Aerie is a close-knit band of mercenaries, wolves who have pledged their faith and loyalty to the core Abraxas. Those who so pledge become Abraxas “cousins” as capable of rising through the ranks as those blood Abraxas, and as far as Eligos is concerned are considered likely to be chosen by the Fallen God to be elevated with their "cousins" when the time comes for them to join their god. There are seven Paths that the wolves of Aerie can follow to rise - the Path of Fang, the Path of Antler, the Path of Leaf, the Path of Earth, the Path of Sun, the Path of Moon, and the Path of Shadows. Each Path contributes equally to the wellbeing of the band and its ascendence. Additionally, there are two Alula, the subleaders beneath the rule of the alpha and his second. When the bands numbers allow for it, each Alula will choose from among the seven Paths to gather a Region, a group that they are obliged to lead and take care of in times of both peace and war, reporting on them to the leadership. Each Region and it’s Alula is named for a direction - the Alula of the North leads the Region of the North, the Alula of the South leads the Region of the South. In times that the band is smaller and more manageable, the leadership rules directly over much or all of the band, with only one or two Alula, or none, leading Regions
Sarcel: none
Alula: none
Note: name denotes a Path's leader, while (name) denotes that character's apprentice or mentor
Path of Fang: Called Accipiters, these are warriors, proven in battle to show competence in their field. Some may wish to train in a more specialized path and seek out the guidance of a master in the field, but all those who follow this Path are expected to continue to train their skills by attending regular spar sessions among the pack as well as journeying to the battlefield to test themselves against strangers. They are also expected to assist those of the Antler at need. They are led by a master fighter known as the Mantle.
Asmodeus - name - name - name
Path of Antler: Called Buteos, these wolves are hunters and trackers, proven in the field to show competence. Some may wish to train in a more specialized path and seek out the guidance of a master hunter for specialized training, but all Antlers are considered to be fully capable hunters on their own merits. When tracking wolves or other dangerous predators, they are expected to work together with at least one Accipiter for protection. They are expected to participate in group hunts regularly to supply the pack with large game, but are also to hunt smaller game on their own to provide for those who cannot hunt for themselves. They are led by a master hunter known as the Yarak.
Names
Path of Leaf: Known commonly as Kestrels, these wolves are the pack’s healers, proven to show competence. They must show themselves capable of treating patients on their own without the supervision of a mentor and understanding how to properly harvest and store herbs and herbal remedies. Some may wish to train in a more specialized path and seek out the guidance of a master healer for specialized training, but Kestrels are considered to be fully capable healers on their own merits. Kestrels are expected to participate in healer meetings as continuation training, and to assist in keeping the pack herbal cache full as well as their own stocks. They are led by a master healer known as the Malar.
Names
Path of Earth: the members of the Path of Earth, known as Broadwings, are competent crafters and traders. They are trusted to craft and market their wares without the supervision of a mentor when they have proven that their work is consistently good quality and that they are capable of judging the worth of tradegoods. They are expected to craft or procure tradegoods with regularity, and to provide tradegoods to be traded to support the pack as well as goods for their own use. They are led by a master trader or craftsman known as the Rufter.
Names
Path of Sun: These wolves, the Harriers, are the band's intellectuals, who have proven themselves knowledgeable in such pursuits as record-keeping and negotiation. They are trusted to negotiate minor disputes, and are expected to keep the band's records, including memorizing bloodlines and keeping a history of the band and the terms of their various contracts, and recalling them when requested. Though they are not often trusted with negotiating a band contract on their own, they may be called on to assist the Tiercel in doing so, and acting as courier for important information or artifacts. They are expected to attend regular debriefings to share information among one another. The leader of this Path is a master scholar known as the Remige.
Names
Path of Moon: These wolves, called Tytos, are the band's religious core, wolves who have chosen to dedicate their lives to the study of Abraxas and the other gods and spirits of the world. Tytos must prove themselves able to provide religious and social counseling to their pack members. They are often called upon to lead minor religious ceremonies, with the Moon’s apprentices providing any minor assistance required. They are expected to continue to expand their knowledge in regular Path meetings, to attend religious ceremonies as often as possible, and to watch over the spiritual and emotional needs of Aerie’s wolves. They are led by a head priest known as the Retrice.
Names
Path of Shadow: These wolves, the Strix, are those who have proven themselves competent to undertake sneakier sorts of jobs such as spying, stealing, or sabotage, and no longer require the supervision of a mentor. They are expected to be consistently gathering information, between scouting and speaking to loners and other pack wolves, and reporting back to the leadership. Shadows must be competent navigators by day or night, and should be knowledgeable in basic weather patterns to assist them in long scouting trips. They must be shown to be capable of keeping the pack’s secrets when spying, and have shown themselves to be sneaky enough to perform acts of sabotage or thievery at need, as well as being generally capable of escaping bad situations on their own. They are led by a spymaster called the Hallux.
