This page is created as a resource for Darkfriend characters at Tales of Ta'veren MUSH, an online roleplaying game based in the world created in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. If you are unfamiliar with the Wheel of Time theme, Tales of Ta'veren, roleplaying, or MUSH, we suggest you visit the Tales of Ta'veren Webpage and utilize it's excellent collection of resources on these topics.
Welcome to the Dark side of the Wheel of Time and Tales of Ta'veren. While most players tend to prefering being good guys in a game, since they usually win, there's got to be someone who wears a black hat. An interesting saying comes to mind: "No one can walk so long in the Light that it wouldn't feel nice to stop and rest in the Shadow." So why not consign your character to the Dark One today? With any luck, you won't live to regret it.
The Dark, or the Shadow as it is sometimes called, presents an interesting challenge for any player. The character type is called a Darkfriend. Their goal is to see the Dark One freed from his prison in Shayol Ghul. On a more personal level, they work to undermine the champions of Light and to gain rank and favour among their own kind and in the Dark One's eyes.
General information on Darkfriends and Dark Society can be found by using the links below. For how to go about getting a Darkfriend character at Tales of Ta'veren, please go to the Application page.
NOTE: This page is intended for players of Tales of Ta'veren MUSH. Though based on Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, most of the information below is taken not from the books, but created by the Dark's area leaders for game-play purposes. Only Darkfriends or those with extensive knowledge and reasearch on Dark Society would know the information contained below. Non-DF characters should not roleplay knowledge of the intricacies of Dark Society unless their background and/or skills show extensive dedication and study in the subject (Brown Ajah Aes Sedai, Children of the Light, characters with a high Esoteric Lore skill, etc). Even then, the amount of knowledge and level of accuracy would never reach to the extent that is outlined below.
In the beginning, the days following the opening of the Bore, and in the War of Shadow that followed, those without the ability to channel that served the Dark One styled themselves Friends of the Dark. In more recent times they are known simply as Darkfriends. There are varying levels of commitment among the Friends: extremists deeply dedicated to freeing the Dark One, furthering his cause, and attaining immortality; lesser Friends tempted by the thought of rebellion and the idea of something dangerous, dark, and bad; and the begrudging Darkfriends who've found themselves trapped by something far more dangerous than they ever imagined.
Most Friends do not truly believe they will be forced to hold to their Oaths. They believe that the Dark One is a myth, and Shadowspawn only tales to frighten children. The current Age, known as the Third Age to the learned, contains only a very small portion of Darkfriends who are truly dedicated to the cause of the Shadow. Darkfriends are perceived as evil and are often associated with criminals. Though a significant portion of the society may in fact be just that, they are mostly ordinary people who have simply chosen a path different to that of the Light. They fit into society like any other person, and are generally skilled enough to conceal their true allegiance from even their families.
In large cities, Darkfriends make up between 0.5 and 1.0 percent of the population. As one moves from areas of high population to low, this number would decrease significantly. Those in outlying regions, unless on a specific task, would likely be of low rank. The idea of rank is vastly different in comparison to the cultural ideology of class. Within the Darkfriend structure, if a beggar were to identify himself with the proper signals, a Darkfriend who happened to be a lower-ranking noble would be expected to obey.
Dark society is made up of two distinct divisions known as Operatives and Informants. Though members of the two are known to work together, the role of each is distinct and seperate.
Known collectively as the Eye of the Dark, Informants are often the spies and administration of this infamous organization. These Darkfriends tend to be the information gatherers. Most often, they retain low profiles and watch events from the sidelines without effectively taking part. Informants report back to their Talon Leaders who, in turn, report to their Wing leaders and so on. The more ambitious Darkfriends--often those without strong ties to family or friends--work to maneuver themselves into positions of or near to those in high office.
Informants are generally intellectually inclined with skills associated with the manipulation of others, like politics. These high positions may exist in high or low circles (a royal councilor or the head of the thieves guild). But these positions are often fraught with more peril and require more work for any rewards that might be reaped. Informants with lower positions in society have the freedom to move about with less scrutiny. Servants come to mind, and the ability to gather a wider variety of information first hand, rather than working through middle men.
