Revision as of 18:39, 29 March 2010

The Shadowsmiths (Embracers of Entropy)

On the surface, the Shadowsmiths appear to be a group of beings who derive power from the technology they employ, referred to as technomancy, this strange form of artifice marries magic and technology allowing the Shadowsmiths to access unusual powers and abilities or create implausible effects which defy what are widely believed to be the immutable laws of nature itself. To the outside observer their bizarre nonsensical goals apparently revolve around taping into the unknown energy that powers these devices which invariably involves even stranger machines operating in an equally improbable manner. Their methods often place them at odds with the surrounding populace as it at first results in minor anomalous and destructive phenomena which grows progressively larger in scope until it results in the utter destruction of the environment they are in. The truth of the matter lies in the goals of its supreme leader, the Hierophant of Shadows, who ultimately seeks the destruction of creation and by doing so converts this destructive energy for its own uses and doles it out among its followers.

It is unknown how the Shadowsmiths recruit their followers and casual observation (mostly through the lexicon they employ) suggests that they are from an altogether different place. Oddly, higher ranking members of the Shadowsmiths do not employ the typical words and expression used by the lower caste which further complicates the issue of the cabal’s origin and the origin of the members themselves. The matter is further complicated by the garb worn by the Shadowsmiths. Their uniforms cover the entirety of their bodies concealing their true form. In general, the uniform is the same for most of the cabal, with the exception being the very highest ranks of office. All Shadowsmith members wear some sort of mask which appears to be the primary source of their power. These devices constructed from unknown alloys and filled with the arcane circuitry favored by the Shadowsmith allow them to tap into their power supply, provide communication, life-support in hostile environments and a host of other functions that are as yet undisclosed and like the uniforms, the masks differ with station.

There are three castes within the Shadowsmiths and one is further broken into two sects, they are (in ascending order of power for three); the hounds (with the sect referred to as a circle and named Circle of the 1st, Circle of the 2nd, Circle of the 3rd , ect – although in practice its is usually shortened to “of the first and so on), the shrikes (with a similar system of circles), the true believers (unusual beings who seemingly derive their power without the aid of technomancy), and the ruling class which is composed of the Dark Archimandates, the Numinous Dark Mother, and the Hierophant of Shadow. It is unknown if there are other castes or beings who support or consort with the Shadowsmiths as none have been encountered.

The cabal primarily operates from secret bases typically below ground (often referred to as warrens) and occasionally elsewhere when no such suitable location is available for their purposes. Locations inhabited by the cabal all share one disconcerting trait apparently as a consequence of the machinery they operate. All cabal bases seem to exist at the juxtaposition of planar boundaries which creates the eerie condition that there is activity just outside the peripheral senses (movement outside the corner of the eye, whispers when it is silent, shadows growing deeper when the light neither changes intensity or location). Another disconcerting feature of Shadowsmith bases are their complete reliance on the machinery contained within the warren to support and maintain it (to which the Shadowsmiths are unusually sensitive and any damage to the machines prompts immediate response). If enough machinery is damaged the warren will literally dissolve and disappear as the space in which it occupied is rapidly reclaimed by the reality they inhabited. All Shadowsmith technology shares this characteristic, including the cabal members themselves. When sufficiently injured a cabal member faces dissolution and in short order fades from existence leaving no trace (which frustrates investigation into the cabal and its technology). It is conjectured that this is either some sort of protective measure or owing to their philosophy are absorbed by the Hierophant of Shadow in its role as the living(?) embodiment of entropy.

Ruling Caste

Hierophant of Shadow
Description: The supreme leader of the Shadowsmith cabal, the Hierophant of Shadow is entropy incarnate, an immensely potent being that draws power from the dissolution of the multiverse. Born in the strange void between worlds, its origin coincides with and is a reaction to the creation of various parallel worlds at the beginning of time. Sometime shortly after the advent of creation the dread lord of entropy began its inexorable campaign to return the multiverse to its previous state with its power waxing after each of its innumerable conquests. It is unknown how and why it became the leader of the Shadowsmiths, one theory holds that the original Shadowsmiths were a nihilistic sect who helped to hasten the demise of their world and impressed the Hierophant with their actions, another postulates that at some point the Hierophant of Shadow determined that the end should come sooner rather than later and recruited likeminded individuals to its cause, yet another theory holds that the lord of entropy attracts such beings and in time the Shadowsmiths naturally coalesced around the Hierophant of Shadow.

