Introduction

“It has come to my attention that certain rumors have been circulating throughout the city of Lómëdor and beyond regarding a certain organization called the 'Gauntlet Society.' Many fantastical notions have been invented regarding them and their so-called 'vengeful elimination of evil' through methods of varying intensity and creativity. I, and most likely you as well, have heard many of those tales; of the disguised demon suddenly found dead in his own home, of the witch who 'accidentally' killed herself in the creation of a brew she felt was perfectly stable.

However, after conducting an extensive investigation on this society, it is imperative to state that this 'Gauntlet Society' has been proven to be nonexistent. The rumors that have spread like wildfire are nothing more than that; rumors. Through our investigation we have confirmed that this is complete superstition on the part of Lómëdor's townspeople and not anything to worry about.”

Captain Thavron Ráma, Lómëdor Guard 3rd Company

Walking through the streets of Lómëdor, it is impossible to distinguish the difference between an average civilian or guardsman and a member of the secretive Gauntlet Society. Dedicated to the elimination and mass containment of corruption, Gauntlet members will eagerly use any means necessary to achieve their goals, and are well-known for being exceptionally crafty.

The exact number of members is unknown (no true roster of the guild exists for security purposes), but it is estimated there are at least 50, all based primarily in Lómëdor and the surrounding area, though still carrying influences throughout Arda. A guild of such small number makes direct confrontation with the largest evil superpowers almost impossible to win; instead, the guild inflicts crippling damage through activities such as assassination, infiltration, lawkeeping, and all-out small-group offensives against evil. Gauntlet members will survey, identify, and destroy targets they deem corrupt beyond redemption while using every possible power they have at their disposal.

Operating under the guise of an inn, the Gauntlet Society uses their establishment as a meeting place of sorts, though only Gauntlet members know of this fact. It is as though they hide in plain sight, using an area so public that both members and non-members may mingle without any differentiation between the two. The guild is heavily funded by many of Lómëdor's noble families, particularly the Marin family, and has a great backing from the Lómëdor Guard.

Organization

The history of the Gauntlet Society is not clearly defined, but a mere rumor that recently sprang up and spread; it is uncertain when these rumors began or even when the organization itself was founded. Officials deny the existence of such a society, and the citizens of Lómëdor as a whole seem divided on the issue.

The guildmaster of the Gauntlet Society is me, Thavron. The current co-leader of the guild is Vivianne. I plan to appoint more co-leaders as they prove themselves (there will be no more than three at any given time). These Gauntlet upper members are not as prestigious as the generals of more frontal organizations, but they are to be held with respect. These (up to four) members are mostly in charge of assigning tasks to members and leading small-group attempts to thwart evil.

Members of the Gauntlet Society are vast and varied, ranging from nearly harmless civilian bar wenches to the most devout of Lothlomendil's paladins. Even despite levels of military might, every member seems to fall into their own personal niche, helping contain evil in their own way. Upon joining the Gauntlet Society, you are a normal member, helping in manners that you wish. If you so choose, you may also specialize in a “job” that is best for your character. This is not a hierarchy system (every member is equal excepting the guildmaster and the co-leaders), but a way of in-character enrichment when playing in guild topics. If you choose a job you may also be assigned special tasks within a guild mission for you to perform.

Jobs

It is not required for all members of the Gauntlet Society to have a specialized job. This is only for possible character enrichment purposes, not a set of cookie-cutter requirements you must have. If there is a possible (logical) job that I missed, please let me know.

Infiltrator: You have an especially keen eye for evil and a knack for skillful trickery. In most cases you are sent behind enemy lines, acting as your enemies for varying lengths of time in order to gather information. Once you've found what you needed from amongst the corrupt, you leave as quietly as you came to allow the more violent Gauntlets to clean up.

Be careful, though; if you are revealed or prone and in great danger, the global distress signal of the Society is an offhanded fist momentarily made when holding the arm up vertical, so the hand is next to the head. Veteran Infiltrators may make this gesture so naturally and so integrated with other idle movements that it does not even look peculiar to most.

Eliminator: Your enemies are beyond forgiveness and deserve death, which you bring with relative ease and, in most cases, subtlety. Once the Infiltrators have gathered information, you are sent in to do the dirty work, spilling blood in tactical ways that profoundly cripple the forces of evil.

Since most regular Gauntlet members will help in killing these monsters or corrupt men, you are special in that you are trained to eliminate key figures at their source in a type of “good-natured assassination.” This is what sets the Eliminators apart.

Slayer: A type of sub-class of the Eliminators, you know how to kill a certain type of enemy and you do it well. Whether it be rauko, werewolves, the undead, dragons, or any beast capable of falling into the clutches of evil, your specialty is well-known by the Gauntlet Society. When that type of enemy is known to be a contender in a mission, you are placed on the frontlines.

