(Frost) Something fun and sneaky I'm doing
If you read my IC LJ, and you play Invictus, and the below sounds like something you'd enjoy RPing with - pretend that you get the below letter ICly, and we'll roll with it from there :-)
Unconquered,
If you are viewing this letter, it means that you have been watched, these past few weeks. You may have been aware of the scrutiny, you may not have, but regardless of your observations - you have been noticed.
Our noble covenant heads in the direction of chaos on a nightly basis...noble lords and ladies such as Lady Katya Ivanova and Sir Charles Savage slain by other Invictus, Admired members of the First Estate engaging in open "mud-slinging" across electronic forums, rumors of civil war and assassinations...
This letter is not a call to arms to engage against this chaos directly, or to choose sides, but rather a call to something more important - protecting the Invictus in its times of vulnerability.
I am the current master of a group that has existed for three centuries. We maintain two faces, one public and one private. In public members of our order are bastions of Invictus purity - upholding what it truly means to be a member of the First Estate. The name of that public order is not important at this time, since if you choose not to proceed past this letter's end, I would not give you information which could be dangerous to us, or to you. If you choose to continue on this path, however, you will be granted title in our public order that you can wear with pride - our public face is a quiet one, but one filled with past honors and contacts and alliances among many of the Respected and Admired members of our covenant.
Our private face is called the "Ako Vendetta". There is no formal rank within this group, no hierarchy. Our purposes are simple - to protect the Invictus from meddling by outside forces, be they from other covenants, infiltrators, or mortal "societies". We are also, from time to time, called upon by certain Admired members of the First Estate to handle sensitive and covert missions that have no "public record".
The existence of our group is known to members of the two "known" secret societies among the First Estate, the Misericordia and the Catechism. Members of both groups acknowledge our mission, and will sometimes even lend us support, or task us with sensitive missions as well. The Ako Vendetta is not a rogue group of idealistic vampires - though we keep our numbers relatively small, we are quite good at what we do.
Reading the above, you might think that all we do is fight. Let me remove that perception now. While our missions often require a more "physical touch" to them, we are nothing if we do not have versatility in our ranks. Subtlety is our best weapon - knowing how to gain information while giving none in return, being able to walk openly among others who have no idea of our missions or capabilities, and being able to *trust* each other in times of need to form a strong core that cannot be pulled apart by internal covenant strife.
Our duty is to the First Estate, to the Invictus, to the Unconquered. If you choose to continue, you will not be asked to forego your lieges or vassals or landed responsibilities. If you choose to continue, you will gain access to our contacts and sources of information, to powers developed to aid your survival, and to training by myself and other members of our group in subtle "methods" (infiltration, information gathering, and so on).
I ask of you to take a night to consider what you have read here, to decide if you wish to continue. If you do, you will be asked to make a one-evening-long journey by aircraft to a city where you will swear an Oath that you will not betray the trust this order places in you, or any information that you obtain about its workings. This Oath will be non-binding and non-harmful - all it will do is allow me to know if you keep your word.
I thank you for your patience in reading this letter. It is long, yes, but it is important that you know all of the above information - we cannot expect you to make this choice without knowledge. Remember, this order exists to protect the Invictus first and foremost - if you have the fortitude to work towards that end, send a reply.
Honorably yours,
~ F ~
Unconquered,
If you are viewing this letter, it means that you have been watched, these past few weeks. You may have been aware of the scrutiny, you may not have, but regardless of your observations - you have been noticed.
Our noble covenant heads in the direction of chaos on a nightly basis...noble lords and ladies such as Lady Katya Ivanova and Sir Charles Savage slain by other Invictus, Admired members of the First Estate engaging in open "mud-slinging" across electronic forums, rumors of civil war and assassinations...
This letter is not a call to arms to engage against this chaos directly, or to choose sides, but rather a call to something more important - protecting the Invictus in its times of vulnerability.
I am the current master of a group that has existed for three centuries. We maintain two faces, one public and one private. In public members of our order are bastions of Invictus purity - upholding what it truly means to be a member of the First Estate. The name of that public order is not important at this time, since if you choose not to proceed past this letter's end, I would not give you information which could be dangerous to us, or to you. If you choose to continue on this path, however, you will be granted title in our public order that you can wear with pride - our public face is a quiet one, but one filled with past honors and contacts and alliances among many of the Respected and Admired members of our covenant.
Our private face is called the "Ako Vendetta". There is no formal rank within this group, no hierarchy. Our purposes are simple - to protect the Invictus from meddling by outside forces, be they from other covenants, infiltrators, or mortal "societies". We are also, from time to time, called upon by certain Admired members of the First Estate to handle sensitive and covert missions that have no "public record".
The existence of our group is known to members of the two "known" secret societies among the First Estate, the Misericordia and the Catechism. Members of both groups acknowledge our mission, and will sometimes even lend us support, or task us with sensitive missions as well. The Ako Vendetta is not a rogue group of idealistic vampires - though we keep our numbers relatively small, we are quite good at what we do.
Reading the above, you might think that all we do is fight. Let me remove that perception now. While our missions often require a more "physical touch" to them, we are nothing if we do not have versatility in our ranks. Subtlety is our best weapon - knowing how to gain information while giving none in return, being able to walk openly among others who have no idea of our missions or capabilities, and being able to *trust* each other in times of need to form a strong core that cannot be pulled apart by internal covenant strife.
Our duty is to the First Estate, to the Invictus, to the Unconquered. If you choose to continue, you will not be asked to forego your lieges or vassals or landed responsibilities. If you choose to continue, you will gain access to our contacts and sources of information, to powers developed to aid your survival, and to training by myself and other members of our group in subtle "methods" (infiltration, information gathering, and so on).
I ask of you to take a night to consider what you have read here, to decide if you wish to continue. If you do, you will be asked to make a one-evening-long journey by aircraft to a city where you will swear an Oath that you will not betray the trust this order places in you, or any information that you obtain about its workings. This Oath will be non-binding and non-harmful - all it will do is allow me to know if you keep your word.
I thank you for your patience in reading this letter. It is long, yes, but it is important that you know all of the above information - we cannot expect you to make this choice without knowledge. Remember, this order exists to protect the Invictus first and foremost - if you have the fortitude to work towards that end, send a reply.
Honorably yours,
~ F ~