银色火炬 THE SLIVER TORCH作为全国最狂热的宗教和政治派别,银色火炬代表着异信徒对瑟雷恩的恐惧。作为诞生于终末战争中的一个秘密组织,银色火炬却在不久前收纳了几个自豪地要成为银色火炬会员的外部人员。而它的“内部圈子”的领导人组织依然保持绝对保密。
银色火炬信仰银焰并搜寻,惩罚,以及消除那些异教徒。其成员(称为火炬手)对政府没有多少信心,他们认为现在这个政府已经为了给那些丝毫不信仰银焰的国家和组织做出太多让步,因而偏离了本来那意识形态纯粹性的正路。这些宗教狂热分子排斥任何非人类种族。国家虽然不会流放表达出这样的观点的公民,但是那些公开声称效忠此教派的人都被密切的监视着,以防他们选择为他们顽固的而危险的信念采取过激行动。
当银色火炬愤怒时,一个人可以指挥一群手持火把和干草叉的暴民在街上久站。许多次,政府的防卫兵突袭了银色火炬的秘密集会,但真要消除这一教派却又将带来许多其他实质性的问题。政府例行公事般的否认他们与银色火炬有任何联系,即使他们承认它确实存在。
火炬手用传道来招募新成员。他们接纳哪些在战争期间有过不好的遭遇的包括哪些被剥夺公民权利的正在错误环境下自找麻烦的青年人。火炬手声称瑟雷恩不应当遵守的王座协定,因为它不发誓效忠于伽利法王室。其他火炬手则有着更荒谬的信仰,如认为忠诚就是要收回和净化哀伤故地。
那些温和的瑟雷恩人是无法容忍银色火炬,除非将他们作为如狂热份子危险性的例子的时候,以及证明国家的神权政治并不像敌人使它看起来的那样狂热和充满仇视。
Pc们的介入:瑟雷恩政府在大多数情况下愿意遵守王座协定,但是旧恨未消。机智的英雄可以扮演一个维护和平,停止银火炬和类似的教派极力煽风点火的角色。
火炬手的偏狭和传道,加上他们作为被保护的公民的权利,使冒险家难以处理他们。火炬手们用法律作为盾牌,并更善于用言语来感染英雄而不是用刀剑攻击英雄。包含非人成员的冒险队可能很容易与银色火炬发生冲突,即便你们根本没犯什么错。银色火炬可能会派间谍来监视并报告冒险者们的活动。如果冒险者们出现一点反对银焰的苗头,银色火炬会提醒当地神权政治家或散布文字声称“哪些自称冒险家的舞刀弄剑的异教徒”极度危险等等类似这样的在瑟雷恩境内的自由行动。
劇透 - :
THE SILVER TORCH
As one of the most fervent religious and political sects in the nation, the Silver Torch represents the very beliefs many outsiders fear when they think of Thrane. Born as a secret society at the start of the Last War, the Silver Torch presently includes several outspoken individuals who proudly claim membership. Only its “inner circle” of leaders maintains absolute secrecy.
The Silver Torch believes in the Silver Flame and seeks to turn, punish, or eliminate unbelievers. Its members (called Torchbearers) have no faith in the modern government, which they believe has strayed from the path of ideological purity by compromising with other nations and organizations that have little or no faith in the Silver Flame. Sect fanatics ostracize anyone who is not human. The state does not exile a citizen for voicing such opinions, but those who openly profess loyalty to the sect are watched closely in case they should choose to act on their bigoted or dangerous beliefs.
When the Silver Torch is outraged, one can expect a mob armed with torches and pitchforks in the streets shortly thereafter. On several occasions, the theocracy’s defenders have raided Torch meetings, but eliminating this one sect would call into question the very existence of many others. The theocrats routinely disavow any connection to the Silver Torch, even as they accept its existence.
Torchbearers use propaganda to gather new mem-bers. They prey on Thranes who have suffered unduly during the war as well as disenfranchised youth look-ing for trouble in all the wrong places. They claim that the Treaty of Thronehold should not apply to Thrane, since it does not swear fealty to the Galifar line. Others maintain even more ridiculous beliefs, such as the notion that the faithful should retake and purify the Mournland.
Moderate Thranes have little patience for the Silver Torch but hold them up as an example of the perils of zealotry and proof that the nation’s theocracy is not as rabid or hostile as its enemies would make it seem.
Getting PCs Involved: Thrane’s government abides by the Treaty of Thronehold for the most part,
but old hatreds still smolder. Wise heroes can play a role in preserving peace by stopping the Silver Torch and similar sects that endeavor to fan the flames.
The Torchbearers’ intolerance and use of propaganda, coupled with their rights as protected citizens of Thrane, make them difficult for adventurers to deal with. Torchbearers use the law as a shield and are more likely to attack heroes with words than swords.Adventuring parties that include nonhuman members might run afoul of the Silver Torch through no fault of their own. The sect might send spies to watch them and report on their activities. If the adventurers appear to act against the will of the Silver Flame, the Silver Torch might alert the local theocrat or distribute literature professing the dangers of allowing “swordwielding infidels who call themselves adventurers” such free rein within Thrane’s borders.