Becoming a Slayer does not require your character to have a class that is a “___slayer.” If you are adept at defeating a certain type of monster, you may take this job regardless of class. Upon taking this job, please specify which type of enemy your character is skilled in slaying.

Protector: You are among those whose primary concern is the prevention of evil, rather than the destruction of it. Intermingling with non-Gauntlet lawkeepers you aid in maintaining order and peace while eliminating crime at its source, before it can fester into something worse. You are among guardsmen, good samaritans, knights and bounty hunters.

This job still can become violent, however, in the case of your targets resisting arrest or otherwise fighting back; it is advised that you remain armed and prepared at all times.

NEW: Cleaner: Charged with all things related to the guild's management of information, Cleaners make sure the activities of the guild do not leave a trace beyond those wished by Gauntlet itself. They come in all shapes and sizes, discreetly swooping into the aftermath of a guild operation to dispose of or position bodies, remove incriminating objects from the scene, and other near-literal "cleaning" duties.

Other Cleaners focus less on the removal of physical evidence and more on the suppression of leaked information. Masterful in the omission or slight skewing of important facts, these Cleaners are capable of making straight-faced lies to a crowd, forging documents, and otherwise bending the truth to omit all traces or evidence of the Gauntlet Society's involvement.

This job is almost completely nonviolent, and is perfect for characters of that type, though still just as difficult as the other occupations within the guild. In only one situation may Cleaners be placed in a possibly violent place; when helping to make people "disappear."

Guild Hall: The Grinning Toad Inn

"Yes, yes, I am Silver Kaeryn. I've been chosen to run this little establishment. I am 6'11", this hair is not dyed, it really is light blonde, and no, I have never used the flamberge above the hard liquor rack. Furthermore, I will not be dealing with any silly inquiries about this place's connections to Thavron Ráma. He is a guard-captain, he likes his food exquisite. Oh, and yes, I am an elven girl, not some imposter. Any other questions?"

Silver Kaeryn, Innkeeper of The Grinning Toad

"This inn symbolizes quite a bit in our history, and as we discovered it might be going bankrupt, we decided to purchase and fund it. Think of it as a memorial to Lómëdor history, nothing more, nothing less."

Admiral John Marin

The Gauntlet Society operates under the face of an inn, where they are able to congregate safely amongst non-members, assigning and being assigned tasks as well as collecting revenue that ultimately funds the guild. Staff rooms and underground catacombs beneath the inn will be used for alternative, more secretive guild-related business. Gauntlet's forum description will be shorter than most guilds; most of its detailed description will be in an alternate topic that is linked to in order to save space. The forum description (possibly a working piece) is as follows:

The Grinning Toad Inn is one of Lómëdor's oldest landmarks. An imposing structure situated on Lómëdor Square, it effectively dominates the fine accommodations business in the city. The exterior is woodwork, elegantly curved, with a wealth of glass windows dotting its walls. The well-lit interior is always brimming with activity, waitresses scurrying about delivering delicious food to the numerous tables. Above the bar is an awning that holds a section devoted to fair gambling with house game masters. Beyond that is an entire wing devoted to the rooms of patrons who are staying in the inn.

Join the Gauntlet Society

Despite the in-character secretiveness of the guild, Gauntlet is open to every character of good or neutral alignment that wishes to aid in covert efforts to stamp out corruption! =D Simply post here with a statement of your interest, and any possible job or jobs (listed above) you may be interested in for your character.

In order to join, your character's intentions must be good; a pure heart is not a requirement, as some Gauntlet members can become especially brutal toward evil, but please note that your character will not be permitted to broadcast their membership openly. Gauntlet members are notorious for leading prominent double-lives; it is advised your character has a secondary job as well as secret membership in the guild, though they should not be too busy so as to not be ready when Gauntlet sends out word amongst their members for help with missions.

Please note that if you are of a race that is more predisposed to evil alignments (such as black dragons or demons), you will still be permitted to enter the guild if you meet all of its standards. In-character, however, expect to be treated with suspicion initially. You are not required to follow a deity, but those who worship chaotic or dark gods or guardians will not be allowed in the guild. If you decide to join the guild, you absolutely cannot intentionally harm innocents; proof of this will get you forcibly removed from Gauntlet's ranks and possibly silenced.

Activities with the Gauntlet Society will not only be extremely diverse but nearly constant, as the guildmaster and co-leaders are incredibly active and will not disappear without prior notice. These activities will vary from semi-large-scale to small-scale, from guildmaster-made to member-made, dealing with NPC's and PC's, and then some. Once you are a member (and even non-members as well), I guarantee that there will nearly always be something for you to join regarding the guild. See this post for more information on the organization of guild missions. See this post for information on a unique mission type, training missions.

