This thread will contain detailed cabal requirements and guides for players. This should give you a great start, but please note that some things will still need to be discovered in-game.

Battle is more than just stabbing mages. It’s also a group based around history, tradition, and culture.

Destroying Mages, thickening the Veil, and being a damned tough barbarian will get you looking swell in the eyes of the Village. Read the whole Battlerager helpfile for more on the general outlook.

Want to join? Kill a mage and stop by Tahren. For rules, see the Commandments in the War Room once you’re a proper Villager. No matter what path you take, whether Berserker, Defender, or Scout, you all have the same damned rules in the same damned Commandments.

If you just want to be a Battlerager, follow those. If you want to be a good Battlerager, follow those and then some. If you want to be a great Battlerager, then embrace the whole damned barbarian culture, be courageous and proud, follow the Commandments, embody your path’s pillar, and embrace the spirit of the cabal! A lot of being a damned good Villager is your attitude, outlook, and just all around how you act.

Got questions? Email ol' Panmorne at "panmorne@gmail.com"

I like applicants to figure out most of this in game so I’ll keep this short.

Be proficient and capable in all things. Be very, very, very evil.

Scion has a cap on the number of members we have at any given time. I highly suggest you not have alternate characters. If you do you will have a bad time.

Seek out the Chancellor, Advisor, or myself.

Outlander

Outlanders philosophy is that freedom is paramount in all things. Many confuse the cabal as a nature first cabal but in truth freedom comes first. Nature is rooted in freedom and opportunity and this is why outlanders have turned to it.

Orderly society are designed to enslave the masses and through means such as distributed wealth (coin) they are easily driven to live a certain way and prop up the very system that enslaves them. In the end, all their hard work and toil benefits only the richest and most powerful and they are stuck under tyranny, unable to truly see beyond the walls that imprison them.

The Outlanders also show great disdain for that which does not belong in this world and that which is inherently against freedom. Those who bind beings or control them through magic, creatures who come from other planes, creatures who show no regard for the freedom of others and those who selfishly pillage the land in which mortals have been given to be free.

There are three branches of outlanders:

First are the Wardens. The wardens seek to heal and to grow new life. This is not always literal. The wardens want to bring freedom to the masses and show them the way forward. Planting the idea of freedom into the minds of the people can grow into true action and do more good than any burning could ever do. A warden fights evil, but without the same intent as a maran would. A warden understands the way of the world and knows for their own survival and for the better of the many, evil must be kept in its place and shown strength.

Second are the Reavers. The reavers purpose is to burn the old to usher in the new. Contrary to popular believe, a reaver is not a free pass to kill indiscriminately. A reaver is granted great power by the ancients to kill the enemies of Thar-eris. Anyone can kill at random and be bloodthirsty, a reaver must have purpose in their actions. Order of any kind is doomed to them, there is no hope for those weak enough to be enslaved. For this reason generally, many reavers loathe the branch of the wardens, but this is not always the case.

Third are the Sentinels. Perhaps with the most difficult job of the branches, the sentinel must act as just that. Sentinels. They protect the tree from dangers within and without and bridge any gap the tree may be suffering. They must not fall into darkness or become too soft. There life is full of trials and it is a difficult thing for a sentinel to make true friends knowing they may need fight one of their own someday.

Things TO DO in if you want to roll an outlander:

- Spend time in the wilderness. It shows a rejection of society and order.
- Fighting enemies of freedom or creatures that defile Thar-eris.
- Perform quests for nature mobs or quests against order.
- PK the enemies of the outlander cabal.
- Destroy coins.
- Learn to travel avoiding roads/cities.
- Use Guilds outside of tribunal cities. Preferably in the wilderness. Obviously not all classes have wilderness guilds but many do. ASK!
- BARTER, even for practices/trains. This is not as hard as some may think. Ask fellow outlanders.
- Send a note to outlander explaining why you want to be an outlander.

