Matthew created this article. It was lost during a recent crash. This is a cached version of it as of Nov 2014. It would be nice if someone adopted it.
The Ruv'na Draft
The Intro Blurb:
The Ruv'na are a mixed group of people originating from the Pre-Valterrian era who feel the influence of the Gods on Mizahar is too heavy handed. They oppose any and all divine intervention in life on Mizahar. To that end the Ruv'na really act like anti-god fanatics and move in any direction they can to thwart divine will. It should be noted that their actions are normally not incredibly direct or obvious. The Ruv'na will not set fire to a temple, knowing that this would provoke sympathy for the god. Instead they seek to discredit them, to disprove them. They are skilled at using politics, disguise, and all sorts of deceit to achieve their goals. All Gods are included in their scorn, regardless of alignment or sphere of influence.
Membership:
Becoming a Ruv'na:
There are many families that make up the bulk of the Ruv’na, men and women who have dedicated their existence to this very cause. The most common way to become a member of the Ruv’na is to simply be born into one of the families. A Ruv’na family produces a very unique kind of individual however, something that should be noted for any PCs looking to create someone who was born into the organization.
Almost all other members of the Ruv’na are recruited into the faction. The Ruv’na is an extremely secretive group, hard to track down and actually approach with the intention of joining. More often than not, the Ruv’na will find you. They keep an eye on those who express displeasure with the gods and will often approach them if they feel that the individual will be of use. Those with Negative Gnosis marks are especially targeted, the Ruv’na tempting them with a way to perhaps release them from their torment. In any case, simply express your displeasure with the gods and the Ruv’na will eventually find you.
The Ruv’na do value a particular set of skills. Children raised within a Ruv’na family will find themselves trained in a selection of these skills, while potential members from the outside will be valued for their talent in these skills. The Ruv’na will also make it a point to train a member in these skills, a certain level of expertise required for advancement within the ranks.
Acting
Disguise
Impersonation
Intelligence
Interrogation
Leadership
Persuasion
Poison
Politics
Seduction
Subterfuge
Tactics
Torture
Weapon Skills
Certain magical skills are valued as well.
Alchemy
Auristics
Hypnotism
Magecraft
Shielding
Webbing (Extremely valued)
The Ruv'na Ranks:
When a person joins the Ruv'na and completes their training they are given an operative name that they go by thereafter. These names are usually one-word titles that are generally shapes, colors, or objects. Upon the completion of training and the assumption of an operative name, the Ruv'na are then branded on the back of their neck with the symbol of their organization interwoven with their operative name symbol. As they advance through the ranks, their name may change and symbols may be added. Each new member will also receive a small coin with Static magecrafted into it, the purpose of which is further explained in the Additional Notes. The rankings of the Ruv’na are as follows.
The Objects: Objects are the lowest ranking members of the Ruv’na, people who have completed the required training but aren’t considered fully “whole”. This ranking is most commonly reserved for those who were not born into one of the many families that the Ruv’na is mainly composed of. Objects are often abused in many ways, either directly toyed with by their superiors or sent on missions that only the cruelest could possibly complete. This is not an act of pure evil, instead it is a way to make sure that the Object is faithful to the cause. The Objects are exactly what their rank states, mere objects used to further the goals of the Ruv’na. Only when their loyalty is without question are they allowed to become something more.
The Colors: Colors are the next rank, their name symbolic for the individuality that they have begun to take on within the faction. These are members that will be trusted to carry out missions passed down to them.. They are often partnered with other Colors or assigned to a Shape for guidance and leadership. Many people that are born into the Ruv’na will go straight to this ranking once they have finished their training. Objects will find that this level is extremely hard to reach, requiring great acts of loyalty for the Ruv’na to trust them with this responsibility. Static, a magic that some people might try to infiltrate the Ruv’na to learn, is only taught at this level.
The Shapes: These are the most trusted of followers and often the most dangerous. They are usually powerful and intelligent people who have been trusted with great tasks. The Shapes are so vital to the goals of the Ruv’na that lower ranking members usually have no idea who any of the Shapes are unless apprenticed under them or tasked by them. The Shapes are the ones who infiltrate governments, relentlessly hunt down marked followers and murder them, and other such dangerous tasks. The Ruv’na even whispers that some of the Shapes may have infiltrated into the followers of the gods themselves.
The Body: The Body of the Ruv’na consists of seven members: six legs and one head. While all similar in power, they are under the leadership of the head, who has the final say on every movement the Ruv’na will make. The existence of the legs is to make sure that a leading body is maintained if the head was to ever be killed in action. The most immediately available leg will instantly take the place of the head, allowing the Body to continue working without pause. These are the men and women who firmly believe that they can remove the gods from Mizahar, and that actually may have the ability to do it.
The Ruv'na Training:
Preferred Races:
While there are no real preferred races, there are races that the Ruv’na are usually quite biased against. Any of the races that are usually found with a Gnosis of some sort (Konti, Svefra, etc) are generally despised by the Ruv’na.
Ending Service:
It is extremely rare for a Ruv’na to be able to end his service on his own terms, if not completely impossible. The Ruv’na are well aware of the dangerous line they walk by opposing the gods and have no interest in leaving any loose ends. However, it isn’t unheard of for long-serving members of the Ruv’na to retire once age, illness or injury renders them unable to serve. More often than not though, they are heavily encouraged to volunteer for mundane tasks that still benefit the greater good of the group.
Additional Notes:
Being Born into the Ruv'na:
Ruv’na children are usually raised in a way that others would see as cruel and demented. The Ruv’na believe that concepts such as Love, Good, and Evil are defined by the gods that reside over those domains. The Ruv’na reject those ideas and their god-given definitions, instead raising their children in a way that is completely unique to the parent. The child is often raised with no concept of good or evil, no concept of kindness or cruelty. They are trained to hate the gods and those that follow them, mental conditioning quite a popular method of parenting in the Ruv’na. Children are often allowed to participate in the torture and murder of a captured marked follower, allowing them to funnel and use the hatred that is bred into them. With no concept of normal morality or good values, PC’s raised in a Ruv’na family can grow up to be very warped or unique in their outlook on life. This does not mean they are crazy or insane. Their state of mind and morality is just extremely different than the norm.
The Coin:
The Coin is one of the core concepts that keeps the Ruv’na running. The faction is frighteningly effective in how well they work together. All members of the same rank are equal to another. Members of a lesser rank obey the orders of those above them without question. If a member has a disagreement with another member of the same rank, the Coin to be used in order to instantly resolve the conflict. Upon joining the Ruv’na, each member is gifted with a small magecrafted coin that holds a small amount of Static. The coin looks like a normal gold miza, though it vibrates and hums ever so slightly. Upon any disagreement, the coin is flipped and the one who calls the flip correctly is the one who immediately has the final say. Luck and Fate are both concepts that are also governed by the gods. The Static Coin is symbolic of the disconnect that the Ruv’na wishes to have between themselves and the gods, a unique way of making sure that every choice they make is completely their own.
