The Order of the Black Gauntlet

[Onkel Bob]

The Order of the Black Gauntlet

The Order of the Black Gauntlet was founded at some point between 764 and 765 BC. Its founding members arrived in the Lands of Mist one by one and eventually converged to find a singular purpose, unified by their faith in the Black Hand, Lord Bane. At first this gathering had no name, but as their numbers grew they started to create a noticeable presence in the Core which needed leadership and organization. Without a ranking clergy to lead with Lord Bane's guidance, a previously low-ranking but promising foot-soldier of the Zhentilar Army rose naturally to the position of Commander. In time, a symbol of his status was made; a right handed black enamel gauntlet. Since then the gauntlet has been passed on to new apparent leaders of the Order, but there was only ever one who has worn it at any given time. All other members of the Order were given dark green cloaks with a symbol of the Black Gauntlet to show their allegiance. The Order was named after the Black Gauntlet to symbolize its deference to the Black Hand.

Not all who were looking to join the Order of the Black Gauntlet were given the privilege to wear their symbolic capes. Only those who had proved themselves as willful servants of Bane were allowed to join the Order. Precisely how proof was obtained was known only to the innermost circle of the Order, but all members were extraordinary and possessed formidable talents which implies the requirements were very hard to fulfill. Perhaps the most striking trait that all members shared was their unfaltering loyalty to their peers and shared beliefs in the Black Hand. That their end goal remains unknown to all others even after all these years is a testament to the integrity of their loyalty to each other.

The Order of the Black Gauntlet has a violent and dreadful history. Clashes with would-be heroes, innocents, and other nefarious groups have left bloody trails throughout the entirety of the Core. As it would seem, the Order would battle with anyone who has stood in their way, but exactly where that way has led is a mystery. At times, death has seemed to be delivered on a whim, and other times intense hostile situations have deescalated by the Order's apparent disinterest in specific conflicts. Unfavourable conditions for battle did not deter them, and their fearlessness had led them to victory against near-impossible odds according to tales from terrified would-be witnesses.

Among the Order's members there have been some who have obtained personal titles presumably due to secretive accomplishments. These individuals possessed additional renown within the Order and have often been mentioned by their titles even when they have not been present. The respect with which these names have been spoken has given many the impression that the people they referred to have in some way caused a lasting effect approved by the Order. In most cases the titles were as obscure as the rest of the Order's history to anyone who was not a member themselves. With all the secrets kept by these men and women, an outsider could only wonder at the mass of knowledge they may have accumulated or destroyed since the Order's inception.

[Onkel Bob]

The Laws of Bane

The servants of Bane can be put into three groups. The Faithful, the Slaves, and the Conquered.
The Faithful are individuals of astute minds who have observed Bane as the superior overlord of the world. By willingly and ambitiously submitting to His demands and following His teachings, they pursue positions of eternal favour in His empire. The Slaves are those who have submitted to the Faithful, and are forced to toil and suffer with the ever present opportunity to take to Bane's teachings and leave their peers behind to join the esteemed Faithful. A Slave may also refuse to accept Lord Bane's sovereign in a belief that no worse fate awaits them if they dare dissent. Those Slaves will instead become the Conquered, among many others. The Conquered are those who waste their lives defying the Black Hand and die at the hands of the Faithful. The souls of the Conquered are forever bound to have a pathetic existence beneath the heels of the Faithful in Lord Bane's eternal legions. The unimaginable and unwavering torment awaiting for the Conquered is only overshadowed by the knowledge that they failed to take their chance to willingly serve the Black Hand and in doing so forever lost the chance to join the prestigious Faithful. The Slaves and the Conquered are still bound to serve at Lord Bane's behest whether they wish to or not and without acknowledgement, release, or reward.

The teachings of Bane are simple and direct, and must be taken to heart by all who hope to become His Faithful subjects. It is all revolves around Lord Bane's dogma, which should be memorized like chant. Each passage describes the Rules of the Black Hand, and their meaning must be understood by all who wish to serve by their own choice.


"Serve no one but Bane."

It is the first law, and the most fundamental principle which can never be compromised. To enter the service of Bane is to acknowledge Him as the supreme overlord, surpassing all other entities in strength, power, and authority. All else are His subordinates or inferiors. To enter the service of a subordinate of Bane is of no consequence as long as the demands of Lord Bane are met and His teachings are followed. This includes acts of subterfuge and espionage which the nefarious organization known as the Zhentarim is often employed for at the behest of the Church of Bane. Their loyalty to Bane is never compromised, and their service in expanding Lord Bane's dominion will reward them with a place among his Faithful despite the seeming controversy regarding this rule. Only the blessed clergy of Bane can sanction apparent exempts of this rule if they foresee the results as favourable to fulfill Lord Bane's orders.

