ZONIAN PUBLISHING

Tome of the Scourge

That who reads will submit
Order of the Scourge

O T H

... Who wish to take service in the Order of the Scourge, swears to serve and uphold the tenets of the order.

I swear to serve my master and the Lord Knight of my chapter. I will never betray the tenets and will serve with unwavering loyalty.

I shall uphold the wellbeing of the Scourge over that of my chapter, friends and family.

I ... pledge my undying and unquestionable loyalty to the Order of the Scourge and the Dark Lords.

The Dark lords:

Maka Droga:
Maka Droga was the head fighter of the Scourge. During the 3rd Purging he was overwhelmed and trapped by the forces of the Templar Order. He was renowned for having a Skull made of Silver. He was blessed with inhuman strength and skill in warfare. His armor was rewarded to him by the Greater Dark Gods which our knowledge of has long been forgotten.

Molas Kan:
Molas Kan was the Lord of Knowledge. In life he was a great scholar and discovered and invented some of humanities greatest inventions. Some say he was the founder of the Scourge. During the 2nd Purging he was imprisoned by the Templar Order.

Syl Yon:
Syl Yon was a practitioner of the Old Arts of what is now called magic. His powers were bestowed to him by the Greater Dark Gods. He was presumed to be either killed or captured during the 2nd Purging but this is not proven.

Necros Mlak:
Necros Mlak is the only Dark Lord which it is forbidden to worship.

The Purging:
1st: The first purging was started just after the first Crusade ended. A Templar had found out the existence of the Scourge and in seeking to wipe out the infidels, the secrets of the Greater Dark Gods was lost. After the Purging, four Reapers stood out and took an oath to rebuild the former glory of the Dark Gods. Those Reapers became the Dark Lords. 2nd: The Second Purging happened around the same time of the third crusade. Templars who seeked to destroy all nonbelievers came to one of the secret enclaves of the Scourge.
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They sacked the enclave and captured the Dark Lords, Syl Yon and Molas Kan. 3rd: After the 2nd Purging the Scourge was in disarray. Necros Mlak sought to raise his power in the Scourge. He brought those that would follow him and started his own chapter of the Scourge. Molas Kan was loyal to the true Greater Dark Gods and attacked the Chapter. While the Chapters were fighting the Templar Order attacked the Main Temple and slayed Molas Kan. The fate of Necros is unknown.

Initiation:
Those that seek to join the Order of the Scourge must take the initiation. There must be a benefactor, Dark knight or higher, present at the Initiation. The Initiates will be lead to a Shrine or Temple of the Scourge. There, they will take the Oath featured on page 1. The benefactor will recite the Oath of Acceptance and the Member will be accepted into the Order. After the initiate has been accepted, they will be asked which Sect they wish to serve under. The Temple, the Order or the Archives, after the initiate has chosen
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the sect that they wish to join, they will be assigned to a master. This master will train them in the art of the sect.

Oath of Acceptance:

ise faithful one, You have been accepted into our most devine order and have started the path to the Dark Lords.

May your loyalty not falter and your prestige in the eyes of the Dark Lords grow larger. By this day forward you will be a member of the Scourge and will serve your chapter and sect.

Arts of the Sects:

Art of the Order:
When an initiate joins the ranks of the Order. He will be assigned into a squad which is headed by a volunteer Dark Knight. There is no set amount a time an initiate has to undergo to finish training. When a Dark Knight feels that the initiate was ready, he will promote him. An initiate will be trained in the art of Weapons and Physical Exercise. He must be ready to protect the Scourge and his chapter. The Initiate will be trained with the weapons available to the Order. After the Master feels that the Initiate is ready, he will promote the initiate to Black Soldier. The Soldiers sole purpose is to protect the Scourge and fight for the Order.

Art of Temple:
When an Initiate joins the Temple of the Scourge he will be assigned to a preacher. This Preacher will teach him the Art of Speak.

This skill allows the Initiate to bring non-believers to the Scourge. The Preacher will train the Initiate till he feels that the initiate is ready to advance. The Initiate will be assigned to an Acoloyte that will teach him the needs of the temple and how to obtain them. This will take about a week then the Initiate will be reassigned to a Preacher who will teach them the beliefs of the Scourge. When they are finished, they will be promoted to Acoloytes.

Art of Archive:
Initiate wishing to join the Scholars will need to pass the Art of Temple. After this they will be taught the basics of Knowledge finding and the history of the Scourge. After this they will be promoted to Scholars.

Ranks and Roles:

Lord Knight:
The Lord Knight is the Head of the Order. He is the equal of the High Priest of the Temple. His role is to maintain the affairs of the Order of the Scourge. He is in charge of all Dark Knights and makes sure that the Order is strong.

Black Soldier:
A Black Soldier is a lower rank in the Order. His role is to protect the Scourge as well as attack those that threaten the Scourge.

Hight Priest:
The High Priest is the head of the Temple. His job is to spread the word of the Dark Lords. He controls all of the Preachers and Acoloytes and will appoint new Reapers.

He is the Voice of the Dark Lords, as the Dark Lords were the voice of the Lost Gods.

Reaper:
Reapers are the guardians of the Temple and the Order. They are the most prestigious of titles a person may get under Dark Lord. They carry the secrets of the Scourge and can revoke the titles of Lord Knight:

Dark Knight:
Dark Knights will lead squads of Black Soldiers. They can also choose to train initiates. A Dark Knight can lead a small Chapter.

Acoloyte:
An Acoloyte is a minor member in the Temple. He will aid Preachers and train new initiates. They also help in keeping the needs of the Temple met.

Preacher:
A Preacher will convert non-believers to the life of the Scourge. He is aided by Acoloytes.
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Order of the Scourge:

The Order of the Scourge is the military sect of the Temple of the Scourge. Theyre main goal and purpose is to defend and serve the Temple. They mostly serve under Maka-Droga, the Scourge Lord of War. They are not tied to old military traditions and will use the best weapons that they can find. They were established after the 2nd purging by Maka-Droga and were made up of the whole Scourge army.

Scholars of the Scourge:

The Scholars were established after the 1st purging by Molas Kan. Theyre role was to find out the secrets of the Lost Dark Gods. They are also tasked with finding methods to improve humanity.

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Reaperhood:
Reaperhood is the closest guarded secret of the Scourge. Only the High Priest knows who should become a Reaper. All that is publicly known is written in this section. A reaper is chosen by a High Priest who takes him or her to a top secret initiation. The Reaper is given a name which origin is unknown. As a Reaper, the person must serve the Dark Lords above all else and defend the temple and the secrets of the Scourge with his life. Reapers will meet in Councils to discuss the well being of the Scourge. A Reaper may become a leader of a Chapter or Sect but most prefer the freedom of being freelance. A follower of the Scourge can gain favour with the Dark Lords by doing the Reapers bidding. The Reapers may take followers who will be assistants and companions to them.

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Tenets:
The true Tenets of the Scourge were lost many centuries ago but the Temple and Archives have managed to find and form some. The tenets are meant to be guide lines of life and not to be taken too literally. The Following are the Tenets of the Scourge. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. I shall not kill an innocent I shall not take that which is not rightfully mine I shall obey the authority within reason I shall uphold the Tenets of Free Speech I shall follow true Knowledge I shall obey those who are superior to me as long as it does not damage me. 7. Freedom within reason 8. I shall uphold the Oath that I have taken 9. I will work for the betterment of humanity and the restoration of the Dark Lords and Lost Gods.

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