New Darkfriend Ranks (C/O Itan)

[Bellas]

[ 267] Itan: New Darkfriend Ranks
Date: Tue Aug 21 00:49:36 2007
To: Shadow
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After quite a bit of planning and replanning and finalization, the new
Darkfriend branch ranks are complete. At the time of this posting they are
not copied over, but the final rank list has been submitted to Bellas and
approved and will be coming in short order. So I'm going to take a little
bit of time to explain the ranks and how they will be implemented to the
existing heirarchy.

Listed below you will find the new ranks and a brief description of each.
There are four ranks per branch and they coorespond to the final four ranks
in the existing Circle ranks as far as requirements and status go. What
this means is that in order to be eligible for one of the branches a
character will have to already achieve the rank of Third Circle Leader.
Upon reaching this rank a player may choose to venture down one of the four
paths, though by all means a player is invited and encouraged to already be
traveling down one such path before reaching eligibility for the ranks
themselves. That said, onto the ranks.

The Spy Branch: This branch deals with members of the Shadow spy network in
all walks of life providing a wide range of information to higher ups within
the Shadow heirarchy.

Informant - The initial rank within this branch, an informant is responsible
for reporting major movements by the Shadow's enemies in their area.
Eyes and Ears - Eyes and Ears gather the information from various informants
and other sources and report up the chain of command. Frequently these are
in the employ of a specific member of the Shadow.
Watcher - Watchers are spies with a specific purpose and specific target to
be spying upon. Often in the form of actual involvment with another
organization for more indepth information.
Emissary - Aside from Dreadlords themselves, these are the heads of entire
spy networks for the Shadow and report directly to a patron Dreadlord.

Assassin Branch: Members of the Shadow who specialize in the termination of
specific targets relevant to the Shadow, the assassins may even be turned on
insubordinant members of the Shadow or renegades.

Cutthroat - The initial rank within the branch, these are generally low-end
assassins for lower profile targets.
Mercenary - Hired killers who frequently work from within another
organization (but not always) to track and eliminate specific targets.
Reaper - Assassins who attain a certain degree of credibility and respect
within the Shadow, often used for higher profile assassinations frequently
of political motive.
Eliminator - Assassins of high rank and profile within the Shadow,
frequently the personal go-to of a Dreadlord who has use for removing
themselves from suspicion.

Torture Branch: Specialists in torture and forcible information gathering,
these are Shadow members with a slightly more sadistic edge who often work
within the realm of the spies and kidnapping to extract information from a
target by force.

Inquisitor - The initial rank within the branch, these are the standard
information gatherers of moderate ability who rely heavily on coercion
rather than physical torture.
Tormentor - A torture specialist whose methods are frequently crude but
effective, often relied upon to aquire a target on their own for forcible
information gathering.
Opressor - A refined specialist who has turned the technique of torture into
an artform of its own. These men and women are often called upon for high
profile tortures from critical targets.
Executioner - The best of the best in the field, these are members of the
Shadow who have mastered the art of torture and know techniques to keep a
target alive through torture for long periods of time before finally deeming
the target of no further use.

The Blademaster Branch: These ranks come with an additional requirement
other than the Third Circle Leader req. A character aspiring for these
positions must already have achieved Blademaster status ICly or have the
requirement completed by the time of their next promotion into the branch.
While these people have no specialization, they are highly regarded
swordsmen.

Brigand <BM> - The initial rank, a newly recognized Blademaster.
Marauder <BM> - A Blademaster of some reknown, commonly found acting as a
member of another military organization, though as with all ranks of the
Blademaster branch they could just as easily be unaffiliated with any
military.
Champion <BM> - A highly regarded Blademaster who has proven themselves to
be an asset to the Shadow and the furthering of the Great Lord's purpose.
Vanquisher <BM> - Top of the line Blademasters in the Shadow's service,
frequently the personal swordarm of a Dreadlord or other high ranked member
of the Shadow.

It should be noted at this point that while a character must be at least
Third Circle Leader before going into a branch on their next promotion, a
branch can be entered at any point after that rank and the player will
recieve the rank cooresponding to their current Circle rank. Further,
choosing a branch is not a requirement, it is an option. The Circle ranks
still exist and are still quite open for promotion if one does not wish to
specialize. There is one more rank available under the right circumstances,
and that is Defiler of Light <BM>. To achieve this rank, obviously one must
reach Blademaster requirements, but they must also be of rank First Circle
Leader or equivalent and be the chosen personal second in command to a
Dreadlord.

And that wraps up this rather lengthy post about the new ranks and their
reqs. Forward any further questions to myself in-game. I'll be posting a
cooresponding post on the Shadow forums for a more permanent location.

Itan Kuranes
Shaper of Dreams