Divine Dictum (Law) of the Black Order

*"The Black Order, its true name the Order of the Black Star Ascendant, seeks to combat any and all agents of the dark god Tymetras. The evil curse of the western isles, the wall of darkness that blockades the northwestern reaches, the Voidspawn... They are all related to the prophecy of the Dark Star's Rising - a cataclysmic event my people call the Final Sundering. The Dark Star may be Tymetras Himself - given physical form by the corruption of Man's divine spirit... Or one of the unnamed dark gods, vile kin of Tymetras, who inhabited the Void of Nothingness before our Gods sought to birth the divine light of creation - this light the physical manifestation of the sacred Starsong of Au'ruin worship. The Edicts of the Black Order's Divine Dictum - the holy mandate of Mankind's defense, entrusted to the first Martyrs of Vanguard before the onset of the God Wars -  are as follow. May this shed some light upon the Order's purpose, its necessities, and what it has to offer. There are eight such Edicts which stand beneath the Five Pillars of Light - numbering Thirteen in all. These are the core laws of the Order and the Starsong faith of the Au'ruin - a direct descendant and holy branch of the Order. In and of itself, the Black Order is not a religious institution - as per our laws and the teaching of Starsong, we reserve our members' right to worship as they please. Those who choose to follow Starsong do so at their own discretion."*

1.The First Edict - *"Heed always the commandments of thy righteous Gods - by their many names and faces - for all Men follow in the footsteps of the Divine."*

1.= The First Edict teaches that we should not judge our neighbors for their faith, so long as their teachings are righteous and just. Though each culture has seen the Face of God in different shape, bearing names we may not recognize, all Men follow the same holy laws at heart. Thus, we must respect each other in the interest of mutual understanding and fraternity.

2.The Second Edict - *"Harm not thy fellow Man - lest he enact the will of Tymetras."*

2.=  The Second Edict teaches that we should not seek to attack, defame, or undermine our fellow Man, as such acts obstruct our communal ability to withstand the temptations of the agents of Chaos. In severance of fraternity, all Men are weakened - entrenching evil within each other's heart.

3.The Third Edict - *"Seek always the brotherhood of Man, that First and Second One stand united in the face of Chaos and Disorder."*

3.= The Third Edict teaches brotherhood by association - preaching the union of diverse cultures, languages, and faiths. Mankind is empowered by fraternity, an amalgam of divergent paths which lead us down similar crossroads: whose destination lies within the bosom of our righteous Gods. If we avow diversity to breed resentment, Mankind shall fall in unison.

4.The Fourth Edict - *"Honor thy Mother and Father, for in their union the seed of life did scatter - the spirit of Man set forth in the image of our Gods."*

4. = The Fourth Edict teaches us to respect the progenitors of our dynasties, the histories of our people, and the lineage of our kind - honoring the trials they underwent to deliver us unto the present. Without their willing sacrifice, our kind would be lost to the ravages of time.

5.The Fifth Edict - *"Aid thy neighbor, for in charity we echo the righteousness of the divine."*

5.= The Fifth Edict teaches us to protect our fellow Man, relinquishing the temptation of greed in light of fellowship. Self-indulgence serves only to divide the many faces of Mankind - sundering the nexus of our unity in favor of the ego. In serving oneself, brotherhood becomes inconceivable. Without division of labor and possession, resentment is birthed in the shadow of envy.

6.The Sixth Edict - *"Plunder not the virtue of thy labor, for in just service Humanity shall reap its eminent harvest."*

6.= The Sixth Edict teaches us to seek possession of only that which is the product of our singular effort - for the act of theft is a breach of the sacred covenant between God and Man. By the vigors imbued within us in the breath of the divine, we have each been afforded the means to reap the virtues of the earth without need of violence and covetry. Thus, banditry - the act of theft - begets the greatest insult to the righteousness of Man.

7.The Seventh Edict - *"The union of woman and man echoes the breath of the divine - bearing forth the seed of creation in the image of thy Gods."*

7.= The Seventh Edict teaches us to honor the sanctity of marriage, for in bearing child we re-enact the First Breath that gave spawn to Humanity. Furthermore, it demands the respect of familial union, without which our kind would face extinction. To dishonor one's mother and father, or defile the virtue of another man's wife, is to spit in the face of the Gods that bore the seeds of our creation.

8.The Eight Edict - *"Honor thy impermanence, for our time upon this earth is fleeting."*

8.= The Eight Edict teaches us to commemorate our transient state - as all that lives shall be unmade. In death we return to the bosom of our Gods, to be reshaped or reborn by the virtue of their Will. We must not fear death, for it is the just sign that we have fulfilled our commitment to the Gods and Mankind. In death we are released from our sacred duties, insofar as we have served them righteously. Thus, we consummate divine will in serving the limited breadth of fleeting spirit - in the pursuit of justice, honor, duty, and righteousness. Thus, just sacrifice in the pursuit of righteous honor shall return us to the heavenly firmament - where the spirit of Man shall eternal reign beside the Voice of God's Creation.

9.The First Pillar of Light - *"Oppose Chaos with every breath - Disorder with every action."*

9.= The First Pillar of Light invokes Mankind's sacred oath to combat evil in every form. To shed complacency and fear in service of the divine. To safeguard Humanity against those who welcome its extinction.

10.The Second Pillar of Light - *"Embody Justice in thy actions - Dignity in thy stance."*

10.= The Second Pillar of Light invokes Mankind's sacred oath to heed virtue in all things Human. To treasure the gift of our creation, for we were born in the image of our Gods. To stand tall in the face of adversity.

11.The Third Pillar of Light - *"Seek Purity in all things - Innocence where it stands."*

11.= The Third Pillar of Light invokes Mankind's sacred oath to uphold the sanctity of all that is Good. To protect the innocent from the onslaught of corruption. To elevate our brothers and children - that they may be elevated to heights beyond their wildest dreams.

12.The Fourth Pillar of Light - *"Safeguard the Sanctity of thy splendor - the Majesty of Heaven's Gate."*

12.= The Fourth Pillar of Light invokes Mankind's sacred oath to recognize the greatness in every Man. To unleash the potential of our companions. To respect those who reign above, and serve beneath - as all Men are equal in the eyes of God.

13.The Fifth Pillar of Light - *"In Diligence Mankind shall stand erect - the Kingdom of God in thy halls resplendent."*

13.= The Fifth Pillar of Light invokes Mankind's sacred oath to enact the holy Edicts sworn unto the First Men and their myriad descendants. To honor the Gods by virtue of our existence. To remember that we, too, share common origin in the breath of which divinity took shape.

*"Together, the Thirteen Sacred Laws of the Divine Dictum of the Black Order outline the virtuous manner in which all endeavors must be forged. They provide the basic code of conduct all men must enact - from the lowliest servant to the highest of Kings. They embody the sacred promise made by the first Martyrs of Vanguard, echoing the innocence and virtuousness of the First Men unto which the Gods whispered mind and spirit. These are the laws that govern the Black Order - providing the foundation over which we safeguard the solace of Man. Without such laws, our First One creed would fall to the temptations of Chaos. We would drown in the black march of the ever-flowing tide of darkness. Heedless of the virtuous purpose of Man, we would welcome with open arms the corruption of all that we hold dear - ushering in the mechanism of our extinction."*---