In the lower ranks of Dark society, members of the Eye of the Dark tend to be more passive, with less of a direct role in the grand scheme of things Dark. However, as an Informant's position in Dark society increases, his level of influence on Dark objectives tends to increase. Though they carry little to no influence at lower ranks, Informants tend to make up the bulk of Dark administration. Informants can be considered Dark societies' management and administration, in addition to being its spies.
The full collective of Operatives is also known as the Hand of the Dark. Like its namesake insinuates, this division or Dark society is made up of individuals commited to carrying out and enforcing the objectives of the Great Lord. These members are the enforcers of the Dark, the doers of the dirty and dark deeds that the Shadow wants done. Operatives can be called upon to commit robberies, assaults (negotiated), arson, poisonings, murder, theft, or various other tasks that may have little to do with criminal activity. Much like the Informants are the administrators, Operatives tend to be the workers and laborers of Dark society.
All Darkfriends (except Chosen) start at the rank of Mote, and make their way up by proving their loyalty and worth via assignments and work done off the initiative of the Darkfriend. After Mote there is the rank of Drudge, which simply means that they are no longer the lowest of the low but a proven follower of the Dark One. Following Drudge are the ranks of Ferret, Rat, and Claw. Many Darkfriend Operatives will not rise much further than the rank of Claw.
Following the rank of Claw is that of Talon. Talon refers to a minor Darkfriend leader, equivalent to a sergeant in an army, who is responsible for and directs the actions of two other Darkfriends in his command. Beyond the Talon is the Raven. Each Raven has two Talons reporting to them, which indirectly places them in control of six Darkfriends. In MUSH terms, Ravens are Darkfriends to be feared, as while the Dark is small, they will be the major active forces in each city/area.
Following Raven is the Dark Judge and Dreadlord. These are essentially the Captains of the Dark. The Dreadlords being channelers and commanders in battle and field operations, and Dark Judges the officials and off-field equivalents. With rank as a sole determining factor, a Dreadlord and a Dark Judge are officially equal in rank and influence. It is widely believed--even by most Darkfriends--that all Dreadlords are capable of channeling. Though this does tend to be the case in practice, there is officially no such stipulation. The difference between the two is that a Dark Judge is an Informant while Dreadlords are Operatives. As Informants tend to form the bulk of higher-ranking Darkfriends, Dark Judges are more common than Dreadlords. Thus, in addition to being thought to all be able to channel, Dreadlords tend to be the more intimidating of the two, and have a greater mythology surrounding them.
The Chosen are the immortals of the Dark, the generals who stand below only the Dark One himself, and are usually channelers of considerable ability. The thirteen Chosen, called the Forsaken by any but Darkfriends, were all sealed away with the Dark One at the end of the War of Shadow. Aside from these thirteen, who are all still believed to be locked in Shayol Ghul, there are no Chosen known to exist.
Nae'blis is a position unfilled, but one that will be fought after like no other when the Chosen are free. The person named Nae'blis will be the King of the World, second only to the Great Lord of the Dark.
The title of Eye or Hand is not a rank distributed via an individual's personal performance and loyalty as a Darkfriend, as the others are. Rather, these are titles given to Darkfriends through exceptionally close association with a higher-ranking Darkfriend. Leaders--those of Talon rank or higher--occasionally develop very close relationships with lesser Darkfriends--of Claw rank or lower--whom they often treat as henchmen, slaves, servants, pets, trusted allies (rarely), etc. The favorite of these subjugates is sometimes given the title of Eye, when they are an Informant, or Hand, when an Operative.
In addition to their own duties as Darkfriends, a Hand or Eye performs the tasks given them by their superior. When doing so, and identifying themselves as such, they wield all the rank and influence of their Master. For example: If Robert, a Drudge, were to identify himself as the Eye of Amanda, and Amanda were a Raven, Robert would speak with all the authority of Amanda. Additionally, when identified as the Eye of Amanda, others would be required to treat Robert with all the respect due a Raven. Any assault on them is akin to an assault on their Master. One should be extremely careful when choosing to take action against an Eye or Hand, as their masters tend to be as possesive of them as they are the organs that are their namesake; anyone assaulting an Eye or Hand and not preparing for a counterstrike is seriously mistaken.
