Chapter 7: The League
NAME: The League
I merged many of the elements in the Arrowverse League of Assassins with the DCU League of Assassins. I liked the DCU having different branches of the League to cover the world. I also elaborated on the priesthood that is present in the Arrowverse but lacking in DCU (I think). I did a bit of World Building with the League for my own AU.
ORIGIN:
The League is an ancient order of Shadow Warriors who are trained to maintain the balance of good and evil. When The League was founded, The Source commissioned the members of the League for the sole purpose of maintaining balance. Over time, The League has supplemented its original purpose. But all facets of the League are focused on this main purpose of maintaining balance. All recruits are trained in it and any children born within the League are raised to respect and uphold the League Code of balance.
The League generally prefers to kill one man or a few men rather than for all that evil to spread to others. They consider this one person to be the source of that evil. However, some evils become so large they have their own 'branches' of evil. The League works to eliminate each branch before taking out the main source of evil.
The League has learned to stay in the shadows and remain hidden so that they may move freely in outside societies. Their purpose is greater than a single society. For this reason, they will not let the morality of the outside affect their members. Many of their recruits come to them because the outside societies have failed to stop evil. The outside world does not understand the League Code. Instead, it coldly calls the League, the 'League of Assassins' without understanding why the source of evil had to be killed.
To maintain its purpose, the League must remain a secret. They know that evil would target them if they were known. They also know that good would target them for similar reasons. They must maintain the balance of good and evil. Their secrecy is held sacred by all in the League. It is a part of their oath. To violate that oath of secrecy is the vilest of crimes within the League because it threatens the balance.
However, the League is vague rumors and whispers in the night. These are the whispers that help those who wish to assist find the League to become recruits. These are also the rumors that many military grunts relay to their chain of command. All of these rumors are dismissed by their higher-ups.
STRUCTURE:
Leader: Ra's al Ghul (the Demon's Head) - Ra's is a title and a name. Only one person can hold the title of Ra's at one time. Ra's will choose who becomes Heir. The title is NOT hereditary. The children of the current Ra's will hold the title of Heir temporarily until an Heir is chosen.
Heir: Warith al Ghul (Heir to the Demon) - The formal Heir is the chosen of Ra's al Ghul. Until a formal Heir is named, the children of the current Ra's al Ghul hold the title temporarily. This ensures that they are trained to lead the elite of the Shadow Warriors. All children of Ra's are raised KNOWING that they are not entitled to the title of Heir. That the Heir must be a chosen of Ra's. {This is why Talia al Ghul chose to leave the League when her sister was old enough to assume the title. She asked to be released. She was allowed to be released as long as she held to the League Code.}
Horseman: Faris al Ghul (Horseman to the Demon) - The Horsemen are special advisors to Ra's al Ghul. They have a special ability to see strategically and have the valuable ability to communicate clearly. The Horsemen are appointed by the current Ra's al Ghul and lead the various arms of the League in various corners of the world. The chosen Heir is often selected from the Horsemen. [1] Horsemen are often trained as Qayid (Command) Elite. But this is not a requirement.
Demon's Fang: Nab al Ghul - Led by the Heir. {Shoulder guard is red. Nyssa al Ghul is the current leader. Headquarters are located at Nanda Parbat (A Great Nexus). The Demon's Fang consists of all Elite Shadow Warriors. This group consists of Barkih (mage), Wahy (Oracle), Hasub (Tech), Qayid (Command), and Majahid (Fighter) Elites. They are deployed at the discretion of the Heir and are often sent for specific missions.}
Demon's Claw: Makhlah al Ghul - Led by a Horseman. {Shoulder guard is green. Dam Dhib is the current leader. Headquarters are located at Chiu Monastery, Tibet (Minor Nexus). Training and indoctrination are held at Nanda Parbat. This branch of the League is the largest. It covers the training of recruits and their indoctrination. It also covers a large part of the globe (Asia, Russia, India). This branch focus' on martial skill. It covers all types of archaic weapons, more modern weapons, and basic technology for communication and transportation.}
Demon's Spine: Shawka al Ghul - Led by a Horseman. {Shoulder guard is yellow. al Qirsh is the current leader. Headquarters are located at Christ's Church, New Zealand (A Major Nexus). This branch of the League has a large geographic area to cover, but much of that area is diverse and widespread by oceans (Oceania, India, Some Asia, Australia, Africa, Middle East). This branch focus' on stealth, infiltration, and intelligence gathering through common and electronic means. It is also where most of the Qayid (Command) Elite are trained.}
