d20 Top Fashion Games Secret Orders Volume 1 - Order of the Emerald Scarab.pdf

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SECRET ORDERS VOL 1:
ORDER OF THE EMERALD SCARAB
Credits:
Written And Edited By David Woodrum
Published By Top Fashion Games
CONTACT:
Game Label:
Top Fashion Games
594 Stoney Battery Road
Marion, VA 24354
Author:
David (Dave) Woodrum
Original Art:
David (Dave) Woodrum
Original Graphics (Cover):
David (Dave) Woodrum
About The Author:
Dave Woodrum has worked in the role playing game industry for over seven years. Most of
his success, however, has been over the last two years writing on various related products.
Dave lives in the Eastern part of the United States.
Copyright Information:
The contents of this product are copyright 2004, Top Fashion Games.
UNIVERSALLY COMPATIBLE:
This product contains information that is designed to be universally compatible with most
forms of paper and dice, fantasy role playing games. Information regarding coinage, etc.
has been explained within the text of the product to allow ease of conversion.
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SECRET ORDERS:
The Secret Orders collection from Top Fashion Games reflects upon the various secret societies
or cults that might be found in a fantasy campaign setting. While most of this information is
provided in a manner that is intended to be flavorful and light on rules it is possible that a few
elements, notably races and monsters, may not be compatible or featured in a particular role
playing setting.
Several editions of Secret Orders also hold mention of the cost of certain items. These item costs
can be converted to your campaign by observing the following figures:
1copper= a small amount of money, equal in value to the purchase of a simple torch, a very small
loaf of bread, or the petty offering to a beggar.
1silver= a staple monetary sum, equal to a poor, unskilled laborer’s work for one day or a plain,
simple meal at a small inn. One silver coin is worth around ten copper coins.
1gold= a sum of money mostly used by skilled craftsmen, merchants, and aristocrats. One gold
coin is worth around ten silver coins.
THE FEATURED SECRET ORDER:
Below is the featured secret order for this volume edition of Secret Orders.
ORDER OF THE EMERALD SCARAB:
Spread out amongst the crowded, urban environments where greater amounts of wealth and the
higher degrees of intellect is passed about more openly and freely, there exists a secretive, sacred
order of wizardry. Known as the Order Of The Emerald Scarab, it is said that this organization is
comprised of the wealthiest and most influential of magical scholars and wizards.
Membership:
True to the mystery, rumours, and gossip from the outsiders who have seen the green logo of the
organization, only wealthy, successful wizards, alchemists, potion makers, and other individuals
who practiced “taught” magic are allowed to join this secretive order. All members wear either a
ring or a pin signifying their membership to the order, and this ring or pin is constructed from
gold and features a scarab cut from fine emerald. This pin or ring is typically worth around 3,500
gold, ensuring that only the most successful of individuals can afford the price required to display
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their association.
In addition to the pin or ring, all members are required to pay a yearly due. This due is equal to
800 gold for the newer members, and 500 gold for elder members, or those rather having served
over 10 years in the order. While the dues may seem a little steep the magical knowledge shared
from within the lodge, or guild hall, of the order is more than well worth the price. Additional
donations are also received from the members of the order so that repairs to the hall can be made
as well as the development of new chapters in other communities.
Obtaining membership is not something that a person can so much set out to do on their own as it
is granted, or rather offered, to an individual by existing members of the order. Once an
individual has proven their magical practices and studies to be worthy of the order, in addition to
the overall success of the individual of course, a member of the order who has been so for at least
2 years shall approach the promising individual with an initiation offer. The initiation is said to
be rather trying and gruelling, but not abusive nor particularly dangerous. The Order Of The
Emerald Scarab is more interested in judging the mettle of one’s mental reasoning and magical
aptitude than they are scaring and/or humiliating a prospect in the rites of
brotherhood/sisterhood.