While some benefits come with these titles, they are hardly without their drawbacks. In the same manner that they gain the power of their master through the use of their title, Eyes and Hands suffers all the repercussions of their Master's actions. Should the master fall from grace in the eyes of the Great Lord, they will fall with them. Should the master die, Stalkers will ensure that they follow quickly. A Master can acheive a great deal of protection through their Eye or Hand as well; a Hand or Eye that carries out orders for their Master is completely liable for the consequences, and the Master not. A Master could choose to have her Hand perform actions contrary to her superior's wishes, and only the Hand would be punished as a result. This is rare, however, as these servants are extremely prized, and few but the most extraordinarilly powerful Darkfriends would discard them so easily. Indeed, there are surface benefits of being an Eye or Hand, but the drawbacks appear to outweigh the rewards. There appear to be no disadvantages for the Master.
<Policy on PC Eyes and Hands Forthcoming>
Working outside of the system of rank and structure, Stalkers are a breed apart. They are the 'secret police' of Darkfriend society, remaining anonymous and unknown to all but the highest ranking Darkfriends in each principle city. Stalkers enforce order amungst the Friends of the Dark and often play a large part in maintaining a high element of fear in the Dark hierarchy. Stalkers are self-sufficient and resourceful, in some cases they are even assassins. They are dedicated strongly to the cause of the Dark and their lives revolve almost exclusively to the purpose of serving and bettering that cause. Stalkers are perhaps more dangerous than Dark Judges and Dreadlords, themselves being only a few steps removed from becoming a Grey Man. In this Age, where Darkfriends are few, and many do not truly believe they will be held to their Oaths, Stalkers are very rare.
Stalkers are not available for PC characters to play. They are kept as NPCs to be used in TP's by the Area Leaders until there is a dramatic numerical increase in PC DFs.
The breakdown of leadership is simple: Darkfriends are divided into small groups organized along the lines of terrorist cells. These groups are set up in such a way that no one Darkfriends knows the identity of more than three others. The vast majority of them know only one, two, or even no one else. In any given area there is a cell leader to whom two Darkfriends report. Two of these leaders (Talons) are in contact with a higher-ranking Darkfriend (Raven). Each Raven will have two Talons reporting to him, and will in turn report to a Dark Judge or Dreadlord. Depending on the population of Darkfriends in the given area there may be more than one such cell in operation.
The grouping of two Darkfriends reporting to a Talon is collectively known as a Talon. That of two full Talons reporting to a Raven is called a Wing, and two Wings reporting to a Dark Judge or Dreadlord is known as a Murder.
Some of you may be asking questions as to how the reports work in an IC sense. Where does the information go? How do assignments get delivered? There are many ways for the information to get back to the leaders in the Dark hierarchy, I'll list a few of them following:
Eventually the information gets to where it needs to go, depending on the importance of the information and the overall effect of it (local, citywide, country, or global), and thus to a Talon, Raven or Dark Judge. The reports are a way for the Area Leaders to keep tabs on what is happening on the game, the RP you are getting involved in, and a useful resource from which to draw in order to assign tasks to the players so that they are kept busy and active in the Dark, and ultimately enjoying being apart of the area. It is both an IC and OOC tool that gets the players involved and serves to improve the area.
Promotion will be given for good and consistent RP. Factors affecting promotion will include willingness to RP, participation in planned events and desire. If the player wants to play a Mote forever that is their choice. Connect time will also be considered, but quality of RP will be given higher consideration. All ranks above and including that of Talon will likely involve some OOC responsibilities, i.e. creating RP/assignments for their Talon. These will be voluntary but the rank will only be given to those who express a willingness to take on the OOC aspects of the job. As the Area grows the need for OOC work will be lessened and this restriction will change. For the Area Leaders to see that a player is actively involved, roleplaying, and having fun, send us logs and report. From this combination of RP and OOC participation, the Dark Area should flourish and prosper and you'll get the rewards that you have rightly earned and deserve.