Scowling slightly as she enters the tower, Pyrocite mumbles something extremely unladylike under her breath about mein golems, their ancestry and something unsightly having to do with a kobold. The look of disdain slowly leaves her features as her eyes scan the small chamber, which seems to be in surprisingly good repair. Her gaze comes to rest on a tapestry darker than the night itself hanging upon the far wall by a large, ink and wax-stained writing desk made of lacquered witchwood. The tapestry swirls and shifts while Pyrocite stands transfixed before it, nodding her head with unblinking eyes as if she is carrying on a conversation with the shifting mists. She averts her eyes respectfully and bows slightly towards the tapestry, while whispering in a barely audible voice, "As you wish, Your Lordship." After a respectful pause, she turns sharply on her heel and climbs the staircase on her far right, midway between the tower door and tapestry.

 Now in the Shrine, she crosses the floor in quick measured steps, stopping only as her path crosses near the obsidian altar to bow low once. Upon standing, she circles to the back of the altar and kneels down, then carefully begins to pry at an oddly shaped stone behind the altar with only her fingernails. It pops out of place with a small bump, revealing an ancient tome bound with the charred sinews of some predatory beast, delicately wrapped in the fur of a jackal. Showing all of the care a mother might show an infant, she slowly lifts the tome and its wrapping from its hiding place and replaces the stone. Quickly rising to her feet, Pyrocite nestles the book in the crook of her arm and proceeds across the room, stopping at the stairway to again bow low to the altar.

 Upon reaching the foot of the staircase, she changes direction sharply and walks hurriedly towards the writing desk. Setting the tome down on the cleanest portion of the desk, she absentmindedly grabs the nearby chair and settles into it. A look of concern edges its way across her face as she carefully unwraps the tome and opens its delicate pages, taking great care not to chip or mar them in any way. Grabbing a nearby piece of parchment, she dips a slightly used blood eagle's feather quill in a pot of ink and begins to copy the tome from memory, glancing back every once in awhile to make sure she has not forgotten anything.

1. In the darkness, find peace. In the shadows, find solace. In creation, create fear.

2. Simply asking someone to fear you is unconstructive and downright comical. Only the worthy can inspire terror. If you require such practice, practice frightening small children and halflings. They are far easier prey than well-trained giantkin warriors. It is no real embarrassment to start small and work your way up. If you find yourself unable to progress, seek the help of another acolyte or initiate. If you still find yourself unable to progress, perhaps you should consider offering your pathetic mortality to a less powerful God.

3. If you are no longer a student, become a teacher. Show the correct path to as many as possible. Not all will listen or be worthy, and some will mock and scorn you. Know that when they retire for the evening, they are in for what they would consider an unpleasant surprise, and smile upon this, their good fortune.

4. In no way should you ever question His Lordship's judgment. There is a form of worship that prescribes to "Question not your God, for your God does not answer." This is incorrect. His Lordship answers, and his answer may involve the doubtful disciple's agonizing and/or messy demise.

5. You serve His Lordship above all else. He is not a jealous Lord, and the worship of other Gods is not forbidden, however, it is ill advised. This is particularly true if the other deity is in opposition to the darkness, night, fear in general, nightmares, or fear-induced insanity. Worship of Ronan is not permitted and is punishable by death. Worship of Phoen and Zelia is also forbidden, their spheres of power being in opposition to His Lordship's.

1. Sacred Understanding: Contemplation and understanding of the Five Sacred Precepts are of paramount importance. Inability to do so will result in embarrassing failure to yourself, your Lord and your brothers and sisters. Embarrassment is unacceptable, and punishment is at the discretion of those embarrassed by your failings.

2. Purity of Thought: To follow His Lordship, your way of thinking is of the utmost importance. Impure thoughts should be avoided, lest they lead to activities not consistent with the teachings of His Lordship. Thoughts of ill-will such as wishing dreams upon your brethren are frowned upon, and should this infraction be made known to the High Priest, punishable in the manner prescribed by the ill-thought.

3. Mindful speech: Slander in all of its forms is forbidden. Speaking ill of the Order, His Lordship Sheru, or any of his servants results in severe penalty, decided by the highest-ranking member of the Order at the time the infraction is committed. Punishment is determined by the severity of the blasphemous statement and the discretion of the individual presiding. Sacrilege is punishable by death, the manner of which is at the discretion of the High Acolyte, so that the High Priest may not be disturbed from his tasks. On this note, striking your fellow brothers and sisters is expressly forbidden unless meting out a pre-determined punishment.

4. Honorable Deeds: Be mindful of the rights of others...to an extent. To tell a falsehood, especially to another initiate or a superior, is not only a waste of time (since they will know), it is a waste of breath (since depending on the severity of the infraction, you may or may not have another opportunity to breathe). Gossip is yet another waste of your precious breath.  Engaging in such wasteful behaviors is not tolerated.

5. Honorable Intent: Great effort is required to learn the proper way to conduct yourself. Your deeds, thoughts and words govern your conduct. Often, your intentions will be mistaken by others, and they may feel threatened by your very presence. Be aware of your own presence in the thoughts of others, lest they become your enemy and take you by surprise.

6. Purity of Mind: In service to His Lordship, mind, body and soul are one. Any in His service may be called upon to give up these three sacred vessels and should be prepared to do so. Mortal flesh is merely a vessel for greater endeavors and can be replaced. Mind is difficult to restore, unless you are one of The Gifted. Souls that are beyond the gates are beyond The Night.

7. Sacred Meditation: The training of the mind to negate the effects of fear, and perhaps even enjoy them, is the pinnacle of having communed with His Lordship. To know and understand the effects of fear, it must first be conquered and savored. However, to display fear as the Unfaithful do, cowering and whimpering like an abandoned child, is weakness. Weakness has no place in the service to His Lordship.

8. Disciplined Demeanor: His Lordship is one of the most powerful beings in existence, and when you walk in His shadow you are offered His protection. Take pride in your faith and your power. Frivolities such as giggling are unseemly for someone following His Lordship's calling, as is being overly friendly towards people who are not close acquaintances or associates.
 

 Looking somewhat weary, but smiling faintly, Pyrocite sets her quill down on the table next to the small stack of parchments, drying in meticulous order. She rises from where she has been sitting for the past few hours, almost unmoving, and stretches with near feline grace. From inside a black velvet satchel on the floor, she pulls a strand of flawless black onyx beads, highly polished but worn from many days spent in quiet meditation and prayer. After inspecting them for any need of maintenance, she carefully closes and rewraps the ancient tome. She gazes up the stairs as if she has heard something in the room above, and warily begins to walk in their direction.

 As she climbs the stair, tome in one hand and prayer beads in the other, a man steps out of the shadows with fluid grace and glances toward the copied text. He moves over to the desk as silently as a falling shadow, rifling through the parchments with barely a sound. After perusing them for a few moments, he picks up the quill and carefully appends the final page of the text. The man smirks, looking entirely too pleased with himself, and slips back into the shadows as silently as he came.

Scratched into the bottom of the piece of parchment in an even more spidery script is an additional comment:

* Sacred Precept 6: Thou shalt not touch His Lordship's High Acolyte... or any of His Lordship's other personal servants in any way, lest thy chubby digits beg us to remove them.