Things NOT TO DO if you want to roll an outlander:

- Do not do quests for enemies of the cabal.
- Do not do quests for wealth.
- Do not carry coins. Do not buy or sell.
- Do not hang around in cities. Do not use cities as shelter.
- Do not group with orderly PCs.
- Do not use mercenaries. They are motivated by greed and tools of order. (I do hope sometime we get barter-only mercs)

For Squire and Scribe induction, refer to this basic guide:

If you're one of the many young hopeful good souls in Thera, and you wish to aim your character at either Squire or Scribe positions within the Fortress, this is the guide for you!


Fortress accepts all good aligned characters.
All ethos are welcome.
All classes are welcome.

Begin your journey for the light by pledging at the Maran Tara'Bal after reaching level 15.

Once pledged, you'll have the moral and ethical dilemma of choosing one of two available cabal pathways.

Please consider writing a note to FORTRESS.

Option 1:

MARAN BRIGADE 'HOLY BRIGADE OF THE PHOENIX'
In the war against the Darkness it has been said that the Acolytes of the Golden Sun are the Shield of the Light. If so, then the Holy Brigade of the Phoenix is the Sword to complement it.

Spearheaded by the followers of Shokai, who seek the total eradication of all evil, the Holy Brigade is comprised of those Lightwalkers who are willing to embrace the crusade which the Maran have undertaken. The Holy Brigade has joined in vow to never rest and never falter while evil walks the land. The offensive nature of this crusade strongly discourages applications from within the guild of Healers, and others unable to stand alone and strike out against the encroaching tides of darkness.

Those that desire to become Soldiers of the Brigade must be stout of heart, pure of mind, and indomitable of spirit. All, and more, will be stressed to breaking in the endless crusade against Darkness. If you feel worthy, come not unblooded before one of the commanders of the Brigade.

Power: Level: Echelon:
Mantle of the Phoenix 15 Squire
Eyes of Flame 20 Maran
Fiera'Rroga Aegis 22 Transmuter, Conjurer, Invoker Squire
Zeal 22 All other Squire classes
Lightforge 25 Maran
Phoenix Brand 30 Maran
Cry of Deliverance 35 Maran
Leader Weapon -- Marshall & Captain


Option 2:

'ACOLYTES OF THE GOLDEN SUN' 'ACOLYTES' 'GOLDEN SUN' CARDINAL 'ELDER PROPHET'
In the war against the Darkness it has been said that the Holy Brigade of the Phoenix is the Sword of the Light. If so, then the Acolytes of the Golden Sun are the Shield to accompany it.

Lead by those dedicated to the preservation, protection, and spreading of the Light, these noble servants of the Light are honored in their calling. Serving as an aid to those of the Light in danger, as well as keeping the hearts and minds of Lightwalkers focused upon the Light they stand as a bright beacon against the darkness. While their way focuses mostly upon the more peaceful traits of the Light they are not to be overlooked by their foes as they are just as willing to stand against those with evil hearts as the Brigade if it is for the protection of another.

Those who desire to be an Acolyte of the Golden Sun must be stout of heart, pure of mind, unyielding in dedication, and unbreakable of spirit. The trials of an Acolyte are not for the weak. If you feel worthy, humbly present yourself before the Elders of the Acolytes.

Power: Level: Echelon:
Favor of the Sun 10 Scribe
Spiritual Link 18 Acolyte
Spirit Sight 24 Scribe
Altruism 30 Acolyte
Succor 32 Acolyte
Curse of Radiance 35 Acolyte
Bless Water 36 Cardinal & Elder Prophet


Sounds pretty neat, right?

One path appears much more offensive in nature and the other much more defensive. The choice is yours! There is no wrong answer!


Induction as a squire: killing an evil PC will be required along with an interview by cabal mortal and/or immortal leadership.

Induction as a scribe: requires no evil kill, but will still require an interview process by cabal mortal and/or immortal leadership.

On Maran and Acolyte.

