Nolak

The Nolak Terrorist group is a multi-regional Terrorist group. They are based around a fanatical religion. The group is used in multiple Aberdeen roleplays. They have been rendered effectively defunct after a nuclear bomb was dropped on their headquarters by Angel Fire in the Angel of Light Operation

The group was created and normally played by the player forgottenlord. Multiple characters from the Forgotten Territories are former members of the Nolak Clans.

Important Note about these People

OOC: In today's day and age, our concept of Terrorism has taken on quite a different meaning. When someone says terrorist, most people (at least of those reading this) would instantly think of some mid-eastern group or another - even though many other cultures have terrorists in their own right (IRA, McVeigh, etc). The thing is that to think of them as such would almost be a crime to what they really are. Yes they are religious fundamentalists - but their religion doesn't have open interpretation to mean anything but violence. There is no such thing as a moderate follower of the Nolak faith. The Nolak faith was designed with the concept of violence, of bigotry and of genocide – though Nolak himself is not necessarily that type of person.

It is also important to note that women are not seen as necessary lesser than men. Many of the notable names within the Nolak Clans that are portrayed (including Nikki Ronalk, Tristan Angel, and the Night Sister Kelsey Thompson) are highly regarded by Nolak society. However, one’s power and respect within the society is directly proportional to how much they can contribute to that society. Because of the high mortality rate, the average woman has much greater value as a birth mother than a front-line soldier. A particularly talented woman, however, is worthy of being on the front line and it is these who tend to be portrayed.

Finally, the heavy use of rape in the Nolak history (specifically, the individual histories) is not due to sexism, but rather a difference of societal issues that give them different priorities. Because of the high mortality rate, one does not need consent to have sex because reproduction is so important.

History

Formation

Little is known about who the person Nolak was. He never indicated a last name, a history, a family, or anything else for that matter. What is known is that he was a prophet who first appeared in historical some 2700 years ago (0th Nolak Year). He preached about a new order and a new way of life, one born from blood but would award its followers with power beyond their wildest dreams. His preachings attracted many to follow him, and they became the first Servants of Nolak. The Nolak Clan had been formed. Scholars studying both historical documents and the Book of Nolak (the primary text of the Nolak beliefs) are uncertain whether Nolak actually had a concept of a future society or not. Unfortunately, none of his speeches were ever recorded in historical logs. Some suggest that he merely wanted power. Whether he did or didn't at the time, there is evidence that his views and dreams had changed in the later years of his life, perhaps even feeling as if the Nolak Clans had been a failure.

Alas, he got power - a lot of power. Historical documents show that the Nolak Clan became the largest terrorist faction in the world within 12 years of formation. Even when you look at the various terrorist alliances that existed, he had command of the third (by some accounts, including the Book of Nolak, it was the second) largest terrorist alliance - yet the Nolak clan was allied with no one. He fought both terrorist factions that he considered unworthy and nations. No nation was considered an ally - even the conquered ones.

However, Nolak soon feared an uprising within his ranks. He alone held all the power, and recognizing the frustration of many due to this, he divided the Nolak Clan into 10 roughly equal groups. There was no Nolak Clan, just the 10 Great Clans of Nolak. Like the Nolak Clan before, the first leaders of each clan also became the namesake of the clan they lead. They were Runark, Misnew, LockNall, Baghrak, Truestek, Fallmak, LockHart, Treschev, LamBinjo, and Holnark. The 10 leaders together with Nolak formed the Nolak Council. According to the Book of Nolak, Nolak cut off his fingers and gave each to a different leader, representing his surrendering of power. By accepting, the clan leader was pledging his life and loyalty to Nolak.

Yet the fingers held greater meaning, for each indicated the position and duty of each Clan, what they were supposed to do and what they were responsible for. With them came a structure to the society and clearly defined roles for all members. Even after the many internal battles, this inherent structure remained.