Names
General Rules
- Above all else, Loyalty - Once you have joined the pack, nothing is more important than Aerie and your brothers and sisters in it. Nothing CAN be more important. By putting the pack first, you insure the survival of the pack. This is why mating with outsiders is frowned on, mating with wolves from other packs forbidden entirely, and why all offspring of Aerie wolves must be raised in Aerie to the age of a year before they may make their own decision about whether to stay or leave the pack. Having divided loyalties puts the pack in great risk.
- Respect - Show your brothers and sisters in the pack respect, no matter who they are. If you don’t like them, be respectful anyway. We are gentlemen (and women), and gentlemen (and women) do not treat each other in an impolite manner. Showing a disrespectful attitude towards your packmates will not be tolerated.
- Religion - Obviously while the Abraxas focus on … well, Abraxas… other gods fallen and otherwise have always been a part of their lore, and other lesser gods are acknowledged, and their worship is acceptable as long as it does not take precedence over Abraxas. Those who do not believe are expected to refrain from snarky commentary on it.
- Be Cautious - Outsiders are not to be trusted. Pack members are expected to show restraint and caution around anyone who does not already belong to Aerie.
- Be Watchful - Wolves showing up on the borders uninvited, for any reason, will be treated politely but with suspicion unless vouched for by a pack member. Anyone without a recommendation will need to be tested thoroughly before being allowed in the pack. Active recruitment of trustworthy individuals will be the preferred method of bringing new blood into Aerie, though.
- Silence and Secrecy - Anyone caught giving outsiders, even allies, insider information about the pack without permission will be treated harshly. It’s one thing to give a watered-down overview of what the pack provides to potential clients or vague information to potential members, but no one needs to know how many members the pack has, what the level of training is, defenses, or where they keep the tradegoods, nor do they need to know the names of the other pack members. If there is some question about whether the information is acceptable to disseminate, ask the Tiercel or Sarcel.
- Ferocity and Ruthlessness - all Aerie wolves are expected to turn themselves wholeheartedly to the defense of the pack and their interests, particularly in defense of the pack itself. All outside wolves are expected to respect the borders regardless of status or intent. No Aerie wolf is to bring an outside wolf passed the borders without the express permission of a tier 1 or 2 wolf. If the borders are breached it is the responsibility of all Aerie wolves regardless of rank to sound an alarm. Mantles and Accipiters (and any other lower ranked wolves so inclined) are expected to seek to maim perpetrators with an easily visible scar that will mark them as an enemy of Aerie - a deep and terrible scar from the corner of their muzzle to the base of their ear... One strike against Aerie, one side scarred. Two strikes, two scars. Three strikes... That does not bear considering. Those of a high enough rank to force-claim are expected to do so unless the situation warrants otherwise.
- Honor - It may not seem that way to enemies of the pack, but wolves of Aerie are expected to hold themselves to a high standard. Polite, efficient, the wolves of Aerie must show the world a gentlemanly veneer despite the less-than-savory nature of some of their ventures. There are some rules of honor they are expected to uphold - for instance, harming children for any reason is strongly discouraged, and even threatening them in a “what a nice child, wouldn’t it be a shame if they had an accident” cliche villain trope is frowned on. Until necessary, you should treat others in a polite, mannerly way.
- Restraint - Unnecessarily evil behavior that puts Aerie at risk for retaliation - such as rape, and unauthorized killing (except in self defense) or torture, will not be tolerated and will be repaid in a manner relative to the crime. While there may be some blurred and gray areas, doing harm just for fun, thoughtlessly, and for no reason is unacceptable. Sexual relations of any sort with an underaged wolf (including yearlings) will be severely punished and the wolf immediately removed from the pack. Not only does behavior such as that put your fellow Aerie wolves at risk, it is against Aerie’s core principles.
- Obedience - this is pretty self explanatory. Obey orders from the Tiercel and his commanders. Show up to meetings and training without delay. Follow the rules.
- Self improvement and Education - Aerie wolves are strongly encouraged, even expected, to seek to improve themselves constantly through training and education. Training for your rank is considered mandatory, but do not pass up the opportunity to learn simply because it doesn’t seem relevant to your rank. You never know when that new knowledge will come in handy. Pass on your own knowledge to your packmates so that they can share in your successes and strengthen the pack as a whole. Journeyman and master ranks are required to take an apprentice when the opportunity arises, and masters are encouraged to take journeyman on for additional training as well.
- Contribute - If you have nothing or are not willing to contribute to the wellbeing of your brothers and sisters in the pack, find someplace else to lay your head. Even if all you bring to the table is loyalty and a willingness to lend a paw however you are able, that’s still something. If you join and then refuse to do anything, expect to be indentured until you’ve worked off your debt before being kicked out of the pack.
- Ransom and Servitude - Wolves may occasionally be held for ransom until their friends or family pay it. If they refuse to or can’t pay the debt, the kidnapped wolf will be indentured to the pack until they can pay off the debt themselves. Other situations may lead to wolves being indentured as well, and the price for their freedom depends greatly on why they were indentured to begin with. (See OOC rules for more information on getting out of servitude)