Many individuals gave their lives and possibly souls to gather this information. They may yet be living and have yet been used in this war to hurt our loved ones. We hope that they may be saved even having gone this far and pray to Lady Lorminstra that such can be granted to them for the information they have gleamed so that others will not walk their "Dark Path".
~Loremaster Axxon

Wehnimer's Landing via the Mystic (Prior to closing this chapter of the Council)

"Seek your destiny in the bathhouse," whispers the curious mystic. "I entrust you with this great secret. Speak not a word about it to others."

YOU RESOLVE TO REVEAL WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED TO NO ONE ELSE!

[Council, Office]
The office of his excellency, the Grand Poohbah of the Lodge, is not nearly as ornate as one might expect. The walls are lined with tomes of great age and value, each lovingly catalogued and obviously often used. A steady stream of clerks move in and out carrying important documents for the poohbah's approval. You also see the Grand Poohbah.
Obvious exits: out.

You curtsy to the Grand Poohbah.

The Poohbah looks impressive in his formal robes of office, even if he does have a small potbelly.

The Poohbah touches his left earlobe with his right thumb. After a moment, the Poohbah takes you aside.

The Grand Poohbah looks you straight in the eye.

"My child, it gladdens me to see you here," he says. "By your presence I know that our agents have deemed you worthy of joining the lodge. Let me tell you more about our organization."

"The Most Exceedingly Secret Grand Lodge of the Exalted Council of Light is a group of men and women dedicated to the study of all that is good. We serve the future, learning and recording all there is to know, so that it may never be lost. To those who prove themselves worthy, the powers of the Lodge are bestowed, in the certain knowledge that they will be used wisely."

"To you is offered the honor of membership in the Lodge. Recite this oath: "I will never betray the council" and be accepted as a member. I trust, of course, that if you decide you are not ready for this responsibility, you will keep secret the knowledge of our existence."

The Poohbah shakes your hand, and winks at you.

The Grand Poohbah takes a paper from the filing cabinet, stamps it *ACCEPTED*, then puts it back where it belongs.

You recite:

"I will never betray the council"

The Grand Poohbah takes you aside.

The Grand Poohbah smiles broadly. "Welcome to the Lodge," he cries! "By the powers invested in me by the Great One, I declare you to be an Initiate of the first rank."

The Poohbah then instructs you on the duties and responsibilities of a member of the lodge. The first and most important is that of secrecy. "Discuss lodge matters with none except those you know to be fellow members," he commands. "The knowledge that we impart could be perverted if it fell into the wrong hands. The greatest sin a member can commit is to allow the unworthy or the unready to learn of our existence!"

"Difficult though it is, you must keep our secret even from your closest friends. Be strong," he cautions. "If they are truly worthy they will be approached, even as you were, and invited to join."

"Now you should hurry and report to the Taskmaster. She will give you your first lesson and start you down the road to true knowledge. Good luck, and be steadfast," he concludes.

The Grand Poohbah shakes your hand. You feel good all over! The Grand Poohbah asks an aide, "Why isn't the paper on Membership Rankings on my desk?"

The Grand Poohbah takes a report from a drawer in his desk, stamps it *ACCEPTED*, then puts it back where it belongs.

The Taskmaster somehow reminds you of your mother.

The Taskmaster beckons you to join her and without further delay explains how things work. "In order to advance to a higher rank in the society," she says, "you must render services, offer gifts, and answer a question. These tasks demonstrate your resolve to work for the lodge, support it, and advance its goals."

"Go west to be assigned your service. When you have completed it, go north to learn what gifts are required. When you have provided them, go east and be questioned."

The Taskmaster notices your eager glance to the west. "Not so fast, she says. "before you go running off, there is something I have to teach you." She then proceeds to teach you the SIGN OF RECOGNITION.

"This secret sign will allow you to discreetly identify yourself to other members of the lodge. As you gain higher ranks, you will be taught other signs which will aid you in your quests. These signs, however, must be earned! Now off you go!"

The Master of Services notices you and says, "XXXXXXX, as this is your first service assignment, I will explain how things work. Your service to the society is done by ridding our fair land of any number of dangerous beasts. I will assign you the job of procuring a number of animal pelts. You may obtain them by any means you desire, from slaying the foul creatures personally and skinning them, to hiring others to perform the service for you."

"When you obtain a pelt, return here and offer it to me. My clerks and assistants will update your tally, and when you have completed your service, you will be free to start rendering your first gift."