The Nolak Council allowed for the Nolak Clans to swell even further. Each of the Nolak Clans was soon in the top 20 most powerful terrorist factions in the world. The Nolak Clans as a whole became the largest Terrorist Alliance to have ever existed. To address possible uprisings, commanders that had proven themselves both in being able to rally troops and lead them on were given permission to form new clans, breaking off from the Great 10 Nolak Clans while still being in service of the Nolak Council. They were not given a seat on the Nolak council, but they were often given much more freedom in how they could conduct themselves. Some went off and destroyed themselves. Others became powerful terrorist factions that could rival the 10 Great Clans. By the first peak of the Nolak Clans was reached in 122NY, there were over 200 different factions.

While history is fuzzy, the Nolak Testimates seem to suggest that by 122NY, the Nolak Council still held the same cast as it had in 12NY when it was first formed. As a result, it is believed by their followers that Nolak and his 10 fellow Council members were Gods. There are many interpretations of this, but the end result was that the time period from 110 NY to 123NY, the way of Nolak moved from being just another terrorist faction to a religion in its own right. This is also the period where we see the first writings of the Book of Nolak which the Nolak council had been generous enough to fill in the first 50 years with tales so that it was a complete story (others would contribute stories for later years).

The extended joint rule, however, had the more dangerous side effect. Having worked with each other for so long, the 11 members of the Nolak Council grew weary of each other, and with it came rising hostilities, paving the way for the Great Servant War.

The Great Servant War

No records were ever made of what was said by whom amongst the Nolak Council. However, the remnants of the Nolak Council after the battle recorded a summary of the events in the Book of Nolak. Quite simply, after 100 years of joint rule, animosity was rampant throughout the Council. Nolak alone seemed to be friendly and cooperative with all of them, and to Nolak alone did they all have any feelings of allegiance and friendship with. In 122NY, Nolak stopped trying to keep the peace and chose, instead, to incite a conflict between the members. He spread the secrets he knew, the confidences he had kept over the 100 years to the other members. He spread rumors - both true and false - amongst the many. For nearly a year, he did everything he could to incite a feud between the Great 10 Clans.

In 123NY, LockNall punched Baghrak after they left a council meeting, and Baghrak responded to LockNall with the war cry, "Your faction will be crushed under the foot of mine. Prepare yourself for war." He then struck LockNall, knocking the fellow leader out. Baghrak then went to the helm of his forces and began assaulting LockNall's bases. Other factions began picking sides and aided the two forces in the war.

As more and more of the Great 10 Clans went into battle, Nolak ceased trying to claim they were united. He suspended to Nolak Council, to be reformed the day that his fellow council members could no longer shed each other's blood. He then ordered all the smaller factions to not get involved in the war and to continue to expand. Not all listened and the war between 10 factions became 50. Alliances were made and broken, only to be reformed again. Clans that were loyal to one faction soon found themselves being stabbed in the back. Most of the smaller clans were destroyed - all of them lost their founding leader. By 128NY, none of them were willing to continue participating in the war and left the battles to the Great 10 Clans. Yet the Gods of Nolak seemed invincible, locked in this eternal squabble yet unable to kill one another. Some wondered whether the Nolak clans would keep fighting even as those 10 kept striking at one another time and time again, but unable to kill each other.

All of these beliefs were shattered when Misnew died in 137NY. He died to a General under the service of LockNall - who, it happened, was dueling Treschev at the time (both escaped that battle relatively unscarred). True followers of Nolak have been baffled by this for millennia - how could a God die? Some wonder whether Nolak may have withdrawn the invincibility that seemed to have been given to his greatest of followers. Regardless, Misnew died and his clan joined the ranks of the many smaller clans that had already withdrawn, waiting for the end of the war. Before the same year was out, Holnark likewise fell - this time to an arrow that had found his eye. For many, it was seen as a confirmation that the end was approaching.

138NY, openned up with the largest and bloodiest battle the war had seen - an impressive feat for the badly beaten factions. The Battle of Rushland Mountain had the 8 remaining clans divided up into 3 alliances: LockNall and Truestek (who had been duelling just under a year earlier) took the northern side of the mountain, Baghrak, LamBinjo, and Fallmark held the south-western corner, and LockHart, Truestek and Runark held the south-east. Within the first two days, 3 more had died - Baghrak, LockHart and Truestek. After a week, LockNall found himself so overwhelmed due to the loss of his one ally that he found himself sitting between LamBinjo and Truestek - effectively surrounding him. He perished within a day.

