The Eternal Fantasy: Help [blackhand]


                              .: The Black Hand :.                              
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE ETERNAL FANTASY USER HELP ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***** Your comrades in the struggle to break the cycle of war *****
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CAUTION - MINOR STORY SPOILERS AHEAD

Content warning: The Eternal Fantasy's main scenario is written at the
equivalent of an M rating by the ESRB for strong language, intense fantasy
violence, and mature themes. Reader discretion advised.

The Black Hand is a group of Baronian freedom fighters with the goal of ending
the reign of the usurper and warmonger King William and ensuring there can never
be another Baronian war of aggression by abolishing not only the monarchy, but
the nobility that empowers and protects the monarchy. Fifty years of war
interrupted by fleeting moments of peace have shown the Black Hand that waiting
for a saviour accomplishes nothing. The Black Hand seeks self-governance for
the people, free from the depredations of autocratic rule.

The Black Hand is comprised of members of all walks of life. Each has their own
reason for opposing the Kingdom of Baron. Baron's crimes are numerous, and
thousands of people have been hurt or killed to satisfy King William's vision of
a "glorious" kingdom. Aside from the player character, these are five NPC
members of the Black Hand at the end of chapter 1, listed in order of
appearance:

ALICE
Age: Mid 30s
Gender: Female
Class: Dark Knight
Formerly a Dark Knight of Baron under King Ceodore, Alice found herself
discharged from King Ceodore's service as a matter of political expediency. A
life of service to the crown was all she knew, and in its absence, she found she
was no one. Alice stood aside, disillusioned, during Baron's war of succession,
and saw a flawed "good" king replaced by a tyrant. As King William's crimes
against the people mounted, Alice found she could no longer remain passive.
Alice, Loran, and Moira formed the Black Hand in the wake of an engineered riot
that left hundreds dead in what was the nobility's worst atrocity to date.
Although the Black Hand does not have a formal leader, Alice provides both
ideological direction and years of experience as a field commander to the Black
Hand.

LORAN
Age: Early 30s
Gender: Non-binary
Class: Dragoon
A Dragoon of Baron and a former loyalist to Ceodore Harvey, Loran's career came
to a swift end during Baron's war of succession as a squad of Baronian black
mages eradicated Loran's company and left Loran permanently injured. Baron has
little sympathy for the infirm, especially those who back the enemies of the new
king. Loran found themself reduced to extreme poverty and squalor. Society had
turned its back on Loran. Loran had almost resigned themself to oblivion when
they met Moira and Alice. Together, the three formed the Black Hand in an
attempt to bring justice to Baron's tyrannical nobility.

MOIRA
Age: Late 20s
Gender: Female
Class: Rogue
Moira is one of the two de facto "leaders" of the Black Hand, along with Alice.
Formerly a tax assessor for the crown, it was decided at the outbreak of the war
of succession that only those of noble birth could be trusted with the crown's
finances. The lowborn Moira was summarily dismissed from service and barred
from any future financial or commercial work, citing security concerns.
Enforced poverty didn't sit well with Moira, and so she helped form the Black
Hand to right the injustices she and others like her faced. While Alice brings
years of field command experience to the Black Hand, Moira provides a keen
strategic mind, highly honed diplomatic and negotiating skills, and a fair few
connections both above and below board.

PADMA
Age: Mid 20s
Gender: Female
Class: Monk
Padma is the oldest child in a very large, very poor family. She never fit in
with her family, and found herself disowned towards the end of King Ceodore's
reign. When the war of succession destroyed Baron's economy, she was left with
no one and nothing to support her. Unable to find stable employment, she
drifted onto and off of the streets. Unfortunately, this caused her to run
afoul of the law on more than one occasion. Padma caught the Black Hand's
attention due to her fearless resistance during a wide-scale police crackdown.
After the event, she joined the Black Hand, having finally found people who
accepted her.

TALIA
Age: Early 20s
Gender: Female
Class: Seeker
Talia originally got into the monster hunting business for the independence it
provided. What she learned was that "monster hunting" is simply a term for
low-paid, unstable wildlife control work for the nobility. With few other
options, she was trapped in a trade she grew to hate. In such situations, some
turn to the bottle. Talia turned instead to nepenthe, an amnestic draught that
induces powerful but temporary memory loss. However, Talia refuses to discuss
what, exactly, she wants to forget. She was discovered by Padma, and her
recruitment into the Black Hand is the focus of the start of chapter 1.

See Also:
help earth - Background information on The Eternal Fantasy's main scenario
help rp - General roleplaying information for The Eternal Fantasy
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EF