Observe
Watch, document, and establish what is actually happening.
Investigators · Guardians · Hunters
The Oathborn
“Truth in Shadow. Duty in Light.”
Duty
A chosen place
in Opaline
To investigate the unknown, protect the innocent, preserve the Veil, and confront threats to the natural and supernatural worlds.
A neutral, cross-lineage order that seeks evidence before judgment, diplomacy before violence, and force only when no other path remains.
What membership asks
Affiliation creates responsibility.
Seek truth before judgment
Protect before you destroy
Preserve the Veil and stand where others cannot
Oathborn field reference
Truth before
judgment.
Words carried across centuries
The Oath
We seek truth before judgment.
We protect before we destroy.
We preserve the Veil.
We stand where others cannot.
Truth in Shadow. Duty in Light.
Older than the Concord
They chose service,
not government.
The first Oathborn emerged when unexplained events were answered with superstition, panic, and violence. Hearthborn witnesses and members of the ancient lineages began traveling between settlements to understand threats before frightened communities destroyed themselves.
As the world grew connected, secrecy became survival. The Order helped formalize the responsibility now called the Veil, then declined political rule when the Concord was founded.
“In darkness we seek truth, not vengeance.”
Operational doctrine
Escalation is a ladder.
The correct response is usually the least destructive response that can protect life, truth, and the Veil.
Approach
Ask questions and give the subject an opportunity to explain.
Warn
Make consequences clear and offer a path away from escalation.
Contain
Capture, restrain, or detain only when circumstances and approval justify it.
Neutralize
Use decisive force only when there is truly no other option.
Opaline chapter
Responsibility grows with trust
Commander
Leads Opaline's chapter and bears final operational responsibility.
Captain
Leads investigations and coordinates active fieldwork.
Investigator
Conducts approved investigations and represents the oath in the field.
Probationary Investigator
Works under supervision while proving judgment and reliability.
Recruit
Learns doctrine, procedure, preparation, and the limits of authority.
Equipment doctrine
Prepare for the mission.
An investigator carries what is reasonable—not an invisible arsenal tailored after danger appears.
Investigator's Satchel
The reasonable everyday equipment an investigator can actually carry: sidearm, light, radio, notebook, first aid, restraints, and practical tools.
Oathborn Lantern
The symbol of truth, vigilance, and service. Some may be enchanted to reveal traces, residue, or minor illusions.
Field Journal
Detailed records of creatures, phenomena, evidence, and encounters. Knowledge remains one of the Order's greatest weapons.
Advanced Medical Kit
Trauma supplies kept because saving life takes priority over ending it.
Secure Communications
Encrypted radios or devices used to coordinate investigations and operations.
Containment Kit
Rope, ties, evidence bags, chalk, cameras, measuring tools, markers, and other essentials for careful fieldwork.
Reasonable professional and personal tools the character could normally possess.
Specialized restraints, ritual supplies, tracking gear, wards, or similar tools gathered through preparation.
Explosives, incendiaries, dangerous artifacts, experimental gear, or heavy tactical resources requiring approval.
Every lineage has a place
The Order works because no one investigator knows everything.
Hollowborn+
Wards, ritual work, arcane detection, counterspell knowledge, and enchanted support.
Duskborn+
Night operations, enhanced reconnaissance, blood awareness, and patient tracking.
Ridgeborn+
Wilderness tracking, search and rescue, animal handling, and physical endurance.
Hearthborn+
Forensics, medicine, communications, vehicles, firearms expertise, and civic authority where legitimately held.
Tideborn+
Waterborne search, aquatic access, current knowledge, and rescue in environments inaccessible to others.
Wildborn+
Wildlife knowledge, natural tracking, difficult-terrain access, and reconnaissance through native forms.
Frequently asked questions
Playing an Oathborn
Can any lineage become Oathborn?+
Yes. The Order accepts Hearthborn and every Born lineage. Oathborn is an oath and responsibility, never a replacement lineage.
Are Oathborn law enforcement?+
Not automatically. Some hold legitimate civic careers, but faction membership alone grants no police power, immunity, or carte blanche authority.
When is prior approval required?+
Arrest, detention, sanctioned combat, property seizure, or lineage-specific equipment directed against a player character requires Concord or staff approval unless life or the Veil faces an immediate threat.
Can Oathborn investigate without approval?+
Routine observation, interviews, evidence work, and surveillance may proceed without prior approval when conducted within normal roleplay boundaries.
Are Oathborn monster hunters?+
They may hunt when circumstances demand, but their doctrine is truth before judgment, protection before destruction, and force only when no other path remains.
Does an investigator carry every weakness and weapon?+
No. Everyday carry must be reasonable. Mission gear requires preparation; restricted and lineage-specific equipment requires approval and roleplay acquisition.
Who do they answer to?+
They work with and answer to the Concord, appropriate authorities, and staff oversight while remaining neutral between lineages and loyal to the oath.
What makes a strong Oathborn story?+
Uncertain evidence, competing duties, frightened witnesses, Veil risk, moral restraint, teamwork, preparation, and consequences that cannot be solved by violence alone.