Post by Kaez on May 14, 2009 19:50:33 GMT -5
XELAO OAKSON XELAO OMARAN
Eternally Bound Under Blade and Silence
[/i][/font][/center]Eternally Bound Under Blade and Silence
What is XOXO?
If one were so incline to ask an ordinary citizen of, say, Ovid, "What is XOXO?" there are many responses that one might receive. Popular speculations include and are not limited to:
- XOXO is a myth and does not exist, either as a government cover-up or as sheer rumor.
- XOXO exists, but in a way very different than is popularized, ie, not criminals.
- XOXO are a group of murderous thugs.
- XOXO is a single serial killer.
- XOXO is a group of murderers who are unaffiliated with each other and simply kill under the same name.
Those who work for the government, law enforcement, or militia are much more likely to favor speculations that XOXO is used for media, and that no actual murder(s) exist whom go by the name. Many have claimed to have seen XOXO or to even be ex-members, but no accounts have sufficient evidence nor are more than hearsay.
Nevertheless, speculations have been ongoing since the first death under the name, nearly ninety years ago. Each of the seven nation of the known world have witnessed at least one killing under the name of XOXO, and yet not a single man or woman has been convicted or captured as a supposed member.
So the questions remain: Exactly who is XOXO and why do they do what they do?
Who is XOXO?
At first glance, a view observations can be made about XOXO.
- At least 500 deaths over the last 50 years (one every 36 days, roughly, plus the original thirteen) have been attributed to the group, with 'XOXO' marked somewhere in the surroundings of the scene.
- Over ninety-five percent of victims of XOXO are related to either militia, law enforcement, government, religious institutions, or major businesses.
- Murders are often carried out very violently, with little mercy shown for the victims.
These are the simple facts that one could attributed to XOXO. But to ask in sincerity, "Who is XOXO?" one must look far beyond common knowledge, into the organization itself.
The History of XOXO
Indeed, XOXO does exist. But to really answer the question of who they are, one must go to before they did.
In 309 AR, near Marderon, Rosia, a young sculptor named Silian Hall was slipping through the darkness at the birth of the Eow Mountains. The two weeks prior had been spent contacting friends and friends-of-friends in hopes of finding like-minded individuals to join his organization. When he arrived at the small cave at the edge of the mountains, legend tells, there were eight others awaiting him.
- Hall himself led the group and was the 'brains' behind the organization, working most of the organization.
- Nartha, his best friend, dealt with record-keeping and finances.
- Sithio was an elderly cartographer and architect.
- Tesil was a mathematician and scientist.
- Eran was a master swordsman, assassin, and ex-spy for the State Militia.
- Sullin was a young linguist.
- Morone was a Paladin and a physician.
- Gilian was an ex-politician and a recruiter.
- Terin was Gilan's servant and an alchemist.
At the meeting, which would come to be known as 'Alma Arain', or 'Glorious Birth', Hall gave a speech detailing his plans. The king had recently been shifting the republic into an economic boom, but at the price of the republic becoming less and less of a free-state. Hall opposed this shift, and indeed seemed to be against the entirety of the government, the church, and the large businesses that have taken a position of power in the nation.
Three months of weekly meetings were primarily made up of speeches and lectures of the organization's mindset, and by the end they had gained fourteen members. It was then that Hall proposed the assassination of a nobleman and lord, Matt Nivid who had been gaining political power by having an affair with the princess. The bold request was accepted by Hall's group, and two weeks later, Eran slit Nivid's neck.
In an ironic joke toward Nivid's affair, Eran put a large, black, 'XOXO' on the wall by his corpse. Seven months after formation, the group shifted their organization to a more permanent ordeal. The cave was furnished and prepared for weather, and eventually a group of twenty-four members were living within the lair. The organization grew in structure, organization, and wealth. A month before celebrating a year together, they made their second kill -- this time a duke, Gerald Zell. Eran put another 'XOXO' on the wall, informing the public that it was in fact that same killer (though this time, there was no further meaning to it).
The next day, news was spreading that there was 'An XOXO Killer' loose in the streets of Marderon. The group soon adapted the letters, "XOXO", as their name, giving it an Old Common acronym of Xelao Oakson Xelao Omaran, or "Stand Silent Stand United". For nine years and over the course of eleven more deaths, XOXO thrived to a member count of 52. It was then that the Rosian government finally discovered the group's headquarters, though all members escaped with their lives.