As the last 4 leaders charged one another in an all-out push, Nolak appeared in the midst of the chaos, only to be struck down by a grunt as he swept by his Lord. The soldiers didn't understand what had just happened. They didn't have a complete sense of what had changed, but they understood something had. The 4 survivors of the Nolak Council did understand. They halted battle and met under peaceful terms where Nolak had fallen. Here, they pledged to end their fighting, to rebuild the Nolak Clans and her council and return her to her former glory. By the end of 138NY, the Nolak council was once again home to the new leaders of the 10 Great Clans (none had been annihilated) and she was once again growing. The 4 leaders also had their chance to write the prelude to the war into the Book of Nolak. However, the year ended with their deaths - legend claims they died at the exact same time in 4 different locations. The First Age of Nolak was over.

Transcending the years

Over the course of the 26 centuries that separate the start of the Second Age and the present day (Seventh Age), many rounds of infighting, plagues, and various other problems have brought us through many ages (Second: 139NY to 1072NY, Third 1073NY to 1354NY, Fourth 1355NY to 1520NY, Fifth 1521NY to 2573NY, Sixth: 2574NY to 2683NY, Seventh 2683 to Present) and into the realm of today. Each age is ended by the conclusion of a major war - one that involved all of the Great 10 Clans of Nolak to address. Longer droughts that lack such wars occur when enemy nations are weak or when massive plagues paralyze the forces. The shortness of the 6th age meant that Nolak couldn't rebuild adequately before it was plunged, yet again, into a major war. As a result, the start of the Seventh Age was its lowest point since the start of the Second age, with just under 200 different Clans and having actually disappeared from the top 100 Terrorist alliances (something that hadn't happened since its founding). It is a testimate to how much the realm of terrorism has grown in size due to the increasing population of the planet. As we look closer to today, they are once again climbing the ranks with nearly a dozen regions under their control, and many more being attacked. However, it would be their latest target, that of Aberdeen, which would prove to be their undoing.

The End of the Seventh Age

There is much speculation in the immediate aftermath that resulted in the closing of the Seventh Age. There are many differing theories as to why it happened and what the Nolak Clans had done to create the catastrophe. However, the fact of the matter was simple: the Nolak Council had been destroyed. With it went the records of who did what to incite the actions.

However, many names of the responsible are known.

Kane’s Frankenstein

The first is Kane Angel and his would-be wife, Tristan. Kane was a rising star within the Nolak Clans in 2680s NY. With the Seventh Age of Nolak having just started, Kane was seen as the one who would lead the Nolak Clans to their rightful place as the most powerful Terrorist Group in the world. In 2690, he became infatuated with Tristan and abducted her. To ensure that he would not have to give her up to sacrifice, he chose to turn her into a Class 5 Assassin. However, he did not perform the rituals according to Nolak Tradition. He deviated from the normal in many key ways, specifically:

1. He programmed her to be loyal to him before she was loyal to Nolak
2. He gave her some of his “radical theories” about the Nolak religion
3. He did not strip the identity of her past self from her mind

These things would later aide Tristan in acquiring assistance from powerful allies and provided her with the resources and mental capability of betraying and attacking the Nolak Clans. The non-traditional creation was well known and annoyed the Nolak Council, but they approved of her after she proved herself to be an exceptional Class 5. While she may have had failings in her belief, talent such as hers was a rare gift and not one they could afford to waste in their weakened state.

This theory was vindicated when the pair quickly became one of the strongest teams in the entire Nolak Clans – strong enough that Kane was granted the right to form his own Clan in 2695.

Narek’s Ego

The second culprit is Devin Narek, Follower (leader) of the Misnew Clan. In 2712, he petitioned the Nolak Council to deal with the threat of the Kane Clan. The Kane Clan had spent the better part of 2 decades becoming one of the most powerful clans, rivaling the Great 10 Clans by 2710 and still growing. This was aided greatly by the Night Sisters, Tristan’s pet project. At the time that Narek presented his request, the Kane Clan had not made a single move against any of the other clans nor shown any inclination to betraying them.

