Keepers of the Night

"Dominus Nox"

―The Keeper's motto

Serving as custodians both to lore and the The Sword's Sheath, the Keepers of The Night are a Battle Team within House Gladius.

As though an apparition, the figure stood before you, enshrouded in the robes of a powerful Grand Master. His was a face of mystery.

His robes were very dark, black as the misty darkness that surrounded him. The pristine gold bands scintillated from the faint light of the stars, his eyes glowed with a subtle, patient stare.

He stared as though looking right through your soul. His focus was powerful, his dark influence overwhelming. For the first time, you had at last achieved clarity. It was truly deadly, dark, and deep. It held a special significance as though recalled from a nightmare and now relived here. Familiar, yet so strangely new. The cacophony of your soul laid to rest by the euphonious darkness. All at once, you had succumbed to the awesome labyrinth of the dark side.

It was then that you realized your destiny with the Keepers of the Night.

History

The Wizards of the Crypt were born out of hatred and jealousy. It’s members came together to oppose the powerful Mystics of the Black Arts. The Gladius phyle had dominated the house since it was first created. Each Tetrarch sought only the most active members and shunned the rest. It was those who were shunned that held resentment for the phyle. They banned together and formed the Wizards of the Crypt.

At first the phyle seemed to be something to contend with. They were all highly active and dedicated on dethroning the Mystics. They pushed the image of being a more laid back phyle while still being top notch. This drew many new members while the Mystics stayed shut off from the others. However, their glory was not lived for very long.

With the decline of the house and various leadership changes the Wizards fell into the pit of inactivity. The current Tetrarch tried to fight against this new enemy but in time inactivity took over. Eventually the phyle was closed and all members removed. Most had left Gladius by then in pursuit of personal growth.

The house was soon torn apart when the announcement of the split came upon all ears. Discord came to even the Mystics who had also fell into decline. These were dark times for all in Gladius. Yet out of the ashes came a new light dedicated to bringing back activity and competition to the house. Telona Murrage, who had once shut down the Wizards, now came forth along with two others to reopen the phyle.

Determined to take the Wizards to new heights they set to work with the blessings of the current Quaestor of Gladius. They reformed the phyle and brought new membership into it. The new membership held the same drive and determination that its leaders showed and together they renamed themselves The Keepers of the Night. The once Mystic and the Quaestor who had shut down the phyle now held rein over the group.

The phyle has grown and wained over the years. Many have come to lead it since it was brought back from the ashes. It is used now whenever there is a need for a place for the strong to come together.

Headquarters

The Meeting Room

This room is a giant rectangle within The Sword's Sheath. A large rectangular table of smooth reflective marble sits prominently in the center, surrounded by chairs of soft red leather sits. There are lights hanging from the ceiling, which floods the room with an azure light; not enough to be harsh but just enough to make everything clearly visible. At each station of the table is a touch sensitive monitor encased in the marble. The screens allow any member to access the Brotherhood’s archives or use any of their own information. A holographic projector sits in the middle of the table allowing for remote briefings while the Keepers leader is away.

The Library

The library’s existence is a secret only known to members of the Keepers of the Night and the leaders of Tarentum. The entrance was once a flat slab of grey stone, which would slide aside when a Keeper would trace an arch with their finger to revels stairs that spiral upwards. Windos, during his second tenure as the battle teams’ leader, noted this as a serious security risk. He had the entrance retrofitted with a blast doorwhich would only open if a valid handprint was recognized upon its surface.

The door, once open, revealed a narrow walkway over very deep pit leading to a second blast door. The outer door would close the instant a body passed through it. Five mounted sentry guns were mounted above both doors. A digital voice would prompt the person wishing to gain access to remain stationary while a set of scanners passed over them, if any contraband were detected during the process the guns would fire without warning.

After a successful scan, the metallic voice would then prompt the person to remove any eyewear and step towards the door. A retinal scanner would then check the persons eyes against those on the list approved for access to the library. The second blast door would then open, revealing a turbolift.