Hall knew that the organization would have to go on in utter secrecy from thereon. He and Sullin, the linguist, developed a complex system of codes and riddles that they used to contact the other members and give further instructions. Along with Hall and Sullin, Narsa bought a home in Greymill in which the three would live and orchestrate orders and messages to the other members from it.
Their member count soon lowered, with many not being able to figure out the complicated system of codes and riddles used by the three and with public recruiting nonexistent, recruiting more members to their cause was becoming quite a task.
Twenty-one yeas after their founding, they instituted a new system. Recruitment was instituted in two ways. The first part, the much simpler of the two, was put into place immediately. The current members were to all serve as spies, keeping constantly updated with the news and strolling the streets whenever possible to ensure that when a murder or revolt took place, the group would be able to capsize the situation. Recruitment of murderers was vital, but soon proved to be pointless, as few were able to understand their complex code system (which was vital to the group's safety).
The second step took place over the next four years. Architecture in the city was modified, altered and studied. A complex ritual of recruitment was developed using a combination of their code system and a physical path the spanned multiple nations. The years of work that went into the system, too, seemed to be unproductive - as few manage to even discover the path's existence.
It wasn't until just thirty years after the founding of the organization that the system was put into place efficiently. Murderers, thieves, convicts, and rebels were all watched closely by members of XOXO. Many were contacted with an uncoded message informing them to arrive at a certain location at a certain time. An XOXO member would be a safe but observable distance, and if they had traveled alone, would give them the next step.
While a large percentage of them were unable to work the codes and riddles, and unable to follow the path throughout the Known World, enough were recruited through this system to keep membership active. Hall died ten years after the system's development, two days before the fortieth anniversary of the Glorious Birth. Hall had one son, to a whore, whom he had been raising to take over the organization. Taking the reigns at the young age of 18, Drillian Hall was no longer emphasizing the political motions, and put assassination back into play.
Over the last fifty years of Drillian's reign, just under 500 murders have been attributed to XOXO and recruitment soared. The last thirty years, estimated membership has remained around 150 across the entirety of the Known World, and in each nation. About 10 are fully recruited and 10 die each year, so the pace remains steady. Unlike early years, because of this loose connection, very few members are aware of how many other members exist, or whom any of them may be.
As on 400 AR, each of the seven nations' governments have some sort of file on the XOXO, as each have seen at least a few deaths at their hands.
The Structure of XOXO
XOXO's structural system is only fully known by its highest ranking positions. It is a complex system based on position of initiation, kills to your name, information informed to you, and speed of progression. It is, vaguely, organized as the following:
Initiate
This is a position past which many recruits never go. This involves being contacted by XOXO and given an uncoded message to meet them at an enclosed location. Many either bring law enforcement, friends, or simply do not attend.
Seeker
Seekers have successfully been given their next step of initiation. It is a coded message which the receiver must successful decode to understand the next directions. Again, while performing or going to the location of their next directions, they are under surveillance of XOXO to ensure they work alone and law enforcement is not involved.
Operative
An Operative has successfully completed his first task for the organization, and can now be trusted. An Operative is given a small amount of information about the organization that he is communicating with and is given his second task. This position remains through many, many tasks along the Quest.
Knight
A Knight has successfully deciphered many clues and managed to stay safe, smart, and in contact for quite some time. A Knight will have to prove his worthiness in another field, however. Small-grade assignments are given to a Knight, and he must complete tasks such a thievery, destruction of significant artifacts, or defacing architecture or sculptures.
Padfoot
Padfoot is a temporary stage between Knight and Assassin regarded by the very important 'Padfoot's Blade' assignment. This is the true proving grounds of a member, where he must prove his ability to kill and get away safely. If he can complete this, he moves up a great deal within the organization.
Assassin
If one can prove capable of a single assassination, their position in the organization advances. They are given the opportunity to actually meet one of the higher ranked members of the organization. This is, for most, their first direct experience with the organization. More information about the organization is revealed, and they enter the next half of the Quest.
