Ordre de la Griffe d'Émeraude

Originally a group of elite shock-trooper style knights under the crown of Karrnath, the Ordre de la Griffe d'Émeraude has since been outlawed in Karrnath and has gone underground.

They continue to operate in a semi-terrorist fashion to this day, proclaiming their desire to see Karrnath once again rise to power and garnering support from the Le Sang Divin. L'Ordre de la Griffe d'Émeraude is spread throughout Khorvaire.

L'Ordre de la Griffe d'Émeraude was established in 896AR and soon after came to the aid of Karrnath during the war. With perfect timing during a period where Karrnath was on its last legs this group of warrior fanatics came to its rescue and bolstered its defenses. Due to its radical faith many distrusted L'Ordre de la Griffe d'Émeraude and soon the distrust turned into scorn so strong that Regent Moranna staged a coup and outlawed L'Ordre de la Griffe d'Émeraude in 976AR. The group still exists today but only as a Ombre of its former sElfee living like terrorists and guerrilla fighters.

4th Edition Eberron Campaign Guide

*Griffe Émeraude Trooper p.88 *Griffe Émeraude Knight p.88 *Griffe Émeraude Marshal p.88 *Griffe Émeraude Sergeant p.268 *Mallora, Griffe Émeraude Necromancer p.268

The leader of L'Ordre de la Griffe d'Émeraude is known as The Queen of Death by most members, a mysterious lich who controls the entire order with the help of the Crimson Covenant. Due to the collapse of the order after being officially outlawed from Karrnath the order cannot simply go about its business like it did during war times. Now the order has been broken into numerous cells spread out over Khorvaire. The leaders of each of these cells are officers who receive orders from the Crimson Covenant. Below these officers are the knights who're proven specialist warriors. Next are the troopers who are either cultists, criminals or Karrnathi patriots. Spies are used by the order along with mercenaries when required.

L'Ordre de la Griffe d'Émeraude makes a good villainous group without any moral ambiguity.

The Order is known for its use of distinctive helmets with half-faceplates.

References

Order of the Emerald Claw: Not so much a sect as a paramilitary branch of the faith, the Order of the Emerald Claw does the will of Vol herself. Agents of the Order operate not only in their home state of Karrnath but all across Khorvaire, where they carry out the orders of the Crimson Covenant. Some of the rank and file in the Order are unaware of their organization’s ties to the lich-queen, truly believing themselves to be the ostracized Karrnathi loyalists they portray to the outside world. Those in charge of cells or operations are faithful Seekers, doing work they believe is essential to furthering the Blood of Vol, and they would gladly die before spilling their secrets.

ORDER OF THE EMERALD C LAW What arose as an order of militant knights within the nation of Karrnath fell into disgrace and became a shattered remnant. The Order of the Emerald Claw now operates as a collection of cells of fanatical warriors, necromancers, and spies. On the surface, its members seem to be driven by Karrnathi patriotism, and they purport to be adherents of the Blood of Vol. The most cursory investigation reveals that claim to be a facade. The truth behind the Emerald Claw is that they serve the lich Lady Illmarrow, and in her name they carry out acts of destruction, murder, and necromantic terrorism. They have been linked to the theft of powerful items imbued with necromancy magic, and they often employ vicious undead minions that make even other Karrns uncomfortable. Most worshipers of the Blood of Vol are quick to point out that they don't accept the order's claim to membership in their faith, and those true worshipers vehemently reject the Emerald Claw's violent fanaticism. THE E M E RALD C LAW AND THE WAR During the Last War, Karrnath was forced to embrace the practice of necromancy to bolster the ranks of its army. At the same time, a number of chivalric orders were founded by devoted worshipers of the Blood of Vol. These groups included necromancers and bone knights that were trained to raise and command the undead troops used during the war. The Order of the Emerald Claw was one of the most infamous of these groups, renowned for its fighting skills but often sanctioned for its brutal treatment of enemy soldiers. The Emerald Claw were also accused of slaughtering civilians so they could be raised as skeletons or zombies-behavior that was strictly forbidden by the Karrnath commanders. When King Kaius III came to power near the end of the war, he turned against the Blood of Vol. The orders were disbanded, and many members of the Emerald Claw were condemned as war criminals. While the other orders complied with the king's edict, many knights of the Emerald Claw refused to surrender. The order fragmented as its original members scattered, but a number of those rebellious knights started their own cells, rallying all who wanted to see Karrnath achieve its rightful glory. The order experienced a surge in membership following the Treaty of Thronehold because many Karrns thought that Kaius III had betrayed their nation by embracing peace. Six years ago, shortly after Kaius's accession, a figure known as Lady Illmarrow emerged as the leader of the Order of the Emerald Claw. Few of her followers know anything about her, other than her great skill as a necromancer; many members of the Order refer to her as Queen of the Dead. Some members of the order believe she will ultimately raise Karrnath above all other nations. Others simply trust that she will grant them personal power. They believe that she is poised to become a god of death, and that when she ascends to divinity, they will be granted immortality or at least the eternal life of undeath.