Demon's Horn: Qarn al Ghul - Led by a Horseman. {Shoulder guard is blue. al Khafifa is the current leader. Headquarters are located in Rome, Italy (A Major Nexus). This branch of the League is more focused on the 'advanced' societies (Europe, North America). This branch focus' on stealth, infiltration, technology (all kinds), and advanced arms. Members can seek additional training in robotics and cybernetics.}
Demon's Venom: Daghn al Ghul - Led by a Horseman. {Shoulder guard is indigo. al Hamsa is the current leader. Headquarters are located a Lima, Peru (A Minor Nexus. Tiahuanaco, Peru is the Second Great Nexus, but it is too public for the League.) This branch of the League covers a smaller population with a great dispersal. This is also the area of the world where extraordinary measures are often needed to combat the evil that festers in this area (Central and South America). This branch focus' on poison, stealth, spirits, diversion, infiltration, and magic.}
Demon Support: The League Uniform indicates that the Shadow Warrior is assigned to Demon Support when the piping down the button stands on the chest of the Shadow Warrior. All other Branches of the League use Black piping. Demon Support uses the colors of this piping to indicate the type of support they provide. The League is a large organization that requires quite a few specialized services. Most of the members of the League are insanely loyal to the organization. However, not all members of the organization are fit for field service. This is due to the variety of needs the organization has. Many of the field operatives will require medical treatment. Many will require training and cleaning expertise. Some members are not physically able to provide the kinds of services that the League can provide. This does not mean that these members of the League are not useful. Every member of the League is useful. Every member of the League is dedicated to their true purpose. Once they come of age, every member of the League is required to complete initial League training to the best of their abilities. If HIVE were to attack a League facility, they would find that even an old crippled woman, would be a deadly asset to the League. Her function may be to cook, but she is just as skilled and deadly as the rest of the League members. Blue piping is Qayima (Medical). Orange piping is Qut (Food). Red piping is Tanzif (Cleaning). Yellow piping is Sagh (Forging). Purple piping is Khiata (Sewing).
{Demon's Guardians: Awsia al Ghul - Led by a Horseman. The shoulder guard is dark pink. al Alfar is the first leader assigned by Ra's al Ghul. Their headquarters will be a Nanda Parbat until Ra's determines to continue this branch. Ra's al Ghul created a new branch of the League to be a more public face. He was intrigued by how Batman was effective in stopping smaller forms of evil in his city. Ra's felt that if he were to create a similar branch, his League would be even more effective. They would have the support of the League. They could eliminate sources of evil as Batman could not. He decided to task the first trial city to be Starling. His warriors would resume their former names, but not their former allegiances. If a target was found to be evil, then the League would step in and eliminate the threat. This new branch would be guardians for the public. They would be public. They could not be seen in the same light as society viewed the League, even as they were the League. They could not wear League Uniforms.}
Priesthood: Qas or Qasisa - {Shoulder guard is white. Dusan al Ghul is assigned to the priesthood. The priesthood is maintained at Nanda Parbat. A few of the priesthood are assigned to each of the main branch headquarters to provide spiritual guidance to the League members. They are not expected to participate in the hunting activities of the League branch. They all maintain basic martial skills. But their true calling is to preserve the records and histories of the League and everything they have encountered. Each hunt is recorded with the Qas. Special encounters are also recorded. This adds depth to the knowledge of the League. When pursuing a specific type of evil, they will often consult with the priesthood. The priesthood is also called for Lazarus Pit maintenance, the maintenance of special drugs, and with child-rearing.}
Elite: 'Afdal - {The elite are Shadow Warriors who have shown a special skill or achieved mastery in a specific skill type. Their League Uniform will indicate what that skill is and what level of that skill. All Elite Shadow Warriors are indicated by the piping on their shoulder guards. The Elite are scattered throughout the branches of the League, but all the members of the Fang are Elite. Journeyman Rank is indicated by one pipe. Master Rank is indicated by two pipes. Chief Rank is indicated by three pipes. Critical Rank is indicated by a fourth white pipe and is only found in the Majahid (Fighter) Elite.
