School of Eight Limbs

The School of Eight Limbs is a secretive order of monks affiliated with the Consortium. The school is located deep within the Vaults of the Consortium Bank building. The monks have a unique fighting style, known as the Spider Style. They are highly trained and committed to the ultimate goals of the Consortium.

Membership of the School is limited to the orphans that the Consortium chooses to train. This ensures that the only ties of the students and monks are to the Consortium itself, and therefore will be less likely to leave the organisation.

History
The School was created by Kang Tianyu, a mysterious former Shadow from the Southern Isle. Tianyu was a wandering monk and scholar who became indebted to the Consortium and repaid his debts by joining the organisation. He was incredibly gifted at deciphering coded messages and forging documents, so became a key member of the Consortium, eventually rising to the rank of Shadow. As Shadow, he then established the School of Eight Limbs to teach his skills to young members of the Consortium.

The School of Eight Limbs now has a fierce reputation within the Consortium, as they are the most fanatically committed to the goals of the organisation. They were big supporters of Valentia Agricola when she was Guildmaster.

Tenets & Beliefs
The monks of the School of Eight Limbs believe that the Consortium is the only realistic avenue for peace on the continent of Narador. As such, they fanatically follow orders from the Consortium regardless of if they personally may question the motives of the order.

The monks lives are dedicated to the Consortium; their entire existence is spent serving it. When they become adults they complete missions - often in groups of two-five. These missions are often the most risk-filled, and they can be hired out by members of the Consortium if a job has become too risky and is being turned down by regular members. When they retire from active service in the field, the monks become Guardians, teaching the younger members of the Consortium, or archivists, who work behind the scenes across the organisation deciphering messages and forging documents.

Monks of the School are also expected to give all worldly gains of their exploits to the School itself. This doesn't mean the members cannot obtain wealth, but that they must be able to part with it if the School requests it. As a result of this lack of desire to obtain wealth, which is a primary motivator of normal Consortium members, the monks of the School of Eight Limbs often have different priorities entirely. They often focus on bigger issues, doing whatever it takes to try and prevent war from breaking out. This can often result in members of the School combatting more esoteric threats.

For example, when Rosalind Culper, who was not a member of the School, discovered Hetzudoxian cultists in positions of authority in the Church of Light, she requested support from the Consortium to establish an Inquisition at the behest of the Church. Few members took up the call, however, as there was no obvious monetary gain to be had. When news of this reached the School of Eight Limbs, they sent a contingent of fifteen monks to aid Rosalind.

Leadership
The School of Eight Limbs is headed by an Abbot. The Abbot label is a misnomer, however, as they have no formal religious role. The name is borrowed from the monasteries of the Church, but the positions have differences. The Abbot of Eight Limbs is largely an administrative role, in charge of the day-to-day running of the School. They have no real oversight of the missions taken by the monks who have attained the rank of Agent, but the larger decisions are often taken by a joint decision between the Abbot and the Agent.

Fighting Style
The School of Eight Limbs is greatly influenced by the spider, and as such their fighting style is referred to as Spider Style. This sums up their approach to their work. The monks must be able to move quickly and quietly, climbing and jumping where necessary. Monks of the School often carry a poisoned dagger, too.