LIBRARY VAULT Map 4.9 shows a library vault maintained by the Order of the Emerald Claw. The order collects dark materials and forbidden magic and holds them for safekeeping in these heavily defended locations. Each vault also functions as a chapter house or a sanctuary for a local cell. L IBRARY VAULT FEATURES Library vaults can be found in a variety of locations. Some of them are crypts or dungeons secreted away underground, while others are hidden in plain sight inside a home or a business. Whatever its specific location, a vault is always equipped with defensive features, some of which remain active even after the outer door is breached. LIBRARY VAULT ADVENTURES The Library Vault Adventures table outlines some possibilities for adventure involving one of these locations. LI B RARY VAU LT ADVE N T U R E S d6 Adventure Goal 2 3 4 Destroy a scro l l containing an i ncantation that a llows even non-spellcasters to a n imate the dead. Steal the journal of a powerfu l necromancer that's being held i n the vault's col l ection. Trade a powerfu l dark magic weapon in return fo r the rescue of i m portant hostages taken by the order. Steal a suit of armor that conta i n s the soul of a hero slain during the Last War. 5 Search the col lection for i nformation on the Queen of the Dead, or “ Lady I l l marrow,” as she is known. 6 Infiltrate the vault to get close to a new Emerald Claw recru it, then convince them to come to their senses and return to their fam ily. ORDER OF THE E ME RALD C LAW N P C s Given the undeniable nature of the order, villains associated with the Emerald Claw present an opportunity to provide characters with adversaries that are memorably evil, and that revel in their villainy. E M E R A L D C LAW N PCs d6 N PC Though mortal, this fanatical warrior d r i n ks the blood of those he slays in battle. 2 A cleric tries to convince her enemies to embrace the order, promising eternal life through u n death. 3 A noble with sym pathies toward the order h ides a cell's l i brary vault within the groun d s of their estate. 4 A suave vampire would rather charm its enemies than crush them in battle. 5 An artificer is obsessed with infusing necromantic curses i nto their construct creations. 6 A changelin necromancer often poses as a vam p i re or a m u m my, even though it's sti l l alive. C HAPTER 4 I BUILDING E B E RRON ADVENTURES EMERALD CLAW CAMPAIGN THE M E S At low levels, adventurers can clash with Emerald Claw skeletons and zombies. As the characters grow more capable, the threats escalate. They might have to protect a village from a necromancer who is sucking the life out of the land, or race through a dungeon to acquire a necromantic relic before the Claw can claim it. The Emerald Claw is ideally suited to pulp action; it's a force that is blatant in its villainy and has hordes of evil minions to do its bidding. Defeating the schemes of the Emerald Claw should always feel like the right thing to do. Although many members of the Emerald Claw believe that they are fighting for Karrnath, they are truly serving the lich Lady Illmarrow (see chapter 6). The greatest necromancer of the age, she seeks to unlock the secrets of her inactive dragonmark, the Mark of Death. If she succeeds, she could come to possess unimaginable power. This makes her a formidable villain to drive the action of an entire campaign. EMERALD C LAW ADVENTURE HOOKS The Emerald Claw Adventure Hooks table offers some options to kick off adventures featuring the Emerald Claw that take place outside their sanctuaries. E M E R A L D C LAW ADV E N T U R E H O O K S d8 N PC What at first appears to be a renegade group of Aundairian sold iers turn out to be undead u n d e r the order's control. 2 The order strikes at a small keep, demanding the i n habitants s u rrender a particular vol u m e from their l i b rary. 3 4 5 6 I n vestigating strange lights and sounds emanati ng from a crypt i n the dead of n ight reveals the Emerald Claw experimenting on the corpses with i n . T h e Emerald Claw violates graves near a small village, ani mating the corpses i nto u ndead laborers to help build a n eldritch machine. The Emerald Claw claims a village's town hall for its own use, and any who come near are attacked. The sounds of torture ring out from within the b u i l d i ng. I nvestigati ng disappearances among an elf community reveals that the Order of the Emerald Claw has been attem pting to i n scribe something l i ke a d ragonmark in their skin, then reani mating the fa i led experiments as zombies. 7 While searching for a magic item in Dhakaani ruins across southern Khorvaire, the characters d iscover that Emerald Claw agents are looking for the same thing and seem to have access to i nformation the adventu rers lack. 8 A large force of Emerald Claw knights offers the characters a choice: join the order, or submit themselves to death and an eternity of servitude from beyond the grave.