"As this is your first service, we shall make it a simple one," the Master concludes. "Therefore, go forth and obtain 5 cobra skins, then return and offer them to the society."

The Master of Gifts acknowledges your presence and says, "Korinn, as this is your first gifting task, I will explain how we do things. Your gift to the society is achieved by procuring a number of needed items. Some you can obtain in Wehnimer's Landing, others may require you to slay foul beasts."

"When you obtain an item, return here, place it on the altar, and OFFER it to the society. My assistants will update our inventory, and when you have completed your gift, you will be ready to answer your first question.

"As this is your first gift, we shall make it an easy one," the Master concludes. "Therefore, go forth and procure 2 arm greaves, then return and offer them to the society."

The Inquisitor approaches you and says, "Ah, Korinn. I thought you would never get here. It is my job to put you to the question. As this is your first question, I will instruct you in the proper ritual."

"Although the questions are difficult, you should be able to divine the answer to each by performing the appropriate research. When you think you have deduced the answer, return here and ANSWER it."

"Be warned, however, that each incorrect answer will result in a delay in your rise to the next rank in the society. Therefore, it is unwise of you to attempt to circumvent this task by guessing."

The Grand Poohbah looks at you and scratches his right earlobe with his left forefinger. You recognize his SIGN OF RECOGNITION and go over to meet him.

"Evil is strong," says the Poohbah. "Evil is powerful. Evil searches for the slightest imperfection in our souls, and thus corrupts us. The path ahead is difficult, even more so than before. This is the ultimate test of your faith. We, your lodge brothers and sisters, will be here to help you, but in the end, it is you alone who will have to embrace evil, and in doing so, defeat it. Remember this: you are not the first to travel down this dangerous road, nor will you be the last. Have courage!"

The Grand Poohbah looks at you and scratches his left eyebrow with his right index finger. You recognize his SIGN OF RECOGNITION and go over to meet him.

"Ah, I see that you have advanced to Journeyman, XXXXXXX. Congratulations! Now it is time for you to learn some more about the goals of the lodge. As you know, we seek the light. But to do this effectively, each lodge member must understand the true nature of darkness. Only by knowing evil for what it is can we triumph over it."

"The road ahead is difficult. It is a test of your courage. It may not be within you to look inside you and see the dark side of your soul. Indeed, for the purest of souls, those untinged by shadows, the path may be impossible to follow."

"Therefore, if at any time you feel that you cannot continue, come to me and declare 'I resign from the society!' I will regret that you cannot continue with us, but I will respect your decision."

On that somber note, your audience with the Poohbah is over

The Taskmaster looks at you, consults her notes, and then announces in a loud voice: "Congratulations, XXXXXX! By the power invested in me by the Grand Poohbah, I declare you to be a Master of rank 20! Step over here and I shall instruct you."

You approach the Taskmaster. She puts her arm around your shoulder and proceeds to enlighten you.

"The SIGN OF HOPELESSNESS should never, ever be used. The Poohbah will instruct you in its meaning. Seek an audience with him now."

"Oh, and by the way, the Poohbah would like to have a word with you as soon as possible."

Now you can see yourself as you truly are; corrupted, blackened, stained by evil! Even though you were given several opportunities to resign, you stayed on. You walked, nay, you ran down the path to damnation!"

"Now our job is done. When the final battle begins, it is to us that you must rally. You are beyond the reach of my adversary. As a graduate of the society, you will retain your powers, but you are also bound by your oath of secrecy. I'm sure my friend the Dark Assassin won't have to pay a call to close your mouth!"

Your blood runs cold as the Poohbah laughs at you!

The Grand Poohbah takes a paper from an aide, peruses it carefully, then hands it back.

Congratulations on completing this chapter in the Saga of the Secret Societies. As the Gurus of this segment of GS3, we want to ask a favor of you. Whether you resigned or graduated from the society, whether you like the society or despise it, we humbly ask that you not reveal what you know about the society to anyone (except other graduates and resignees, of course).

We make this request so that other players can have the full experience of the society, just as, hopefully, you did. I understand that this request may conflict with your personal feelings about the society. The only reason we make it is for reasons of game balance.

If you feel this position is unreasonable, please discuss it with me via Feedback (GS3Mail@Simutronics.com) before acting on your beliefs in the game. we look forward to your comments.

--- Aephir & Sayzor.