However, Narek’s arguments were convincing enough for the Council to become split on the matter. Some did, indeed, see the threat Narek was pointing out, however other members still remembered the claims that Kane would be the one that lead them back to their rightful place. Kane would later indicate that he would’ve gladly filled the latter role if he could have.

Regardless, Narek refused to accept the stalemate. Realizing the Council wouldn’t act, Narek did, and he had come to the conclusion he wouldn’t need a large operation to do so. In Narek’s mind, if you could split the three big powers of the Kane Clan – Tristan, Kane and the Night Sisters – you would have ended the threat while maintaining a powerful weapon. Indeed, all three were potent weapons as they would later prove when they went their separate ways.

His operation worked perfectly, and the Kane clan found itself split. Even better, the Night Sisters and Tristan had separately discovered the identity of their attackers and did not attempt to rejoin Kane at the nearest base – a base that was under Narek’s command.

However, the attack sowed the seeds for the later events. By Nolak forces attacking Kane, Tristan’s programming made her an enemy of the Nolak Clans. In addition, because of Kane’s choices while forming her, she could turn to her past for help, and her passed held one powerful individual she could trust: her brother, Forgottenlord.

Reunion of the Three Powers

It is, perhaps, curious that the greatest of Narek’s mistakes was not in choosing to attack the Kane Clan. Rather, it was in his inability to leave the matter alone. Tristan could not strike against the Nolak Clans until she had found her husband, for fear that she end up in battle against him or worse. She was quickly aided to that end when her Night Sisters returned to her just a few years after joining Forgottenlord. While she pledged their services to him, she still had some who remained fully loyal to her and that allowed her the freedom to continue her operations anyways.

Just 5 years after Misnew’s attack, Narek petitioned that they send their most skilled Operatives into Aberdeen, the region in which Forgottenlord had established himself, and conquer that region for the glory of Nolak. The Council saw that the region was relatively new and approved the invasion. They were also rather elated when Narek proposed to send the Kane Clan as the initiator of their attacks as it showed that Narek had finally gotten past the suspicions he had once had over the popular Clan Leader

Narek, however, hadn’t told them about neither the Night Sisters nor Tristan Angel. This information was also withheld from the Kane Clan. Of all of Narek’s moves and attacks, this one holds the least logic. It is assumed that Narek had hoped that when Kane discovered Tristan as a national leader within Aberdeen, he would be appropriately appalled at how she had fallen and sacrifice her as he should have before. In effect, he was counting on the loyalty of a man who had defied the doctrine of the Kane Clans to protect the same woman before.

Tristan had developed a large military force in her time as a Vice-President of Angel Fire and had emphasized on certain technologies she had dreamed up in her time within the Kane Clans but lacked the resources to have. As such, when the Night Sisters joined her, she had the complete army she wanted, perfectly complementing her assassination protocols. When she had discovered the whereabouts of Kane, she had been able to attack his base and capture him alive within 12 hours, slowed only for the cover of darkness. While he had been shocked by her choice of life, once he learnt the truth of the attack 5 years previous, he sided with her over the group he had pledged his life to.

In the early days of 2719NY, this betrayal would drive the Nolak Clans to issue a full call for all clans to attack Aberdeen, particularly targeting Kane. However, before any major attack could be prepared, the final blow had been dealt.

The Angel of Light

In the middle of 2719NY, the Nolak prophecy “Angel of Light” (sometimes called the final prophecy) was fulfilled. Under the guise of a spaceship trial, an Angel Fire fighter rocketed from a Forgottenlands Space Station towards the Nolak Council. It was carrying a single nuclear bomb that it launched right into the heart of the Nolak Council. With the collapse of the power structure, the plans to invade Aberdeen were put on hold as the territories already under the control of the Nolak Clans were consolidated. It is estimated that 10% of the Great 10 Clans forces either perished in the strike or died from the after effects. The attack also lead to numerous rebellions drawing the Seventh Age to a close. The actual end date of the Seventh Age hasn’t entirely been decided, but it will either be set to mark the nuclear attack or the stabilization of the Nolak Clans’ territories.