Silencer
While the Assassin position shows the difficulty in the Quest, the Silencer elevates this greatly. To achieve the Silencer position requires one to gain great personal friendship with some being over the period of many months. They must keep updates during this process and, at the end, kill this friend. This helps to develop emotional numbness.
Guardian
The Guardian position is the highest regular honor granted amongst the organization, and represents the final step of the Quest. Various complex trials take place over a long period of time during Guardianship and the remaining mysteries of XOXO are revealed. It remains unknown exactly what requirements one must meet to move on.
Instructors and Grand Instructor
A position held by a mere three men, the instructors are the most highly promoted Guardians, and the exact requirements to acquire their positions are unknown. The Grand Instructor is currently Drillian Hall, Silian Hall's son. Drillian does not, however, have a child and is aging quickly -- whom may take the seat of Grand Instructor is also a mystery. The three live together in Rynak.
Rynak
The home to the Instructors and Grand Instructors is somewhere in the general vicinity of Greymill. A few daring members have tried to trace back to location of their received goods, but none have been able to. The original Rynak was a large cave just outside of Marderon, and later a small house in Greymill.
Which house in Greymill remains unknown. Indeed, it is speculated that the location may no longer be Greymill at all.
Initiation and the Quest
To receive an initiation letter into XOXO upon first description may seem like a simple task. It is, in truth, far from such. One must first commit a felony offense. This includes but it not necessarily limited to murder, grand theft, rape, destruction of property, kidnapping, assault, and government espionage.
If XOXO has not already been spying on the subject, they will then perform a thorough background check. There are age and history requirements. Any history of mental insanity, multiple account of rape or theft, or any physical disabilities are guaranteed ways to not receive an invitation. Too young and too old (specifically that latter, as the Quest can be a long journey) are also taken out of the question.
Through the many requirements, about one in every six felons (uncaptured felons, of course) receive an invitation. With roughly two-hundred uncaptured felons a year across the Known World, about thirty-five receive invitations, making it a very exclusive organization. This lowers the rate of failure at initiation as well, with about ten of those thirty-five going on to join XOXO.
The invitation is left in the form of a scroll or note, and while many have claimed to have seen the bearer or the note, it is consistently described as 'a robed figure' whom the individual could detail nothing of in the darkness. In rough, the note informs them of a certain time and place to go to, alone, within the next few days. They are not to inform anyone of their reception of this note nor the location and time at which they'll be going.
If the recipient attends as specified, a note will be delivered to him only after careful inspection that he is alone. This note is delivered in many different fashions, all sharing the common trait that they allow the delivery without the note-bearer being seen. The note has a small, uncoded letter of initiation and a coded second section. This is the first step in a long process known as the Quest. The Quest continues throughout the entire tenure of ones time in XOXO, save achieving Instructor status.
The Quest is a trail that winds through at least all seven nations of the Known World (and many rumors have been circulated that XOXO's path moves, literally, out of the Known World). Clues and steps of progression are given in two separate ways: Direct and indirect.
Direct methods involve instructions given from XOXO, via the form of a scroll or note. These are received by spending time at certain observed locations, checking into inns under designated names, etc. Such notes are almost exclusively encrypted, via either a code or a riddle. Often these codes need ciphers, or many steps fall between the codes. These come from indirect methods.
Indirect methods involve instructions planted by XOXO or XOXO connections, but not directly given to the individual in question. During XOXO's formation, they hired a series of architects, cartographers, and thieves. They had these individuals traverse the entire globe, planting and altering indirect methods in architecture, sculpture, art, and geography. On top of this, they hired a special group to investigate already implemented structures (the geographical lay out of multiple significant buildings, for example) and find things within them that they could use to further their indirect methods. These are often just as if not more complex and difficult to follow than the codes, and often produce the ciphers necessary to decode them.
The Quest is an intellectual journey lined with thievery, assassinations, and betrayal. Truly, XOXO defines the term 'scholar warrior' and breeds an entirely unique species -- assassins who are not only skilled, but intellectual, and whom have a firm understanding of how the world around them unfolds.
Nothing could be more terrifying for the businesses, governments, and religious institutions of the Known World than the blade of a scholar-knight. No more terrifying a site than the letters, 'XOXO'.
