Black Shield

The Black Shield

Membership

Common Descriptors: Stealthy, cunning, perceptive

Primary Classes: Rangers, rogues, druids

Alignments: primarily lawful

Locations

Anvil Vale

Ranks

• Apprentice: Rank 1. The apprentice is assigned a mentor, who takes the apprentice out on patrols and on learning expeditions into the Patrolled Undervale, teaching them survival, tracking, and similar techniques and lores needed to do the job of the Black Shields in the future. • Shieldbearer: Rank 3. Finally granted a suit of Gatemail, the now-fully elevated shieldbearer takes part in full patrols into the Patrolled Undervale in pairs, or into the Near-Wilds as part of a small group of four or six. The shieldbearer is one of the dark-dwelling agents of the Black Shield, whose concerns are chiefly focused outward: let civilization tend to itself, the shieldbearer has darker concerns beyond the bounds of the light. • The Aragoth: Rank 10. A title taken from the name of the founder of the Black Shields, the Aragoth is the chief marshal of the organization, with full command over every member of it. As such, they often find themselves pulled into the politics of the citadels and Vale, no matter how much most of them dislike it. Still, the Aragoth understands the necessity of it all, as distasteful as it is.

The Black Shield is an organization of largely dwarven rangers and scouts who explore the underdark around Hammer Peak and the other dwarven citadels of the Anvil Vale, seeking out potential threats and eliminating them because they grown into dangers for the Valefolk.

Overview

Originally founded by one Aragoth Darkwarden and his small band of underdark rangers and survivalists, the Black Shield was formally founded to guard the newly-created Dark Gate that sealed off the dwarven Underroad from the rest of the underdark. In time, this responsibility expanded from just guarding the gate to ranging outward to patrol and deal with dangers before those threats actually reached the Dark Gates.

Today, the Black Shield are a vital but undervalued part of citadel life. By and large, most folk would be perfectly content to seal off the Dark Gates forever and pretend that the rest of the underdark doesn't exist, snorting at notions that creatures outside the gates might gain in power and attack them. In this capacity, the dedication of generations of the Black Shields have worked against them: they have been so successful at preventing such incursions that too many believe they're impossible.

Still, the Black Shields care nothing for accolades, so long as they can continue to do their work. (Many do note that this contempt was largely absent under the Clansrule.) They continue their patrols, and work to expand the zone of what is considered the Patrolled Undervale.

Goals & Philosophy

The Black Shields hold to a ruthless pragmatism: they make the under-ways as safe as they can for dwarvenfolk. Of course, many Shields themselves come to love the wild expanses of the underdark, finding incredible beauty even amid its stark, dangerous environs. That said, the Shields are not druids – they appreciate this wildness, but would gladly tame it forever if it meant other dwarves could see it as well. Concepts of beauty aside, though, the Black Shield is simply here to save dwarven lives, and to expand dwarven prosperity. They know the day is coming when the dwarves will need to expand outward, and the intend to see that it's as safe as possible to do so.

The Black Shield are expected, above all things, to do the following:

• Defend dwarven and Valefolk lives.
• Explore the underdark, and search out threats where they lair.

Activities

The Black Shield's core duty is the exploration and pacification of the underdark in direct contact with the dwarven citadels and the Vale. This usually translates as interminable patrols over the area, armed with maps on which the Shield takes notations. It also means fighting creatures that may be dangerous, or otherwise scouting out concentrations of them too large to deal with alone.

Quests undertaken by the Black Shield might include the following:

• To go on patrol with other Black Shields.
• To seek out and slay an enemy of the Vale, or rescue goodly folk from such.
• To act as a guardian for a valued ally of the Great Clans, or other important personages, as they travel through the underdark.

Perks

Black Shields in good standing might receive the following benefits:

• Barracks Access: Rank 1+. A Black Shield dwelling in any of the dwarven citadels may use the barracks of the Black Shield for his lifestyle. Though this is a Poor Lifestyle for apprentices and a Modest Lifestyle for shieldbearers, it is provided to Shields at no cost.
• Mentor: Rank 1-2. Apprentices of the order are assigned to a shieldbearer who acts as their mentor, teaching them the ways of the order and its tradition, and educating them in fighting skills. You also receive a chain shirt and a shield or pendant set with a piece of dorchasolas.
• Donning the Shield: Rank 3+. The apprentice becomes a shieldbearer and receives the Gatemail of the Black Shields, a set of mithril armor enchanted with the ability to open the Dark Gates.
• Patrol Maps: Rank 3+. Black Shields are also given a set of maps of the Patrolled Undervale which are annotated as Shields patrol and those annotations compiled and shared to everyone's maps on a monthly basis.
• Shield Sanctuaries: Rank 3+. The Black Shield maintains secret sanctuaries out in the Underwild around the Vale. These sanctuaries are equipped with food, water, 1d4 potions of healing, and a strong stone door that can only be sealed or unsealed by the wearer of a suit of Gatemail. In the Patrolled Undervale, a Black Shield may simply refer to their map for the location of the nearest sanctuary (a distance of about 1d4 hours; if lacking a map, it is a Survival DC 12). If in the Near-Wilds, it is a Survival DC 14 test, and a travel of about 2d4 hours.
• Underdark Experience: Rank 5+. After this long of being out in the underdark, the Black Shield has picked up a canny awareness of its dark expanses. You gain either the Deep Delver or Underdark Experience feature.

Important Members

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