Regardless, with the short time frame of the Seventh Age following a longer yet still unusually short Sixth Age along with their inner turmoil and the loss of their central leadership, the Nolak Clans have been rendered temporarily defunct.

Society

Religious Ideologies

Principles

Over the millennia, the preference towards people who were born into the religion rather than those that were converted has become a rather central role in the society - allowing for some to be absolutely shunned or passed over for promotions because of such. Those that are not born into the religion are known as the "unclean", perhaps referring to some desire to purge these people from the world. Regardless, they see them as inferior, and the only way one can lose the status of being unclean is generally in combat - either through self-sacrifice (unclean that die in servitude of Nolak are generally given the same rituals as a "true follower" whereas the unclean who die peacefully or are assassinated are often buried like one might bury an animal) or excellence in combat (which indicates they are touched by Nolak himself and therefore must be a true follower). The one exception is the Class 5 Assassins where the soul is effectively destroyed and rebuilt, often creating a completely different person. Those that deviate from the treatment of the unclean - especially those that are accepting of the unclean as being friends (civility to an unclean is acceptable) can effectively make you barely more than an unclean yourself.

This belief started at the end of the Fifth Age when the war that brought the Age to a close was caused by a belief that outsiders were trying to take control of the Nolak Council, inciting a massive rebellion. As such, outsiders were not to be trusted. In the Book of Nolak, it is written that "The unclean corrupt even those that follow the Ring" (by Nolak's hand, the Ring finger represented corruption strategy). It is unknown how much of this is fact, but it is known that people that weren't born a Servant of Nolak were in command of 4 of the Great 10 Clans at the start of the rebellion.

Children of Servants are obviously born as Servants of Nolak. It should also be noted that nations that the Nolak clans control (especially those under the guide of LamBinjo, the left Ring finger) generally banish placing a new child under any religion and often will have a Nolak priest sitting in the maternity ward, declaring children to ever be bounded a Servant of Nolak. These children are considered to be True Followers and their parents are often brutally killed if they ever attempt to stop the child being taught the ways of Nolak. Similar abductions have been known to take place in nations that are conquered by the Nolak Clans. Through their absolute control of the children of these nations, they maintain their control. Indeed, some nations that they had to abandon in the past still have citizens who - privately or publicly - serve Nolak and either wait for a chance to join the ranks of the Nolak clans or carry out the standing orders of Nolak: cleanse the world, purify it from the unclean, and bring forth a new age where the true followers have unrivalled power.

Biological and chemical weapons - especially ones that have a time limit or disperse fairly quickly into the air - they are willing to use, but ones with longer lasting effects they are much less interested in. Nuclear and radioactive bombs are considered an abhorent tool to use and often those that try to employ them will be defiled and considered an unclean - and executed as any unclean who has worked against the principles of Nolak should be. Bombing from afar is seen as abhorent and a dreadful sin. If every single wall were transparent and you can't see the person or persons that you are about to kill, it's considered a dishonorable kill. This means that the few biological and chemical weapons they do disperse are done with the use of suicide bombers.

Torture they employ to create new followers, but rarely for information. Sometimes they use it to create weapons out of their captives. With women, the preferred torture is normally rape while with men, it often involves attacking their most sensitive area. Other forms do exist and they often are done in a systematic fashion to provide the perfect weapon. Tristan Angel is one of many who are the products of these methods - though she is a more developed and finely tuned weapon than many (there are some who are basically just hostages who were released and are practically timebombs waiting to go off and destroy everyone they can, others are turned into slaves with no identity nor personality, just eternal servitude).

