Ebonites



The Order of the Ebon Hand, more commonly called the Ebonites by most denizens of Medinaat al-Salaam, were something of an oddity even among the wildly varied cultures of the Burning Sands. They were an exceptionally diverse organization that held allegiance to no particular nation, although they did have strong historical ties to the Ivory Kingdoms, a region of the world located far southwest of the Jewel of the Desert. After centuries of struggle and of being drawn into the conflicts of other groups, both martial and political, the Ebonites had settled into a comfortable role within the city, as protectors and defenders of the downtrodden. While this was a great task for the order, and one that garnered them tremendous appreciation from those whom they protected, it was secondary to their primary concern: protecting the broken shards of the Ebon Stone that they revered and held sacred.

It was believed that emissaries of the aforementioned distant countries who had traveled to the Ivory Kingdoms founded the order. There, under unknown circumstances, they inadvertently released a terrible evil into the world. A prophet aided the warriors in entrapping the evil within a large stone, which turned black from its influence. He then charged them to protect the stone and ensure that the evil was never again released. Each man placed his hand upon the stone, for in doing so they would determine who among them was strong enough to resist the sinister temptations that issued forth from it. Those who possessed the strength necessary for the task discovered that the palm of their hand had turned black. Those who did not have the strength took their own lives rather than risk revealing the secrets of the newly created Order of the Ebon Hand.

Ebonite Templars
The Templars were the basic soldiers of the Order of the Ebon Hand. The order was not particularly large, so its leaders made certain that every warrior among their ranks was well trained and prepared to face almost any challenge that might present itself. The basic Templar had had several years of training, and has passed the Test of the Ebon Stone.


 * The Ebonites