Beyond the judgement of one’s wealth and educated practices of the mysterious arts the Order Of
The Emerald Scarab is actually reasonably liberal in regards to their memberships. Male and
females alike may join and while humans make up the dominant portion of the membership there
are quite a few members from other races, including members who would be otherwise viewed
as “monstrous creatures” by common villagers. When in need such “monstrosities” are protected
by the other members of the order and/or escorted into and out of the chapter halls with a tone of
secrecy and discreetness.
The order also pays no mind to one’s sense of cosmic harmony in regards to good and evil, order
and chaos. Most members lean towards goodness or neutrality, but as long as a student of magic
is able to keep their lives successful and their studies to the arts true then they are accepted,
whether they are evil, good, or otherwise. Members of conflicting cosmic alignment within the
order share a pact to avoid combative situations with one another at all costs.
Spiritual Focus:
As the order is mostly concerned with the virtues of magical study and personal success, the
Order Of The Emerald Scarab does not lean towards any particular form of spiritual focus.
Occurrence And Frequency:
Chapters of the order spring up in the form of lodges or guildhalls in communities that are large
and prosperous enough to support enough suitable members. Once a new chapter is developed an
elder from the nearest, existing chapter takes over as the temporary chapter guild master until a
suitable member of the new chapter can be properly elected.
Though little is known about the actual practices of the order by common outsiders, spotting a
guild hall can be somewhat easy. One needs to merely look for a sturdy, well constructed
dwelling of stone featuring a hammered sign that’s bearing the emerald green scarab of the order.
Influences:
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When a chapter of the Order Of The Emerald Scarab exists within a community one will often
find that the order holds a considerable yet subtle amount of influence over various activities of
the town. The order does not suppress the trade of magical goods or the development of new
students of magic but it is common to see a member of the order silently observing such
transactions or studies from a distance every so often. A young student can be assured that they
must be doing well or studying properly if they happen to catch a glimpse of a wealthy stranger
who’s wearing a pin or ring with the trademark symbol of the order.
The order, it is claimed, has a degree of influence and judgement over the trades of paper or
parchment making, book binding, candle making, and other crafts that the practicing wizard
would most likely make good use of. In this aspect the order takes considerable action in the fact
that shoddy or crooked merchants of such items are usually run out of town rather quickly by
powerful members of the order. The order wishes not to suppress such trades, but rather ensure
that the finest of quality and the most acceptable of business practices flourish in such crafts and
trades.
The Order Of The Emerald Scarab also serve as protectors over the communities that they reside
in. Even the most evil or diabolical of members has good enough sense to realize that without
some degree of protection of the surrounding community their own chapter hall would most
likely be destroyed. Members of the order protect the area, however, as quietly and effectively as
they can without drawing in too much outside notice. Members of the local guards are quite
aware of the order’s ability to protect, however, and it goes without saying that after helping the
community ward off a couple of major threats the members of the guard are more than happy to
let the order continue their strange, secretive practices as it is quite possibly to the overall benefit
of the community for the order to do so.
History:
The Order Of The Emerald Scarab was formed around two hundred years past by a group of
highly educated, successful wizards. Having acquired a great deal of new knowledge regarding
educated magical practices from the foreign lands that they had visited the wizards adopted the
image of a scarab, then a rather obscure visage most commonly associated with exotic magical
arts, and formed the first lodge as a means of sharing their newly acquired knowledge with other
individuals. Only members showing aptitude in arcane research as well as the successfulness of
their own personal lives were allowed to join. Within the first five years additional lodges were
added in surrounding communities and the romantic mystery surrounding the order began to
spread out amongst the commoners of the towns and cities that the lodges were located in.
Enemies:
The order has no specific enemies in the sense of any particular orders or races. The Order Of
The Emerald Scarab have naturally gained the hatred of a few groups of monsters and individuals
whom have had their plots foiled by the organization but these villains are far and few between.
Quite often the order takes complete care against future suffering from such villains by utterly
eradicating and destroying such oppression.
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