Once players have lived as either squire or scribe for enough time to be an impactful character in the cabal dynamic, and has reached a level of pk prowess or altruism to a sufficient enough level depending on if they're in the Brigade or Acolyte, only then will they be considered for promotion.

Things we like to see:
Roleplay. Respectful behavior.
For leader positions: A good amount of playtime, roleplay, good pk numbers for Brigade.


Things we DO NOT like to see that will reduce or remove ability to be promoted:

1.) KILLING ANY NUMBER OF GOODIE NPC IN ANY WAY, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY.

2.) OOC behavior, low playtime, too many alts

So long as you do not fall into area one or two, you are well on your way to promotion. Congratulations!

This has been a basic guide to Fortress.

So you want to be a Herald?! Here is a guide to help you succeed!

1) Most people don't know this, but you can and SHOULD pledge to the Inn Guard so that leaders know you want to join. You can do this at level 15 and beyond.

2) Have a talent. Talents are as follows: Taleteller, Scribe, Weaver, Painter, Bartender, Tailor, Performer, Decorator, or Chef. Your talent should be an integral part of your role and a driving factor to wanting to join Herald.

3) Send a note to Herald regarding your desires to join, what your talent is, and why it's important to you. Consider sending a sample piece of your talent via note as well (ie, if you're a painter, send in one of your paintings).

4) Although Herald will accept heroes, it is much more beneficial to pledge/join early. As your talent is such a big driver in your life, it just seems strange to suddenly apply at hero.

5) Herald is not a "business" and as such, you are not an "employee". You are not applying to join the "staff". Heralds are artists, historians, showmen, entertainers, performers, facilitators of merriment. Think of it like an artist who creates art for the love of it, because they must share what is inside their head with others.

6) The Celestial Lyceum is equally as important as the Inn. The tending and sharing of the lore contained within is an integral part of a Herald's duties.

7) Heralds are not allowed to defend or raid cabal headquarters other than the Inn/Lyceum.

8) You can PK outside of the Inn, but bear in mind that whatever you do will reflect on you AS A HERALD and may or may not bring bad blood back on everyone. Choose wisely.

9) Do not expect to be of evil alignment and still be able to do the above well. Likewise, paladins committed to the code, strict as it is, will have a difficult time. If you fall into these categories, you must be inducted by a Herald Immortal.

10) Shamans (of any alignment) by definition are warpriests, keyword being war. Your holy war has no place in the Inn or Lyceum.

Law and order.

Do's: Be orderly, follow the law, have a preference for technicalities and rules.

Don'ts: Be a criminal (ever). Be not orderly.

You can be inducted by the Provost or any of their Provincials, dependent on their policy for induction.

Entropy is kind of the un-cabal. There are no rules, really, except that you shouldn't mindlessly follow rules.

Basic philosophy:
Entropy strives to bring Thera to its natural state of disorder, free from civilization, which is inherently dedicated to the manipulation of its members.

Organized society, law, and order are meaningless constructs that force others to act against their better judgments and instincts. A Baron of Chaos recognizes no authority besides himself or herself and the gods. In recognizing that order is futile and life is inherently unpredictable, Entropists embrace Chaos and randomness as means to achieve their goals and fulfill their desires. Within the maelstrom of Chaos swirls beauty and horror -- what we cherish above all and what we fear the most.

Though seemingly similar to Outlanders on the surface, this philosophy contrasts sharply with the Outlander cabal's in several ways. Outlanders, though free and chaotic-leaning, are the enforcers of natural laws and are bound to follow the commandments of the Ancients. Outlanders also embrace some basic social structures; they embrace leaders and recognize "alphas" in packs.

Entropists, meanwhile, are pure individualists and anarchists who are loosely affiliated through the Equation and a common study of Chaos Magic. They hold no reverence for nature or natural law and have no objections to extraplanar sorcery, magical mutations, or undeath. They do, however, reject the art of conjuration -- not because of the breaking of planar boundaries, but because the binding into servitude of extraplanar beings conflicts with their commitment to absolute freedom.

