Purpose:
Survival of the group, which consists of those Cetus inhabitants who follow Dragon and, by extension, Aquarian.

General:

This group will be dark, mysterious, and occult, and at times brutal. They will be those who willingly gather under Dragon to secure their own survival and the safety of Cetus--at all costs.

Ideals:
The group is essentially a cult, and morally grey, sometimes seeming outright evil. Note: a Gembound need not adhere to or even believe in Dragon's ideals to join--they must simply work with him. But the group itself is formed around the concept that all else is secondary to survival. We can't be kind to others if we're not around to do so, and so kindness will take a back seat. We can't form a democratic society if we're dead, and so society will take a back seat. Survival is primary.

Ideologically, Dragon will espouse the ideas of a cycle of rebirth, of the glory of death, rot and decay as a method to expose the holy sanctity of strength and of the strong. The ability to survive will be held above all else. Prayers and preaching will speak of this in more detail, expounding on various themes that Dragon will pass on to his priests. Further secrets and purposes will be revealed as time goes on, possibly increasing in intensity (and evil) as more members fall fully in line with Dragon's teachings.

Basics:
All Gembound join the group as rank-and-file members upon initiation. From there, they may merely take part in the day-to-day lives of the cult, or may aim to rise in the ranks, or angle to join either the religious Maw (Inner Circle) or the more practical Claw (enforcers).

Daily activity among the rank-and-file will simply include socializing, hunting, and practicing combat and magic. It will also include attending events held by the Inner Circle: namely group prayer and preaching, and ceremonial celebrations and sacrifices. Those wishing to join either of the leading sects will be given tasks to aid them and to prove themselves, as well.

The Maw
The Maw, aka the Inner Circle, are those who devote themselves to maintaining Cetus and to organizing hunts and sacrifices to Aquarian. Dark prayers, offerings by firelight, chants, and preaching: these are the domain of the Inner Circle. Activities indulged in by the Inner Circle will include seeking out and gathering ceremonial materials or "holy" objects, leading sacred hunts and preparing offerings, and learning and preaching the ideology and prayers. Maw priests will thus often be tasked with preaching in far-flung areas of Origin Cave, bringing a dark cultist undertone to normally bright and magical places. The Circle will also be expected to organize the magical defense (and thus the magical practice) of those Gembound in the group.

The Claw

The Claw, aka the enforcers, are the muscle and the travellers. The activities undertaken by the Claw will include leading scouting parties, guarding areas, events and members that are important to the group, and escorting and guarding Priests travelling through Origin Cave. The Enforcers are guardians, scouts and even messengers, expected to be able to not only survive on their own, but ensure the survival of those around them. Certain Enforcers will also be tasked with teaching Gembounds in the group how to hunt and fight.

Note:
The Enforcers and the Inner Circle will often work together--for example at large Circle prayers or gatherings, the Enforcers will be present to keep order. Likewise when the a Circle priest goes out to preach the word of the cult to other groups, a couple Enforcers might accompany him or her to keep them safe. That said, they don't necessarily respect one another; some more practical Enforcers may well feel that the Circle members are crazy crackpots, and the Circle might feel that the Enforcers don't truly believe in the cause, and are merely muscle to be used. This may cause internal strife, at times.

Other Activities
Ideas (given IC or OOC) are welcome. Some concepts might include a weekly or bi-weekly prayer or preaching for characters to listen to (and perhaps get either more drawn in by or alienated by the deepening "cult" factor), a dark-themed festival (think sacrifices and burning effigies) where other groups are invited to watch the horror; or even contests of strength organized by Maw, Claw, or both, where all members can aim to win and prove they are worthy survivors... but risk losing both the contest and their lives. (Disclaimer - probably nobody will die. Maybe.)

Overall structure is meant to be non-strict, self-maintained, reasonable, and flexible.

Basics
Group structure is neither military nor a democracy, but rather a loosely-structured hierarchy based on performance and loyalty. Those devoted to protecting the cause and keeping the lower ranks motivated and focused will be granted more power in the organization than mere brown-nosers or bullies.

In terms of rank, there are no military protocols to be followed. Think of a more 'mobster' -like mentality: you do what you're ordered to, but there's no rules about being respectful, bar what might be smacked into you by your leader.