As entropy incarnate, the Hierophant does not truly exist in the same sense as other corporeal beings; its natural form would be best likened to a black hole, not directly observable, except through the interaction of its presence in the reality it inhabits and like a black hole, its bare countenance is decidedly deadly to almost anything that is in close proximity. The one thing that manages to contain the natural form of the Hierophant is the ornate armor that sheathes it. Unknown in its composition this peculiar construct allows others to interact with and draw power from the dread lord. The armor is thought to be the same as the artifice employed by the cabal; a fusion of technology and magic into arcane circuitry through which the Shadowsmiths derive their power and ability. However like the hierophant’s inexorable march, those who join the lord of entropy are forever bound to it and ultimately are absorbed by it. In exchange his supplicants gain power beyond the mien of the average person and as they become more like the dread lord they gain ever more power.

Numinous Dark Mother
Description: The Numinous Dark Mother is not unlike the Dark Archimandates and is a being of pure entropic energy and while being a titular leader to her lesser kin, she is something entirely different. Her origin like the Hierophant of Shadow is lost to the antiquities of time. So are her reasons for being. There is and has only ever been one Numinous Dark Mother. Perhaps she was the first to follow in the Hierophant's shadow, or perhaps she had so sufficiently impressed the dread lord that he offered her a unique position in the hierarchy of the Shadowsmiths. Whatever the case, the Dark Mother is the Hierophant's confidant and an entity with perhaps the greatest insight into the dread lords machinations.

Dark Archimandate
Description: Exceptionally skilled and long lived Shrikes are further transformed into beings of pure entropic energy. These fiends are fully devoted to the cause and like their dark lord represent such a concentration of nether energy that they have to house there vile essence in specially constructed armors in order to limit their effect on the environment around them.

True Believers

Tenebrous Lament
Description: When an Elegiac Dirge has consumed enough life essences and transferred the stolen energy to its master, it withers further until the dirge is little more than a husk, its wiry corded exterior merely a shell for the dark essence inside. This essence is nothing more than an extension of the lord of entropy and through them he extends his senses and his grasp to wherever they roam.

Elegiac Dirge
Description: An unfortunate victim who has somehow crossed the Shadowsmiths is spirited away to the place between the planes and imprisoned there unprotected from the strange radiations and weird energies which flow on their way to oblivion. The incident withers the victim and leaves them bereft of whatever spark they possessed. In their stead is the Elegiac Dirge, a sorrow stricken and hateful being bound to the dark will of the Hierophant of Shadow. The Elegiac Dirge’s fibrous emaciated form no longer exists on the same processes it possessed before, instead the Dirge lashes out and absorbs the life energies of those beings it comes across not related to the cabal both empowering itself and their dark master.

Rank & File

Shrikes (Circle of the 1st – 3rd)
Description: The Shrikes are Hounds who have progressed to the stage of an Adept. Able to use the nether energies of their dark lord with greater proficiency, they are nearly as much shadow as a Tenebrous Lament. However the Shrike having undergone a slower process of transformation still possesses a spark of individuality. The Shrikes serve as special soldiers and operatives to the cabal. Generally free of the demands of the Hounds, Shrikes are members of the cabal most often encountered outside the warrens.

Hounds (Circle of the 1st – 3rd)
Description: The Hounds are the rank and file of the Shadowsmith cabal and the least corrupted (and least powerful) by the influence of the Hierophant. Drawn in with the promise of power, the Hounds represent the acolytes of the order. Their lot is to provide the general manpower and fighting body of the cabal. Initiates to the cabal are rigorously tested to see where they best fit and are assigned to a circle accordingly to train and develop their abilities. Upon their acceptance into a circle the Hounds are given their uniform which signifies their unquestioned and unified obedience to the Hierophant and that ultimately the multiverse will revert to an entropic state. As they progress in power, the uniform literally grafts itself to the wearer and the person underneath undergoes a slower and less violent transformation akin to the True Believers.