Written by John Payne
Illustrated by Rob Torno
Order of Artemis by Rob Torno
Editing by Ian Toltz and Paul King
O Cheir tes Poines (The Hand of Vengeance)
Background
The origins of the order begin with Taelyn, the former wife of a respected councilman. Through the efforts of an unknown woman or demon, Taelyn’s husband was disgraced and branded as a traitor for embezzlement of city funds. She discovered her husband’s body–dead by his own hand–lying next to his temptress. Taelyn watched as this woman strolled out the door, powerless to stop her. The demon’s parting words still reverberate in her ears:
Power is my master. I have worked too hard at his conquest to allow anyone to take him away from me.
The Order of Artemis is an organization comprised of women dedicated to banishing demons and administering justice. There are two requirements to become a member: losing your love to an evil woman and gaining the trust of a current member. After a time of testing, those that pass are granted membership. New members immediately begin training in a combat skill or magic. The specific skill or magic is determined by the leader of the local leader of the Order. Upon joining, a member is bound to other members by a solemn oath; breaking this oath results in a death sentence.
It is also believed that members of the group are branded with a secret tattoo. This is unverified information. Such markings are never obvious as the order is currently illegal. If it exists, it would seem to serve as a secret way for one member to identify another.
In a recent covert operation, members posed as hirelings working for an organized crime syndicate. Leaders within the Order of Artemis believed that one or more demons were directing the syndicate’s actions. When the purported leader was captured, it was discovered that he was a friend of the king. To prevent the order from being discovered, he was exiled to the underworld.
The king considers the order an outlaw vigilante group and actively pursues the capture of its members. However, many of the poor and homeless actively protect the order from the King. In many slums, they are considered heroes, especially in places where agents of The Desire have been eliminated.
Mission
The organization exists to seek vengeance against anyone that has harmed members of the group. A secondary goal is to protect other women from suffering caused by others, regardless of the source. This has brought the order into conflict with the King, certain demonic princes of the underworld, and most specifically of The Desire herself.
Structure
The Order of Artemis is highly-disciplined and rigidly organized. Taelyn is the leader of the entire order. Her select group of advisers and retainers comprise the First Cohort. The First Cohort is responsible for making decisions that affect the entire order as it operates throughout the world. Under the First Cohort are local cohorts responsible protecting various cities or areas within the kingdom. Each local cohort reports to the First Cohort, but is given great leeway to make decisions locally.
Within each cohort, members are organized into individual teams of four specialists. One specialist uses magic. Another uses a unique weapon called a demontrapper, a type of sasumata that prevents a creature captured by it from enacting a magical escape. The third member of a team is an expert in the crossbow while the last is lethal with bladed weapons. Occasionally, the local cohort leader will accompany a team.
Members of the Order avoid lethal combat whenever possible. Magic is used to immobilize targets, banish demons, or aid individuals of the order. If no other options exist, a team will use lethal force with calculated efficiency.
Benefits/Drawbacks
- The greatest benefit of membership within the order is the physical protection provided by the local cohort. In a few cases, more than one cohort, led by Taelyn herself, will stand together to protect a member.
- Members are provided with a strong purpose after suffering the devastating loss of a loved one.
- A side benefit, depending on perspective, is training in a combat skill or magic.
- The greatest drawback in being a member is a vow to remain faithful to a deceased spouse. A member can never fall in love again. The cost of breaking this vow is exile.
Adventure Hooks
- The party encounters a woman being attacked by what appears to be four assailants. The woman calls out for help when pinned to a wall by one of her attackers.
- A female member of the party is being followed by an Artemis member. In a case of mistaken identity, the local cohort believes that the female party member is a demon. When efforts to isolate the female member of the party prove unsuccessful, the cohort tries to take her while the party is sleeping.
- At the behest of a councilman, the party is hired to investigate reports of vigilantes that have begun terrorizing the town recently. It seems that this band of thugs target women as their victims.
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Order of Artemis by Nevermet Press is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.nevermetpress.com/contact.
