The Followship Of The Black Hound is an inquisitorial order dedicated to the search for the missing, the punishment of murderers, and the exorcism of undead that is all too often resultant of such tragedy. They take their name from the portent of the Black Dog said to haunt roads, barking to warn of death; the members of the Followship vow to follow the Black Dog and investigate the death it warns of, no matter if it’s their own end they're following it to. Hence the name “Followship.”

This group of like-minded rangers and druids are inquisitors dedicated to return those who are missing back to their rightful place in civilization. They are enemies of the restless dead as well as the threats of the abyss. This organization has its roots in Mistburg on the continent of Radavan.

Members of the Followship are trained from a very young age to become inquisitors and join the organization. Those who enter training after the age of thirteen are seen as compromised or weaker than those raised from the Followship from childhood.

Many within the organization make use of dogs in their work for the purposes of tracking. Many inquisitors are given a dog if they desire, and the last months of apprenticeship involves rearing a puppy, turning it into a proper companion trained to track and fight at the side of their master.

Members of the Followship are known officially as “inquisitors” but are often colloquially known as “hounds.” The official name of the inquisitional order is “The Followship Of The Black Hound”. But it’s also known as “The Inquisition Of The Black Hound”, “The Black Hound Inquisition”, and “The Followship” (“followship” is a somewhat rare word compared to “fellowship” so it's sometimes seen as synonymous with this one inquisitional order.) Members are often called “Hounds”, or “Hounds of the Inquisition”, by outsiders. A common insult for Hounds usually involves “bitch”, “son of a bitch”, or other dog-related insults because of their dog-association.

• Archibald Cooney
• Rakke
• Robynn
• Bo

Vigilance - A Hound must always be vigilant. Know that the threats you face are wolves in sheep's skin; they are cunning and subversive, and no matter the threat, big or small, all are equal in the intent to wreck harm. A failure to be attentive to threats you sense, no matter the cause or the character of the victim, is a failure to uphold this tenet of the Followship of the Black Hound.

Truth - A Hound must always seek to divine the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, no matter the consequences. Only can we, Hound and patrons alike, move forward with the truth. In turn, a Hound must always stand by their own truth. Carrying on with falsehoods attached to your name is a failure to uphold this tenet of the Followship of the Black Hound.

Commitment - A Hound must always uphold a promise they have freely given. Any Hound that has accepted coin or bounty from a patron exchanges absolute commitment to the plight of the missing and endangered for whose sake the patron has asked for help. They are bound to this commitment in duty and good faith until the whole truth is uncovered, a victim recovered, and final rites observed if need be. A failure to uphold your commitments is a failure to uphold this tenet of the Followship of the Black Hound.

Authority - A Hound may act in the place of Authority, in the absence of authority, in the name of their commitment to a patron or a victim. A Hound may act in the place of authority, in the absence of authority, in the name of seeking the truth. A Hound may act in the place of authority, in the absence of authority, in the observance of last rites. A Hound may act in the place of authority, in the absence of authority, in the judgment and exorcism of the Undead. A Hound can not act in the place of authority in any other situation. A failure to give due respect to authority as they give due respect to you is a failure to uphold this tenet of the Followship of the Black Hound.

Loyalty - A Hound must always covet loyalty to their patron, to the missing and endangered, and to their own, in trust and faith, above all else. Unless, that is, they find that in their pursuit of truth their patron or another Hound seeks to wreck harm, deceive, betray their commitments, or disregard authority. A patron who would betray you, or a Hound who has failed to uphold all other tenets, has failed to uphold the last tenet of the Followship of the Black Hound held between a Hound and all people. A Hound may act in the place of all authorities to subdue or kill a Hound that has become a wolf in dog's skin. Or a patron wearing the skin of a sheep.

Faith (Unofficial Tenet) - A Hound must always follow the Black Hound that haunts the roads of the world if it appears to them, no matter if it's their own end they're following it to.

Hounds are more invested in making money off their commitments and bounties than in helping people out of compassion, which is considered acceptable. All Hounds are required to put a third of their earnings back into Inquisition's treasury to cover costs for bigger ventures, supplies, housing and medical needs, and legal protections for individual Hounds that get into trouble. Also the tenets, though they reference authority, don't reference law. There's implied wiggle room in skirting around local laws because you have authority in place of actual authority if you're working in the interests of uncovering the truth or upholding a commitment. Whether or not the local constabulary is charitable about this depends on the location and their relationship with the nearest Followship outpost.

Also, it should be noted that Hounds freely choose their commitments, with one exception, discussed below. They must always act if they sense a threat to anyone, but promising to outright unravel a mystery or find a missing person is a commitment. If they judge a job to be less than worthy for whatever reason then they are within their right to withhold making a promise. Most Hounds for that reason are very careful about initiating commitments or making promises. They almost always get a contract in writing if they can, and it's always stamped with a signet ring that matches the inquisitorial emblem to officiate it. Also, all Hounds almost always take payment upfront. It goes unspoken that you can always trust a Hound to fulfill their end of a bargain lest they face consequences from within their own order.

Also, all patrons are made to understand that divining the truth ranks above what would be convenient for them. If a Hound discovers that they had a hand in hurting other people or that they broke the law then at that point whoever was the victim will outweigh the patron. Generally, if a Hound has to delegate, then Truth trumps Commitment and a victim's needs trump those of a patron. Though, internally, it is something of an ongoing debate when patrons are no longer worth commitment and it's a source of strife (and undeserved demerits) for some Hounds who might find themselves trying to figure out if holding to a tenet conflicts with doing what's right.