Nolak's Hand

When Nolak formed the Great 10 Clans of Nolak, it is said he cut off each of his fingers and gave them to those who would now lead his clans. The giving of the fingers represents the handing of duty to those 10. However, the Book of Nolak shows that the fingers represent more than just duty, but methodology. Each finger represents that Clan's task or place within the organization - specifically, how and where it would strike. The left hand is the "Rear Guard" or, more accurately, for the nations and regions where the Nolak are well organized and could claim to be in control of. The Right hand is for expansion - fighting in newly conquered regions or going into territory never before exploited. The fingers also have their own representation of preferred tactic: the thumb representing direct assaults (roaming around gunning people down in the streets, or openly attacking military installations or armies in normal combat), the index finger choosing Guerilla warfare tactics (bombings, attacking supply lines, going after transport methods, weakening the resolve on the enemy while minimizing losses), the middle finger represents destabilization (assassinations, fear mongering, kidnappings, and defamation of leaders), the ring finger represents corruption (bribery, politics and the occasional threat of death), and the pinky was for suicidal methods (suicide bombings, lone gun assassinations, and other types of operations where the person will not be able to perform another operation). Most clans that are created will devote themselves to one or two of the Great 10, but they have the freedom to switch and some don't devote themselves to any.

The Great 10 Clans are laid out on the hands as follows

Right    Left         

LockNall     Truestek     Thumb

Baghrak      Fallmak      Index

Runark       Treschev     Middle

Holnark      LamBinjo     Ring

Misnew       Lockhart     Pinky

Alcohol

Alcohol is considered to be taboo at all but the most ceremonial events. According to the Book of Nolak, “Nolak’s spirit flows through the depths of wine and he will grant joy to those who have pleased him greatly and hinder those that are drinking when they have not earned the right.” As such, consumption of alcohol is only permitted at times where the Nolak Council is granting a particular honor to an individual. It is known that two of these times are at the formation of one’s own Clan and the christening of a Class 5.

Societal Structure

The Nolak society is rather astonishing insofar as it actually works and it has basically remain a stable society for 2700 years. Despite all the inner turmoil and civil wars, the Nolak Clans have persevered and remain a considerably powerful Terrorist group.

Nolak is the beginning and end of the Terrorist network. It isn't even allied with other terrorist networks and lately has found itself at war with terrorist groups nearly as often as it has been at war with nations or societies.

Each of the Great Clans is hundreds of thousands of people if not millions - and that's just the terrorist network component. When you consider their families, their civilians that are raising money for the entire army (some years as much 10 Billion UNAD), the Hundreds of million that are in the nations they control and the national armies that are not counted in their tallies, they are one of the best funded terrorist networks on the planet and the funding is considered to be sustainable. It would take some vast multi-regional alliances to be able to defeat the Nolak forces from this position of stability.

The military structure has multiple branches, with the so-called "Primary branch" being the central branch of each clan. The Primary branch goes by a different name in each clan since their use of the primary branch is so much dependant upon the finger they were given. This branch carries out the primary purpose of that Clan. The structure of it is fairly similar to that of a normal military with varying ranks and such in different factions. This branch also exists in every minor Clan - a fact that is not necessarily true of any other branch.

The other branches that exist in every one of the Great 10 Clans are the Political branch (which is devoted to analyzing politics that has come under the focus of that clan), the Research branch (which both develop new weapons and hold the scientists who can create weapons both on and off the field), Religion branch (which hold all the Priests - Clans which don't have a Religion branch must have a Priest from a different clan serve as advisor), and Intelligence branch (espionage, pre-scouting regions for potential new targets, etc). With exception to the religion branch, they always differentiate from clan to clan.

The religion branches are, to some degree, all the same. They follow the same Book of Nolak, they follow the same beliefs, they minimize as much as possible the derivation from the texts, they expand the texts as a group (so all texts have all additions from all Religion branches) and have the same Heirarchy. However, they serve at the whim of the Clan they're working for. This proves important as they must know the relevant passages to the Book of Nolak for the specific clan's preferred purpose. The Head of Church for a particular Clan is the Clan leader

While civilians often play a role within the clans from menial tasks such as taking care of the base, raising the families of the troops or acting as birth mothers, all civilians are considered second-class by default.

Clans of Importance

The Great 10 Clans of Nolak

Misnew

The Offensive Suiciders. Misnew chooses tactics that either involve suicidal distraction of chaotic self-sacrifice (such as suicide bombings in the latter case). Its current leadership makes it one of the most efficient of the Great 10 Clans, and it is also by far the most aggressive clan (and, with very few exceptions, has always held that title).

