marshal Regus Drach, Minister of War
Regus Drach has been a man of many faces, always opportune to his needs. As a soldier, he was loyal, efficient, and dutiful. Elevated to a command position at the age of one and twenty, he became charismatic and inspiring. His men followed him into battle willingly, assured that Regus would lead them to victory. Regus proved them right. He has never lost a military conflict. Promoted time and again, there was no question that he would ascend to his current position as Grand Marshal. For a time, there was even some suspicion that he ought to be named the next Exarch. Here, he readily acquired a politician’s demeanor, charming and wooing his allies and opponents alike. With the ascension of Wyman Zuul, however, Regus’ hopes for Sestra’s throne have waned. It remains to be seen what face Regus will don next, and whether his appointment to the Exalted Ministry will satisfy a man whose rise seemed pre-ordained.
Knight of Order Resa de Baudelaire
A scion of House de Baudelaire, Resa is something of a wild card within the Rod and Star. Were it not for her father’s influence, some suspect the young de Baudelaire would have been expelled from the Order long ago. She has earned a small but loyal following within the order, however, and her ambition suggests she will not be content to remain at a mid-tier command position for long.
Knight Obedient Grozdan Mossglow
Twin brother to Dragomir Mossglow of the Sable Order, Grozdan is determined to prove himself to be the superior contestant to inherit his house. He has ascended the ranks of the Rod and Star quickly, but now finds a dangerous opponent in Major Resa de Baudelaire, who seems determined to quash him beneath her boot.
Dispater