Chapter of the Dread Crypt

“We are cloaked in shadow, not draped in valor.
We are stained with blood, not bathed in glory.
We are the hateful darkness that claws at sanity.
To those we hunt: Pray for the Queen's mercy, for we shall show none."

Among the many factions of Trandrafia, the Chapter of the Dread Crypt is one of the most feared. Formed by Seraph Golgen in the Golden Age of Trandrafia to combat the remaining denizens of the people conquered during the War of Setting Suns, and to hunt down any threat that stirred against the people of Trandrafia both foreign and local. The chapter's goal has shifted in the time since those days and now focuses even more greatly on domestic threats and the use of fear and brutal justice to ensure compliance.
Those who survive their hunt soon regret their fate, as any prisoner taken goes to the Dread Crypt, a prison within the Duchy of Draebia from which none escape, and the wails of the prisoners are said to be able to be heard throughout the Gloomgorge.

Appearance

None within the chapter show their faces publicly, and each member is adorned in accordance to the section of the Dread Crypt they are a part of. However, few have ever seen the Chain or the Abysspeaker. Instead, the public face of the Crypt is the Nail, the hunters of man and monstrous creature who stand against the order of the land. Each of these hunters is adorned with a special helmet fashioned in the form of their symbol, a fanged skull with bat wings on either side. The armor is stained a deep blue and black and created in such a way to make it look exceptionally jagged and sharp. These hunters also tend to adorn their armor with trophies of their hunts, whether that be skulls of the hunted, necklaces of bone, or more disturbing trophies.

Structure

The leader of the Dread Crypt is known only as the Warden. They are accompanied by two other leaders, the Abysspeaker and the Night-Marshal, who oversee other branches of the chapter.

The Chain

The Chain oversees the Crypt in a guard capacity. Few see the aptly named Iron-Bound guards of the Crypt outside the metal and stone walls that house its prisoners. Those who have claim that frost dusts their plate and the air itself freezes in their presence.

The Nail

The Nail is the public face of the Crypt, led by the Night-Marshal and made up of the Grave-Judges, Dreadstalkers, and Bloodhounds who specialize in hunting down traitors, heretics, and those who call on dark powers for judgement. These members often travel in groups and use psychological warfare, fear tactics, and stealth to run down their prey until they either collapse from exhaustion or throw themselves on the ground in surrender. They are not like most knights. They are not honorable or fair. They do not care for collateral or find mercy to spare those who get between them and their quarry. The greatest advice any can give for what to do when encountering these soldiers of terror is to stay out of their way.

The Abyss

All that is known of the Abyss is the name of the leader spoken in whispers even among the other knights, Abysspeaker.

Public Agenda

The Chapter of the Dread Crypt seeks to create order by stamping out all sense of rebellion, heresy, and lawlessness by making the repercussions of acting in such a way too heinous to attempt.
Their central tenets are as follows:

Order Through Fear.

Show No Mercy.

The Shadows Are Our Ally.

Type

Military, Knightly Order

Alternative Names

Dread Knights

Training Level

Elite