Characters:Factions:Men of the Mace

From the works of Solon the Wise:

Last of all, and sometimes least of all, standeth that company which is the Men of the Mace. Few secrets can they keep, for their young and foolish ones will often boast of things better honored by silence. The Maceman guardeth the towns and cities of Men, just as the Keeper doth guard the settlements in the wild places. Though a few of the wisest of the Men of the Mace once traveled with Rangers, this company too came forth in its own way and time.

When Men did the first of their cities establish, the makers of the place gave orders that some should stand apart to keep the law and give it force. The first such company of guards bore weapons of all kinds. After a time, the lord of that place saw that spear, sword, and axe were as fell in the hands of the law as in the hands of the outlaw. He decreed, therefore, that first the guard should not kill without great need and second that it should wield not weapon such as could cleave or pierce a man. They that had borne always the mace, club, staff, or hammer saw that they had followed the decree before it was made. They grew boastful in their choice of arms and named themselves "the Men of the Mace" and also "the Men of the Law". Many that had borne axe or sword before joined them then, but a few, angry and dark of heart, turned away from any law save greed. They called themselves the Men of the Knife or the Society of the Blade.

The Men of the Knife and the Men of the Mace did often feud. Each company killed among the other, for the Mean of the Knife turned to robbery and murder and so brought down on themselves the wrath of the Men of the Mace. Each hated the other, but the Men of the Mace departed seldom from the decree against killing needlessly.

As the race of Men spread across the world, Men of mace and knife spread also, though the latter sought places to pillage and the former sought places to guard. Their feud also spread, until each of the other companies knew of it and had marked for death any Man of the Knife.

The Men of the Mace will not accept any but Human men of due age into their ranks. They ask of their apprentices that they be of 17 summers or more and stout of heart and hand.