Under Devin Narek, it has taken a somewhat abnormal direction for a Great 10 Clan, often acting on its own volition and jumping the gun without waiting for a decision from the Nolak Council. This is what happened with the strike on the Kane Clan in 2712NY.

It's currently lead by Devin Narek

Minor Clans

Kane Clan

Kane, a Servant of Fallmak, was a rising star in the ranks of Nolak as the Seventh Age started. He had a firm understanding of many fields that made him seem like the prime candidate for his own Clan. His rise to such a status was stalled when he married the impure woman, Tristan. However, this blemish on his record was wiped clean when he turned her into a Class 5 Assassin. With not only a family of True Followers, but the creation of such a terror under his belt, it was unquestioned that he should be given his own clan.

Thus the Kane Clan was born. It was not a notable clan by any means - sticking out only because Kane was a competent commander and Tristan was an excellent soldier - but a soldier and a commander do not, in themselves, make an army. However, when Tristan formed the Night Sisters, they put the Kane Clan on a whole new level. The Night Sisters quickly became the most feared elite soldiers alive, rivaling Tristan in ability. The incited fear in their opponents and quickly turned the tide of any battle. The purpose of the Kane clan moved from the index to the thumb as its forces became an important support unit for any major assault (though it still kept elements of the index finger in many of its strategies). By 2710, the Kane Clan was considered to be a rival to any of the Great 10 Clans of Nolak.

However, this was not all good. Mutterings started appearing amongst the clans and in 2712NY, Devin Narek of Misnew brought forth information in an attempt to have the Kane Clan destroyed. He used as his main arguing point a staggering statistic: for every Night Sister that was trained, a fellow clan would have to train 200 troops to rival it. If a Night Sister and 10 soldiers were trained, this statistic went even higher - reaching an estimated 1000 troops to match. In Narek's view, the Kane Clan was the greatest threat to the Nolak Clans. After three days, with the Nolak clans still divided and far away from reaching a consensus, Narek took things into his own hands. He attacked Kane's main base. It is important to realize that Misnew is the Right pinky - the offensive suiciders. Had a strategist spent a bit longer thinking about it, the final result of the battle would've seemed obvious.

The attack was nothing more than a decoy. A missile strike hit the complex while everyone was paying attention to the battle. The Angel family had escaped (they were urged to flee by the Night Sisters), but the Night Sisters around the complex were all killed and the Angel family was separated. Tristan, knowing who the attackers served, looked for alternate shelter - with her brother in Forgottenlands. Kane, however, didn't know who had attacked. He returned to the nearest Nolak base - and even there, no one knew who had conducted the raid. Nearly all that had attacked died in battle (only 20 survived), and the rest had been silenced. The same was true of those who launched the missile. The Night Sisters, found neither of their masters and became nomadic - eventually locating Tristan and rejoining her.

Without all of his elite troops - his wife and the Night Sisters - Kane was forced to choose a different route. He moved to an index-pinky hybrid and invested into a research branch. The Kane clan had ceased to become the biggest name of the minor clans, but it still remained an important figure. He rebuilt his clan and had developed several new weapons and techniques.

In 2717NY, he was ordered to set up in Aberdeen by the Nolak Council and prepare several major strikes on various cities on the new grounds to attack and announce their presence. In the early days of 2718NY, his plans were set into motion with a strike on Dancing BananLand. The strike triggered off alarms around the region - and the region's Prime Minister - none other than Kane's Brother-in-law, was given a reason to personally follow the issue. Tristan, who had taken the position of Prime Minister of one of the region's nations, also took interest, and eventually led a team of Night Sisters into Kane's base, capturing him and practically destroying all of his equipment. In a matter of hours, a genius attack had turned into the annihilation of the Kane clans. Kane was convinced by Forgottenlord to join Aberdeen and fight Nolak. However, his plans were already in motion. Death was coming to Aberdeen.

