| Table of Contents: Envoys of the Grand Master |
Introduction
With so many new members seeking out the Brotherhood, it is impossible for the Grandmaster to know all of them, or to watch over their progress on the individual level. Most join without knowing anybody personally in the Brotherhood. To this end, the Grandmaster has a number of Dark Jedi serving as his Envoys to the new members. Enjoying, or perhaps burdened by, a dual representation to the Grandmaster and the individual’s own clan and house, Envoys are charged with aiding newcomers during the early steps of their career as Dark Jedi, when the new members are the most vulnerable to delusions of grandeur or the uncertainty that marks a person who is learning to control their natural affinity for the Force.
History of the Envoys
The Early Days
Revitalization
III. The Envoys Today The Envoys of today continue to carry out their mission as laid out by Pyralis and his team. A careful balance was crafted, where the Clan and House Summits could appoint the Envoys they thought were best suited to represent them. At the same time, the Headmaster, as an advisor to the Grandmaster, had final say over the Envoys. Even after Pyralis stepped down from Headmaster, the Envoys continued to operate under Project: Dark Fury. However, with the Headmaster the nominal head of the Envoys, the position of Knight Commander of the Brotherhood remained empty. The Envoys were basically left to survive on their own. When Spears Tarentae became the Headmaster, he initially granted himself the title of Knight Commander of the Brotherhood, ensuring that he was officially the leader of the Envoys. Later, after a more central direction was established for the Envoys, Spears appointed his praetor Anshar Kahn to lead the Envoys as Knight Commander of the Brotherhood, but still under the command of the Headmaster as was called for in Dark Fury. The ranking system was revised and the sometimes overlapping duties of the House and Clan level envoys were clarified.
To this day, The Envoys continue to serve as the representatives of the Grandmaster and their Clan or House to new members.
IV. Envoy Ranks There are a few ranks within the Society of Envoys, based upon position and experience as Envoys. The ranks are as follows:
1. Knight Commander of the Brotherhood: The Knight Commander is charged with leading the Society and coordinating all Brotherhood wide Envoy activities. The Knight Commander monitors the advancement of new members and the progress they make within a clan. The Knight Commander reports to the Headmaster of the Shadow Academy and the Grand Master. He or she is often a praetor or magistrate to the Headmaster. The Knight Commander is the highest rank that anyone can attain in the Society. There can be only one Knight Commander at any given time and when one retires, a new Knight Commander will be appointed by the Headmaster and the Grand Master.
2. Knight First Class Envoy: Knight First Class is the highest rank a normal member can obtain with the society. Knight First Class Envoys have served diligently for some time and are still active within the society, without becoming the Knight Commander. Knight First Class Envoys can hold any level of Envoy job. The Grand Master holds the right to request that the Knight First Class Envoys serve for a limited time on special sections of the Brotherhood (ACC, the RPG, etc) as he deems fit.
3. Knight Class Envoy: This is the minimum rank required to serve as a Clan level Envoy. Like the Knight First Class, the Knight Class Envoys can hold any position within the society, although, they won’t have served as long.
4. Envoy: This is the lowest rank within the society and the minimum rank that is given to those society members representing their Houses. They work on the house level to help new members learn their way around and get adjusted. Envoys report to their clan level Envoy, who in turn reports to the KCB.
5. Free Envoy: Free Envoys are envoys who retired in high standing within the society. Though still within the society, they have no official obligations. They may serve as advisors to the Knight Commander. Should a free envoy desire to return to the active ranks of the society, they shall be restored at their old rank. In order for the title of Free Envoy to be given, the member must also be at least a Dark Jedi Knight in rank.
6. Assistant Envoys: These are the lowest of all envoys and they are not full members of the society. They are normal members specifically charged with greeting and helping new members. They are under the direction of their House level Envoy. Assistant Envoys serve for short periods of time and once this time is up, they may either seek to join the society or return to normal membership. This position is optional, may be used to satisfy any position requirements for advance, and appointment of Assistant Envoys is up to the Clan/House leaders with the approval of the Knight Commander. There shall be no more than 1 Assistant Envoy per house. In addition, the position can be rotating, as well. If a regular Envoy goes on leave, an assistant Envoy may fill in for him.
IV. Membership Full membership in the Society is restricted to those members chosen by the Clan Summits and the Grandmaster. Envoy positions are generally not open to application at any time, though it is within the rights and powers of a Consul to hold applications for open Envoy positions within the clan, should he or she so desire.
The Envoys are not a new concept within the Brotherhood, but their mission has changed over the years. When they were initially conceived, the Envoys were meant to serve as intelligence gatherers for the Grandmaster. It was during these early days that the basic command structure of the Envoys was laid down, with the leader of the Envoys reporting directly to the Grandmaster. This structure did not last long, and the intelligence gathering missions of the Envoys ended. Instead, the Envoys were directed to collect and track Brotherhood history and the hstory of the clans and houses.
However, the Envoys that were charged to gather the history of the clans and store it for the Brotherhood faced several challenges. Wars and vendettas had taken their toll on the records and not everything was complete. Also, though the Envoys were members of the clans and houses that they were attempting to obtain the history for, there was always an air of suspicion about them. Some people even regarded the Envoys as spies for the Grandmaster, sent to act as nothing more than political commissars. The was exacerbated by the fact that the Knight Class Envoys were supposed to be the de facto third member of the Clan Summit did not sit well. Though the truth was that they were historians, the job was difficult. Eventually, the position of “Envoy” fell into disuse, becoming a mere title for those that still held it.
Shortly before the split from the Emperor's Hammer, the Envoys were revitalized and given a new mission under the direction of then Headmaster of the Shadow Academy, Dark Adept Pyralis. With approval from the Grandmaster, Pyralis, along with a small group of Shadow Academy staff members, rewrote the mission for the Envoys, making them members of the Shadow Academy staff and specifically charging them with greeting and aiding new members who joined the Dark Brotherhood. This project was called Project: Dark Fury. The Envoys now represented their own clans and houses, but also represented the Grandmaster to new members.
Table
of Contents: Envoys of the Grand Master