That being said, there are three main ranks. The first is that of Leader, and it's held by Dragon. This is a monarchy in that regard--he created the group, and has no plans of relinquishing the reins. Luckily, Dragon is not a bully nor particularly meddling, and will only be a presence behind the scenes, for the most part.

The other two ranks are those of High Priest or Priestess (The Tongue), and the lead enforcer, Dragon's right hand, the Fang. Dragon will delegate to them the tasks of leading the group as a whole, and individual activities to lead and to arrange.

Other ranks are yet to be organized, and will likely follow such steps as Initiate, Worthy and, for trusted Maw and Claw, Ascended, or something similar.

Disputes:
If a lower rank disagrees with a higher, or a higher ranking Gembound feels that someone under his command is being insuboordinate, they are free to either fight it out or to come to Dragon or one of his trusted lieutenants for aid in clearing things up without resorting to violence. The latter is seen as admirable and desirable unless the reasons are repeated and/or petty.

Only when a member is going against the group's overall goal, or disrupting the group's operations, will insuboordination be punished--or if a good leader is assassinated for no reason other than gaining power.

That said, if the higher rank wins a dispute fight, he may well punish the losing lower rank. If a lower rank rises up against a higher for good reason, beats him, and proves his worth immediately in pursuing his goals, he may simply be promoted. If a higher-ranking Gembound abuses his power and is killed in an uprising, it may well be seen as a failure to survive, and those who rebelled, again simply promoted.

Relationships with Other Groups:
The group is focused on its own survival over all else. For the most part other groups will be ignored, or rather, preached to, unless there is either something that they have that Cetus could use, or if they somehow threaten the cult's continued existence.

The cult will remain separate and dark, a rumored evil hidden deep in the heart of Cetus, but other than that will only emerge on occasion in the form of preaching priests trying to gather members and spread the word.

The group may enter into politics when it concerns them, but in their own way. For example if two other large groups are at war, on a scale that puts the entire cave in danger, Dragon's group will step in to attempt to sabotage one or both sides for the survival of the whole. This may take the form of anything from large-scale attacks to sabotage, kidnapping, torture, assassination, ransom, blackmail and more.

In regards to Cetus, other groups making their homes here will likely be avoided and left alone so long as they do not threaten the marsh's health or the members of Rot in any way. If they do either, most likely delegates will be sent to bargain, first, and only then will the situation have the potential to escalate into hostility.

Please note that on an OOC level, the group will have two strict guidelines for the harsher aspects of our RP. The first is to never aim for the death of a character without prior permission, and never push a situation beyond the other player's limits. If someone WANTS a character to die, that's fine--but otherwise, if the Cetus group succeeds, an enemy will only be harmed and 'left for dead' at worst, so that they can survive and recover. Members will also be asked to always check an enemy character's player's limits before attempting any violence on them, so that nobody is tortured, disfigured, etc. beyond what either player is comfortable with. Second, nothing sexually violent or sexually abusive will ever have a place in the group. It's not what this group will ICly or OOCly be about and if that's what your character is interested in, please keep them in another group!

Relationships with Plots and Quests:
In terms of the overarcing plots of Origin Cave, the group will take a generally neutral stance. They will gather information, bring it back, and decide on how to get involved--if at all--based on the survival of Cetus and its inhabitants.

The group is aware that the health of the cave as a whole will affect Cetus; they are also, however, aware that other groups sacrificing their members for some greater good means that more Cetus members survive. This may mean that infiltrating other groups as an "ally" and suggesting certain courses of action may be as viable a solution as getting involved directly.

Does Your Character Fit?
Those Gembounds who join are expected to be mature, capable of handling their responsibilities and, for the most part, solving their own disputes. They don't need to follow the ideals of the cult; they only need to agree to live within its guidelines. Extremely young Gembounds will be welcome but not a minority; the group is not, for the most part, child-friendly. In fact, very young members might just wind up brainwashed by the cult's values. Given the ultimate driving force behind the group (survival), all else (morality, for example...) may be pushed to the wayside, particularly in times of conflict. If your character is extremely moral, this may be a poor fit for them, or a temporary source of powerful character development one way or another.

A character seeking to ensure their own survival, or to gain in power and influence, may well choose this group. Believe it or not, a sick creature or a weakling would be welcome: animals that are weak individually often join groups for survival, and the step taken to join would be seen as the strength to live. As a result, this group may well become a good refuge for exiles and castaways otherwise unwelcome with the other groups.