“Lord Lorin, kill him.” The Judge said to the surrounding figures in black robes. All wore a unique mask, made in separate points in the world. The Judge often wondered which agent was behind each mask, and deep down he missed his own disguise. He never regretted his promotion, not that he could have turned it down if he wanted to, and he always knew that he would be lucky to one day lose the mask. Still, at points he regretted it, knowing that he could be betrayed at any point by these men that he had overcome, that one self-destructive urge from his subordinates could end his life. “Our agent will manipulate his son into parting with a good deal of his inheritance.” All the agents copied down this information, as was traditional. That way, no one would know which agent was assigned to which target, their identities would remain secret. “On to the next order of business. The magic guild to the south…”

The Cabal of Skulls is really a business when it comes down to it. They have their ideologies, they have long term goals, but in practice they concentrate on gaining money. They plot and conspire to build their funds, killing off rich lords and plunder their estates. They rob graves, delve into tombs for historical artifacts, all in the name of gold.

The Cabal is built entirely from arcane spellcasters. For decades, only wizards were allowed in, under the argument that sorcerers lacked the capacity to think on the same level as wizards. About twenty years ago, however, a rich sorcerer wanted to join The Cabal of Skulls. To gain access to this treasure, The Higher Court made a “clarification,” never actually admitting that they were wrong, but stating that “certain statements have been misinterpreted to mean that those with natural arcane power should not be allowed to join our ranks.”

The Cabal of Skulls believes in total meritocracy, that only those with superior skill should be allowed to govern and rule. Unfortunately, The Cabal is also of the opinion that only arcane spellcasters have the skills to govern, and that possessing such skills grants them the right to overthrow all existing governments. The cabal was founded about a century ago, originally an unofficial project of a weaker nation. Back then, The Cabal was simply a guild of arcane casters who were to be ready “If they were ever needed.” They were never called to duty, and the leadership of The Cabal became convinced that they were entitled to rule. They were wise, however, and did not attempt to wage immediate war. They were patient, and devoted their efforts to gaining money, land and titles. Ultimately, they plan to own enough and be rich enough to overthrow the current governments, and instate their ideal vision of the world. They get their name from the tradition they briefly had of delivering the skulls of their victims to prove their deaths, but this proved so inefficient and anti-productive that the practice was abolished within a few weeks.

The Cabal of Skulls’ organization is cell based. Each member has a rank, which are divided into the following categories. When a member of a higher position is killed or promoted, he is replaced by a member of the rank directly below him.

Agents: Agents are the entry position for mages who enter The Cabal of Skulls. These men and women are always masked when dealing with one another, and belong to a cell group, usually or no more than eight members. They take orders from the Judge, who instructs them who to get close to and, eventually, kill. Most agents never progress past this rank, but when the position of Judge opens in their cell, one of the Agents is promoted. This happens when a Judge is promoted, killed or demoted back to Agent rank. Agents are keen to advance their position, and tend to spend their time proving that they should be promoted next. Each cell meets once every month, in a different position, with each member showing up in some way, physically, astral travel or through some other method. Cells are generated on demand, when enough new recruits come into existence to justify another one. Then, recruits are taken from other cells, and one of them is promoted to the rank of Judge.

Judges: Each cell has a Judge, who directs the agents in his cell. His identity is revealed to his former comrades upon his promotion, to avoid corruption. He also knows the names of all his agents, though he does not know which agent has what name. He holds the monthly meetings and gives the commands, which are passed down from The Council of Judges. The Council of Judges meets once every six months, to direct the actions of the individual cells, how much funding they should receive, and how much profit they should make. A Judge who fails to consistently meet his quota may be demoted.

Judge Supreme: This Judge does not have a cell of his own, but instead acts as a liaison between The Council of Judges and The Higher Court. He directs the biyearly meetings of The Council of Judges, and has final say in such meetings. He has no power in The Higher Court, and is only addressed to give his report and to receive new orders to relay to The Council of Judges.

The Higher Court: The absolute authority in The Cabal of Skulls, The Higher Court decides who is promoted or demoted, what to spend funds on, handle larger issues within The Cabal, and they plan the long-term goals of The Cabal. The Higher Court consists of nine members, all high-level mages, some of whom have been members since The Cabal’s construction, kept alive by dark magic. In the rare event that one dies, he is replaced by the current Judge Supreme. The council is completely democratic, all members vote on all issues. None may abstain from voting. They meet once a year.

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