Technology and Terminology

Class 5 Assassin

Class 5 Assassins are extremely powerful creatures that tend to exemplify two core concepts within Nolak’s teachings: no mercy and mass destruction. Unlike other classes of Assassins, Class 5s are not forged from extensive training but from an overhaul of the individual him or herself – normally stripping the individual of their identity and humanity. Class 5s are seen as superior assassins not, necessarily, because they are more skilled but because they are considered holy soldiers. To have been forged and perfected as Nolak wanted is seen as a mark of perfection. The process is lengthy, difficult and often risky and a poorly designed Class 5 can and will turn on his or her creator or become useless for the purpose of combat. Diligence and intelligence are necessary prerequisites to successfully creating one.

The first step – which can be the longest – is to break the individual’s will. This is not really a unique step, but they use it nonetheless. Torture is often the easiest way to accomplish this. Sexual torture is the most preferred method by men when they are trying mold women, but many different methods of torturing people have been noted as valid ways of breaking individuals down. In a rather ironic twist of fate, this step actually nullifies the ability to turn a Servant of Nolak into a Class 5 as the teachings nullify the ability for a Clan member to break for an ally.

The second step is the hardest. Once their will is broken, an individual is extremely malleable, but that isn’t what they need. They need to destroy the individual and so it becomes a matter of removing their beliefs, their values and, eventually, their identity. The perfect specimen is considered to be a body without a soul – no name, no identity, no history, no beliefs and no opinions. It is here where the inherent dangers of the operation tend to take place, for there are those who will realize what they are losing and end up fighting for it, often with a primal ferocity that often will result in the deaths of either themselves or the one that’s shaping them – often both

The third step is to rebuild the person. This often goes in the order of loyalty, then the Nolak teachings and finally, the training given to that person.

Class 5’s are normally extremely loyal and close to their creators. With their identity stripped from them, Class 5’s normally identify themselves by relating themselves to their creator. However, love, loyalty or passion towards their creator can be programmed on top of that, strengthening the bond.

Class 5’s are capable of killing using virtually any tool or weapon imaginable – including numerous recorded single-target assassinations being fulfilled by a simple pen. They are also given extensive instruction in melee weapons and unarmed combat with specialized training for knives. This training is normally not taught using teacher-apprentice as is normally used by most other cultures - but is programmed in.

They love the taste of their victims' blood, despise the living, and feel the most fulfilled when death is presented closer rather than farther from their targets. Often, they will lose control of their emotions after large emotional upheavals – particularly after the death of their creator- creating rampages of mass destruction. Nikki Ronalk’s rampage is believed to have begun as one of those rampages though it is believed she later regained control over her emotions.

Class 5 Assassins are normally intelligent. Less intelligent candidates are often forged for alternate purposes and the handful that are attempted to be turned into Class 5s are often rejected by the Nolak Council. This intelligence requirement often deters the less capable men within the Nolak Clans, not wishing to feel intimidated by their creation in every way. Class 5’s intelligence also tends to give them extensive awareness of what had been done to them to make them what they are, but the loyalty programming normally keeps them from seeking revenge.

Most Class 5 Assassins are women. Interestingly, it was determined that both women and men who attempt to create Class 5s tend to prefer molding women. It should also be noted that men regularly marry their Class 5s (or lesser creation) if they were bachelors when they began.

Some examples of Class 5s include Tristan Angel and Nikki Ronalk, the only two Class 5s to be serve in the Kane Clan.

Invisibility Cloak

The Invisibility Cloak was a powerful yet expensive device the Nolak Clans have designed but only used twice in history. The first was a field test at the Battle of Grand Falls in 2697NY. It is known that most of the Nolak Commanders had not been informed of the field test before the battle nor were they briefed on it afterwards. Kane Angel, who had been asked to lead the Fallmak Clan forces despite having his own clan already, would later indicate that he hadn’t been informed despite being in command of one of the Great 10 Clan’s forces.

The second time it was employed was a last ditch attempt by Devin Narek to execute the Angel Family. He gave the tool to Annon Ronalk. While the remainder of the Kane Clan had technically been absorbed back into the Fallmak Clan, Ronalk had been assigned the special mission by the Misnew leader as an attempt to remove his former leader and friend. However, the cloaking device seems to work on a similar principle that Night Sisters had later employed with their powers to make themselves invisible. As such, the technological developments that the Forgotten Territories had developed to work around the cloaking abilities of the Night Sisters were also useful in identifying their foes.