The guild's official purchase topic and application can be found here.

Credit Where Credit is Due

A huge thanks goes out to Sky for helping me narrow down the concept of this guild and helping make it so ridiculously cool, as well as creating the character of the Innkeeper and the quotes for that section. The forum description of the guild hall was also written by him. The Gauntlet Society would be tons less badass if not for him!

More credit will be added to this section as other members may help make this guild the best it can possibly be.

Gauntlet Society Topics and Missions

1. Minor Mission: Putting Down the Beast [Planning] [Complete]
Leader: Thavron
Thavron has arranged a small strike force to move to the sewers and ambush the mass-murderer and cannibal Omurn (PC), slaying him for the atrocities he has committed and staging his death like that of a suicide.

2. Major Mission: The Price of Betrayal [Planning]
Leader: Thavron
A pair of traitors have fled from Lomedor with a suspiciously-accrued wealth on their hands, and a stakeout arranged by Thavron has the intent of kidnapping and interrogating them to find the true extent of the crisis.

3. Minor Mission: Funeral Pyre [Planning]
Leader: Irienys
The Shadovar Concordance has assassinated a member of the Gauntlet Society, but before revenge can be taken, a funeral must be held. Since the family of the slain member is unaware of the guild's existence, several Gauntlet members must secretly join the funeral to keep watch and prevent an attack from occurring.

4. Major Mission: Delve Into Darkness [Planning]
Leader: Vivianne
After the interrogation of a pair of traitors it has been revealed that in order to silence those who have been sold information about the guild, Gauntlet must journey into the Drow homeland of the Underdark to eliminate the information leak once and for all.

5. Recreational Mission: The Marin Summer Ball [Planning]
Leader: Thavron
All Gauntlet members have been invited to a ball held in one of the mansions of the noble Marin family as a "break" from their constant toil, mingling with non-members of all backgrounds.

6. Mass-Initiation Topic: The Calling [No Planning]
Leader: Thavron
In the early hours of the day, a bedraggled Thavron enters the sparsely populated Grinning Toad Inn to prepare for the retrieval and initiation of several new Gauntlet members.

”Roster” of the Gauntlet Society

[Name – Job (if any)]
Thavron - Guildmaster
Vivianne - Co-Leader
Ikoru Yami - Infiltrator
Morom Ironfist - Eliminator
Bermfad - Eliminator
Zilfer - Eliminator
Threnody ("Astraea") - Eliminator
Swordhunter - Eliminator, Werewolf Slayer
Sir Caius Lucus - Eliminator, Vampire Slayer
Loryc - Drow Slayer
Amras Arnatuilë - Assassin Slayer
Bane - Drow/Demon Slayer
Star Dust - Protector
Pacelock - Protector
Tavic - Protector
Fira - Protector
Alaster - Protector
Arpad Maygarozag - Protector
Naois - Protector, Demon/Undead Slayer
Saint Marcus - Protector, Dragon Slayer
Sealamin Joysword - Cleaner
Kallias - Member
Dur - Member
Irienys - Member
Najya - Member
Dee - Member
Ventus Ryu - Member

Honorary Members
Godfrey - Demon Slayer Helper

I'd like to join. I'm not sure my character suits a specific job, so I'll just be a random member. :unsure:

Down wif the evildoers! :torch:

Hello, I am Morom the dwarf warrior. I detest acts of evil and I am willing to help combat it in any form. I like to travel around to far away lands, seeking adventures! I am interested in becoming a Elliminator.

Excellent! Both of you are in, and I have added you to the roster. Welcome aboard. ^_^

I have the perfect Infiltrator for you right here, Iko! Smooth talker and a mind reader, he'll even tell you what color socks you have on :p....

Perfect, you're in!

Finally, maybe there will be an active good guild for Shadovar to fight with! :frantic:

Awesome idea. B)

Wow the Shadovar Guild is still alive!? :blink:

Not for long :shifty:

http://therealmofarda.com/index.php?showto...dpost&p=3671293

Link that into your sigs, okay folks? It makes you really cool and gives the Guild some views from potential guild members!

What is out guild's official color?

I like the idea. So, I guess I'll join, but as a regular member for now. :yes:

Emp, the official colors are an iron gray and silver, like that of a gauntlet itself. ^_^ And you're in, Amras!

So do you have plans to get someone to make us a signature image to display instead of just the link? :unsure:

If anyone would like to, then they're free to make one; I just thought that in the context of this guild, a "calling card" like logo would make its existence way too obvious. XD

Probably :lol: But maybe just a pretty signature image with a nice background and the guilds name? It doesn't have to have any IC ramifications, it would just make our signatures look nicer and also make the guild link stand out more. :r

Edit- Er, yeah, this is Kallias. But you knew that already.