The library itself is a massive space, mainly empty bar the giant databanks that now line an entire wall. In the center is a large circular depression where ornate marble podiums stand. These podiums hold the Keepers most valuable tomes, which are secured with heavy gold chains. Prime among these volumes is the Tome of the Falin-Shar which the Keepers of the Night were given as a reward for helping solve several mysterious murders within the Brotherhood

Overhanging a portion of the library is the Leaders combined office and private quarters. A massive double-sided mirror affords the occupant an impressive view over the entire area below. This area is accessible only by a small turbolift and is secured by a biometric scanner.

The ceiling is magnificent; a marvel of engineering. It is made of photosensitive transparisteel that blocks out most of the harsh yellow glare of Yridiae but during the night allows beautiful moonlight and starlight to filter down into the library giving everything an eerie sacred look.

The Common Room

This room is situated next to the library. It contains many comfortable leather chairs to relax in and a small annex which members may duel each other or play games in. The current game is one the Tetrarch and a few other members enjoyed a long time ago. It involves a doll that looks just like the Consul and several shock sticks. The goal of the game is to deal the most shocks to the Consul doll. Anything goes in this crazy yet fun little game.

The Closet

Just as the Mystics once had a closet, so do the Keepers. It is actually an old torture chamber situated beyond the common room. The Keepers call this their closet because it is not much bigger than any other closet. Yet it has its own horrors within. The closet is the home to an unspeakable evil. One that is so evil that it only has one name and that name is The Queen of Nightmares. The Queen of Nightmares is made up of pure dark energy. Her body is in the shape of a very beautiful lady, most of the time, but it has no real shape or depth to her. Since her body is made of pure dark energy she can change forms at will. She resides within her place of death and torments the dreams those who are placed within the closet. Beware entering the closet for she will enjoy being your nightmare.

Duties

Archival Science

Entrusted with Tarentums most precious tomes, the Keepers of the Knight are always studying methods of cataloguing, preservation and storage of the numerous texts and artefacts that they handle.

Recently the Keepers have begun to digitize the content of their library, storing them on a huge databank that covers an entire wall of the gigantic room, and move the original tomes to permanent storage.

Armed Combat

With armed conflict becoming an all to regular occurrence, and the Keepers being called into combat many times during his tenure as Tetrarch, Windos saw fit to commission customised D3-94 Commando Battle Suite from BlasTech Industries.

The suites were Katana-class commando armor, which were a reinforce and redesigned version of the standard armor worn by troopers during the Clone Wars. They afforded the Keepers superior defense and independence on missions. The helmet incorporates an internal antenna for long range communication and synchronisation with fellow Keepers and friendly forces on the battle field. It features an interactive heads up display with threat analysis for split-second tactical decisions, a filtration mask, amplified transmission communicator and a tactical spot lamp is secured to the side of the helm.

Administration

The Keepers of the Night are administered by the Tetrarch.

Terms of the Tetrarch

• The Tetrarch will run one long competition and two short competitions every month. If the Tetrarch is unable to start these competitions they will request that one of the senior Tyros start it with his full approval.
• The Tetrarch will maintain a minimum of forty-eight hour email turn around, unless leave has been requested.

Duties of the Tetrarch

• The Tetrarch will keep all members up to date on what competitions are open to them and will encourage activity however possible.
• The Tetrarch will write fortnightly Battle Team reports.
• The Tetrarch will help the membership of the Battle Team in any way he can.

AWOL Policy

• A persistent AWOL check will be in effect for all Keepers of the Night.
• Participation in Battle Team competitions is not compulsory but highly recommended.
• Participation in a competition at Battle Team level or higher will secure the members position in the Battle Team for one month. Otherwise communication is required at least once every two weeks.
• Unless the Tetrarch has been notified of a Leave of Absence, members who do not comply with the above will be removed from the Battle Team.

Phyle Leaders

• Windos Helkin Tarentae
• Deatharoc
• Windos Helkin Tarentae
• Dranik Tarentae
• Telona Murrage

Phyle Roster

• Brin Chaser
• Severon Vercingetorix