Generally, an entropist's actions should seem fairly unpredictable, even if their goals are clear.

Hard requirements for joining:
- Must have chaotic ethos
- Must be an anti-paladin, invoker, necromancer, shapeshifter, or transmuter.

Highly recommended:
- Have a role.
- The role should make sense.
- This is a cabal of Chaos Mages, who approach life from an intelligent but non-orderly, anarchistic point of view. Yes, they rely on random chance and wild magic to achieve their goals. But those goals are actually rational. So do not be Chaotic Stupid (See: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChaoticStupid).

How to apply:
- Pledge
- Write a note to Entropy.
- Having a role addressing your reasons for wishing to join will go a very long way if you need immortal induction.
- Seek out the Entropic Recruiter, if such a person exists, or pray to the immortal patron (currently Rahsael) or the gods of chaos.

Cabal goals:
- Down with The Man!
- Whatever you want.
- Also, thin or break the Veil and let magic run wild!

Cabal enemies:
Because of the unique nature of the cabal, there are no leaders and there are no official enemies. However, you can expect problems with Battle, Tribunal, and Empire, and possibly anyone else who decides they have a problem with Entropy on any given day.

COINS:
One way would be to go full Outlander-like and hate on coins, since they're implements of civilization.

Another would be a simple indifference to currency. You know it's socially-constructed BS and would never live your life to amass wealth. Then again, you can use it to buy cool stuff, and that can make life easier.

Yet another way you could approach it still is that you might amass and flaunt wealth as a sort of ironic stunt to drive all of the sheeple crazy. Maybe it's to prove a point and teach a lesson. Maybe it's just for your own amusement, since it means nothing to you and everything to others.

There are probably some other ways you could go that I haven't even thought of yet.

Entropy leaves room for a lot of creativity. There is absolutely nothing that is sacred to Entropy, except for freedom. So you can approach pretty much anything almost any angle.

Want to be a pansexual satirist shapeshifter that gets his kicks from (purposefully) violating all kinds of other societal taboos? Entropy! Want to be an angry, isolated nihilist who wants to open up the Veil and let wild magic ravage the planet? Entropy! Are you a semi-naturalist who wants to burn down cities and tear down the social order -- with her army of zombies? Entropy!

The cabal's goals are Freedom, Thin Veil, and Wild, Random Magic. There are so many possible roles for this cabal that it makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it.

MERCENARIES:
This might hinge on your feelings about currency. It also depends on your character and how you decide to roleplay the mercenary dynamic.

Is the mercenary just a kind of slave? Do you view the merc as your property, or some armed guy who's with you for mutual gain? Slaves run counter to the core idea of Entropy. Armed allies? Those're fine. Mechanically, mages rely on mercenaries for ranking, particularly in today's CF. So as long as you aren't being a brutal slavemaster or something, you're probably OK.

The constructs from the consortium are non-sentient, so you can treat those however you want.

ELEMENTALS/DEMONS/DEVILS/ANGELS/ARCHONS:
Elementals are a bit tricky. Conjurer-summoned elementals, demons, devils, angels and archons are sentient and can literally tell conjurers "I will not bow down to you, mortal!" No es bueno (unless someone presents a great argument to the contrary).

Object-created elementals might be different. Is there any indication that they're sentient (which would be bad)? Or are they just mindless collections of magically animated, elemental material (which would be fine to use)? This is probably something you'd want to consider on a case-by-case basis.

UNDEAD:
In Carrion Fields, undead created by necromancers have generally been considered non-sentient beings. This includes zombies, golems, ghouls and mummies (SOME mummies are sentient, per HELP UNDEATH; not those created with the greater undead spell), along with other special creatures created with the greater undead spell. They're just beings of animated flesh that are mere vessels for negative energy, created by and for a necromancer.

This is in contrast to sentient undead, such as liches, mummies, vampires, wights, etc., often created through a Becoming process.

In light of this, necromancers might want to be a bit careful with the control undead spell.