*eyes Protector possition* ^_^ I'd like to join.. *will leave Keepers?* That's if you will have me? ^_^;

Yes, yes we will have you. >.> As co-leader, I declare Starreh to be 100% in. >.>

Thavron would too.

I am interested in becoming a part of the guild. The less evils and corrupts in the world, the better place that it will be. However, I am afraid that I would just be a member and nothing specific. I hope that is okay...?

I sent some things I found on the net to Thavron that could be used as the guild's logo. She has not said anything about whether or not she likes any of them yet. ^_^;

I hate and love this Guild all at once. BADI is like...not-living, now a new goody one pops up! :bite:

Thavvyyyy, I kinda want to join, but if I did it'd be with Dur. And being a tiefling, that makes it slightly annoying. And she hasn't KILLED anybody...but there's been a few moments where she might've intimidated a shop keeper or two to get money for food that night :r More often than not though, she'd be doing helpful/proactive activities than anything a bit unscrupulous...would she be unallowed from joining the Guild for past actions during here period of aimlessness? (Knowing her she probably got arrested a few times and thrown into the drunk tank in Lomedor)

That's perfectly fine, Fira, and as co-leader I say you are in, and I expect(100%) that Thavron is okay with it as well.

As for Dar, I'd assume we wouldn't know those ikkle details, and it isn't our nature to metagame. Except for the arrests, and it'd be up to Thav, as Vivi wouldn't care. Logically, of course, being a drunk isn't that major of a crime...

Star, Fira, and Dur are all in. ^_^ I have no problems with any of you guys, just to clarify things. *Thavron runs off to add them all to the roster

Current Member Count: 9
Target: 12

>.> Butter under my pillow!

I guess I am in with this guy.
I'll take Protector I guess.

Righto, then! :D Welcome aboard, Hriky!

Edit: By the way, I plan to get the first guild mission up sometime next week, for anyone that was wondering.

I guess I'll have Nao join, probobly as a protector, but being a demon slayer sounds fun too...

Irienys is in. If shes accepted that is. I'll take any job you give me but if its nothing important then stick me down for eliminator. Cheers!

Great Nao, I added you as per our little chat in the Cbox. Irie is also inzorz!

Also, I'd like to toss in some more info regarding the mission setup I'm going to be using (this will eventually be added to the main post, I hope). The majority of the time there will be two Gauntlet missions going on simultaneously; one "major" mission and one "minor" mission. Major missions are more broad in concept and can be joined by any Gauntlet member (or non-member, as the mission permits). Minor missions will be smaller-scale, probably more specialized, and will be open to signups for a smaller amount of people.

I have the concepts of the first major and minor mission thought through already (the major involves a group of NPC's and the minor is one PC that volunteered, antagonist-wise). I will hopefully get both up next week. ^_^ Since I don't have a DM account, missions will basically function like Ita's raids did.

I'd like to join as an honorary member, and I'll help the slayers out.

Excellent, FreyFrey. ^_^ Everything's good, since we had that little exchange of PM's. You just won't be very "on the inside" as much as Gauntlet politics goes. But you said you didn't mind, so I'll go ahead and add you in as an honorary like ya asked. =D

Thanks ^_^

The first minor mission for Gauntlet is up! :hyper: Find its planning topic (which has a link to the main mission topic) here. Sign up while positions are open and get a chance to kill Omurn, whoo!

I will get the major mission (which is open to any Gauntlet member with no cap) up as soon as I can, tomorrow at the latest.

Oh, and Najya is planning to be in the Gauntlet.

Is there still time to join? I would love to be an eliminator or slayer if possible.

Right then, you guys have been added. :D Swordhunter, what kind of Slayer would you like to be?

A werewolf slayer would be fine.

Are there going to be any benefits to being a member? Also will there be a 'Bank' for the guild? Like the one that the Shadovar has? I don't mean to be troublesome by asking these questions, I am just curious.

Well, as a member, you've got an extra area to post in with The Grinning Toad (though anyone can do that), chances for character progression, support from other PC's, and the chance to get into lots of different events, plus that whole activity thing. Additionally I plan to have some missions where in a logical way (such as in topics that relate to combat training) people are given items or 'taught' spells, but doing this would require a bank like you said. Those kinds of item missions would be more infrequent the more valuable things we give away, though, and I'm assuming they'd only exist after the creation of the guild.

Also, I'd like to announce that the first major mission is up, that any Gauntlet member can join. The planning topic, which then has a link to the actual mission, can be found here. =D