It is service to the inferior which is prohibited. The misguided belief that a better fate awaits those who would choose to serve anyone other than the Black Hand is a certain way to be eternally condemned.


"Fear Him always and make others fear Him even more than you do."

Among the Barovian people there are some who would have the wisdom to say that "the graveyards are full of people who thought of Fear as anything but a friend". It is fear of the 'Old Night' which drives them to avoid that which would end their mortal existences. However, their existence is poor and meaningless because they do not know what they should fear above all else. The Black Hand, Lord Bane.

Lord Bane is the sole and true ruler of all. His power is supreme, and his reach is without limit. His will alone is all that matters, and all shall submit to it. If He wills the earth and sky to shatter and sunder, it will come to pass. All fates are His to decide, and to fail to meet His demands even by mistake could invoke His dreadful wrath. There is no greater threat than Lord Bane, and with His blessings, any other thread becomes no threat at all. It is those who do not worship Bane who should fear Him more than the Faithful, because if they do not submit the greater fear is entirely warranted.


"The Black Hand always strikes down those who stand against it in the end."

No one can escape the Black Hand. To generously allow His Faithful followers to earn his favour, it is them who lead His conquest in the mortal world. Yet the Faithful are mortals like all others, and may meet their ends on the path Lord Bane has set before them if they prove to be incapable and unworthy. But the enemies' victories over Bane's mortal armies are hollow. Eventually more mortal agents will go to succeed their predecessors and bring the unfaithful to their knees. Even if it would not come to pass that the mortal Faithful of Bane complete their given conquest, the faithless are still bound to die like all mortals do. And just like all mortals are bound to die, are they bound to serve the Black Hand.


"Defy Bane and die, or in death find loyalty to Him, for He shall compel it."

Death is a vow made by all mortals upon their birth. It is an inert pledge which cannot be lifted, even by the most ancient and powerful magic known to all others than Lord Bane himself. He alone is truly eternal, and His will is inescapable. This rule is the truth that binds the Conquered to His service, and the unfathomable power which demands all to fear Him.


"Submit to the word of Bane as uttered by His ranking clergy, since true power can only be gained through service to Him."

It is a blessing in and of itself to confidently know and understand the Will of Bane. Only the most confident among the Faithful will ever achieve this honorable position, and all others must follow them if they ever hope to accomplish their mortal service. Seniority trumps contradicting impressions of the holy Teachings among the clergy. No one but Lord Bane himself may question the words spoken by His Chosen, High Imperceptor Fzoul Chembryl.


"Spread the dark fear of Bane."

The second rule of Bane dictates that the Faithful servants must always fear Him and make others fear Him even more than they do. However, to spread the dark fear of the Black Hand means more than oppressing the unbelievers as demanded by second tenet. Lord Bane's palm is the bedrock upon which the universe resides, and to recognize it as his legitimate domain is to understand it warrants to be feared as well. There are countless beings particularly in the Lands of Mist that are forever bound to create dread and despair whether they wish to or not. Unless they directly offer deference to the Black Hand, they serve Him as his Slaves, and not as His blessed Faithful. But for the Faithful, despite their promised superiority, to mindlessly ignore the service of these Slaves would be a sin. To endorse these beings in their purpose of dispensing dismay and torment, is to spread the fear of Bane indirectly.


"It is the doom of those who do not follow Him to let power slip through their hands."

It is only the Faithful who can ever achieve power and freedom with the blessing of the Black Hand. Those rewards are not spared for the Slaves and Conquered who have refused their chance to earn it. As the Fourth Rule states, all will eventually become His subjects, and this rule is the promise of no second chances for those who have forfeited their lives in not joining the Faithful. Once they enter the domain of Lord Bane, is it only the Faithful who will retain their own will.

Yet there are those who would choose to be mindless for deluded reasons known only to themselves. Many other churches preach teachings to oppose this rule of the Black Hand, hoping against hope that the promise to the Faithful is false, or that power is not at all necessary. As Scyllua Darkhope, the protégé of Fzoul Chembryl, would attest, there is no greater foolishness than believing in the Triad's message to not seek power. The powerless can never defeat the powerful and only the servants of Bane can hope to achieve true power.


"Those who cross the Black Hand meet their dooms earlier and more harshly then those who worship other deities."

The demands placed on the Faithful are eternally unforgiving, it is a generosity of Lord Bane that we may have a single chance to prove our loyalty to Him willingly at all. To swear allegiance to Him is to be encouraged, but it is not a task which should be decided on a whim. Hesitation to serve will not do, and making a pledge to serve and then failing to do so is the irredeemable mark of unworthiness. Such flaws are not allowed to sully the ranks of the Faithful and will be removed with twice the ire spared for those who never made such a pledge.