Member of the Order of the Hidden Dawn

As a member of Order of the Hidden Dawn you are charged with monitoring the use of magic from the shadows and removing any threats. Few people know of the Order's existence, but it has long been the charge of the Order to ensure that the powers of the arcane are not corrupted. You work in the shadows to protect the light.

Bureaus are scattered throughout the world. They mostly operate independently in their own regions, but traveling agents may find refuge or aid in other bureaus. Each bureau is lead by an Inquisitor, with Emissaries making up the chain of command. Curators and Quartermasters make up the support branch, acting as librarians and craftsmen/women respectively. Initiates, Agents, and Envoys work in the field and are the primary tools of the Order. Envoys typically are given the freedom to act as they see fit, whereas Agents are tasked directly from the order. Initiates are typically assigned to an Agent to aid them as required. Above all is the High Inquisitor and his Emissaries, they oversee all activities from a distance, hidden from the world entirely. Few members outside the leadership even know the location.

The Order of the Hidden Dawn is a collection of individuals from various walks of life, who are often devoted to a specific deity or pantheon. Though shared religion is not a requirement each individual bureau may have a patron that is more common depending on the region that it resides in. Members of the Order are not exclusively Clerics or Paladins, however, they do make up the majority. Due to the interfaith nature of the order, a non-dogmatic approach to religion is encouraged as these individuals value freedom over rigid tradition.

The tip of the Order's spear is the field agents (Initiate, Agents, Envoys), who are known to be inventive and subtle in their actions. This often lends its self to subterfuge and spycraft, rather than outright conflict. For example, an agent may investigate a noble for suspicion of blood magic by working their way up the social ladder into a position of trust or proximity. Once the suspicion is confirmed they may take action themselves or pass the information to a more hands-on Agent. In another case, one might sabotage a shipment of supplies going to a known necromancer.

Work with your DM to figure out how your character joined the order. Were they an orphan of a church/temple and a member sought to mentor them?  Did their diety guide them to the order to fulfill a higher purpose? Perhaps they fell backwards into the order while hunting the same quarry as an agent? 

The symbol of the order of the hidden dawn is a rising sun with a symbol of a specific bureau in the foreground. Any physical symbol all carries a small enchantment that verifies it's validity.

 

Skill Proficiencies: Choose two: Deception, Persuasion, Religion, Arcana

Tool Proficiencies: Thieves’ tools

Languages: One language of your choice.

Equipment: A trinket with the symbol of your bureau, a set of travelers clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Agents of the Order of the Hidden Dawn are secretive by nature, but they may have motivations beyond those of the order itself. Perhaps they are using the order as a means to an end or they are serving a sentence handed down from the high inquisitor himself as penance for acts seen as corrupt by the order.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong.
2	I am always calm, no matter what the situation. I never raise my voice or let my emotions control me.
3	The first thing I do in a new place is note who may know the most information - or who might be the most talkative.
4	I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy.
5	I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide.
6	I don’t pay attention to the risks in a situation. Never tell me the odds.
7	I am incredibly stubborn. I believe my ideas are correct and will argue them until the next dawn. However if you can manage to prove me wrong, I will immediately concede.
8	I am impatient, this will show itself when something is taking too long or I find a task tedious and unrewarding.

d6	Ideal
1	Honor. I don’t go back on promise. (Lawful)
2	Freedom. People should be free to make their own choices and mistakes. (Chaotic)
3	Service. Never leave a place worse off than you found it, unless its a necromancers den of course (Good)
4	Knowledge. I rid the world of evil as a means to an end. I aim to collect all the knowledge for myself (Evil)
5	People. I’m loyal to my selection of friends, not to any ideals, and everyone is either an enemy or a utility. (Neutral)
6	Redemption. There’s a spark of good in everyone. (Good)

d6	Bond
1	I was a target of bureau in the past. I am bound in service to the order until such time that they deem my trespasses forgiven.
2	My apprentence at the Bureau is like my own child, I would do anything - even disobey the order - to help them.
3	Something important was taken from order, and I aim to recover it.
4	I will climb the ranks in the order to become the high inquisitor.
5	I do not trust my Bureau. I feel it has strayed from the path. I aim to expose the corruption.
6	Someone I loved died because of a mistake I made. That will never happen again.

d6	Flaw
1	When I see something someone who has a position of power, I can't resist trying to work them over for information.
2	I preach my religion to excess which makes more enemies than friends.
3	I think nothing can ever go wrong for me, there is no such thing as overconfidence.
4	I am addicted to intoxicants too much to forget the horrible things I've seen/done.
5	I talk big game, but will cower at outright confrontation.
6	I think of myself as morally superior. If they ride a high horse than I am riding an elephant.