Shadow Warriors: Eadi - All recruits are indoctrinated into the League. Each recruit goes through a series of tortures to help condition their mind and body to their new way of life. This includes sensory deprivation, food deprivation, psychotropic drugs, use of pain, reward/punishment cycles, and verbal repetition. Each Shadow Warrior, once indoctrinated, is trained to be skilled in the use of ranged weapons, bladed weapons, light weapons, unarmed combat, heavy weapons, and modern weapons. They are trained in basic communication technologies, mechanical maintenance, medical treatments for self and ally care, and chemical and drug fabrication. The indoctrination phase takes approximately one month. The basic martial and field skills training takes an additional five months. Trainees are then sent to one of the branches for an additional six months under the guidance of a Horseman to gain additional martial and field experience. It is only after one year that the trainee is considered a fully trained Shadow Warrior and assigned to their first branch in the League.
LEAGUE UNIFORM MARKINGS:
Like any organization, the League of Assassins has a ranking structure and organization. Since most of their members wear a mask in the field, they require a visual way to determine who has what purpose.
BASIC UNIFORM:
The basic League uniform is a solid flat black. It includes; solid knee-high leather boots, knee pads, elbow pads, thigh guards, forearm guards, upper arm guards, arm guards, chest plates, stomach ribs, shoulder pads, a hood, and a mask that covers the nose and mouth.
COLORS:
The basic League uniform stays black for all Shadow Warriors. The only color on a League Uniform will be on the Shoulder Guards, the piping on the Shoulder Guards or the piping on the Button Stand running down the chest.
HIER: Uniform is mostly Black with Red Shoulder Guards.
FASIR: Shoulder pads and mask show the color of the branch command. Demon's Claw is Green, Demon's Spine is Yellow, Demon's Horn is Blue, Demon's Venom is Indigo, Demon's Guardian is Dark Pink.
QAS: Shoulder pads and mask show White for Qas.
SHOULDER PIPING: Elite are marked with the piping on their shoulder pads and mask with the color of their Elite Title
Majahid (Fighter) Elite: Piping is RED. A journeyman is one pipe (1 year). Master is two pipes (3 years). Chief is three pipes (5 years). Critical is four pipes (7 years, the last pipe is white. Only White piping is allowed to be Elite Guards to Ra's)
Hasub (Technology) Elite: Hacker or Master Builder of Technology: Piping is BLUE. A journeyman is one pipe (at the completion of Advanced Field Training). Master is two pipes (3 years).
Qayid (Command) Elite: Strategic or Tactical analysis. Piping is YELLOW. A journeyman is one pipe (at the completion of Advanced Field Training). Master is two pipes (5 years).
Barkih (Mage) Elite: Magical skill. Skill level varies with the magician. Piping is ORANGE. A journeyman is one pipe (1 year under Master). Master is two pipes (5 years solo in the field).
Wahy (Oracle) Elite: The sight. Trained in the Ruya. Piping is PURPLE. A journeyman is one pipe (after Advanced Field Training). Master is two pipes (5 years). Wahy defers command of all teams.
BUTTON STAND PIPING: The Demon Support are marked on the Button Stand Piping that runs down the chest of the League Uniform.
Qayima (Medical) Support: Medical Emergency Medical Technicians or Medical Physicians. The piping is BLUE. Physicians are two pipes. All other medical-trained personnel are one pipe.
Qut (Food) Support: Food preparation and acquisition. Piping is ORANGE.
Tanzif (Cleaning) Support: Cleaning detailed items to include scrubbing the bathing pools, training rooms, and laundry. Piping is RED.
Sagh (Forging) Support: Forging weapons and armor and acquisition of supplies for forging. Piping is YELLOW.
Khiata (Sewing) Support: Sewing and mending League uniforms and piping designations and supplies. Piping is PURPLE.
ASCENSION TO HEIR:
When the current Ra's al Ghul has chosen an Heir, the Heir must complete several tasks before they can be ready to ascend to the title of Ra's al Ghul. Ra's declares a chosen Heir has accepted his new title and is ready to complete their tasks when Ra's declares: 'Wing ta leo wo chey' [A tale to be told, begins thus...]
Oath: The Heir must proclaim a new oath to the League and maintain the balance of good and evil. This is the same oath that they will proclaim a second time when ascending to the title of Ra's al Ghul.
Outside Ties: The Heir must personally sever all ties with the outside world. The Heir may bring their blood family and close friends inside the League. But any who remain outside the League must die. Ra's al Ghul does not age. They should not be recognized outside of the League. [2]
Challengers: The Heir must kill all rivals to their position of Heir, even if they remain in the League. This is to ensure a clean line of ascension and loyalty to the one Ra's al Ghul.
Special Note: Ra's al Ghul can choose to ascend the Heir after their tasks are complete and then retire into the priesthood. This happens rarely, but it allows an aging Ra's al Ghul to ensure their Heir is not required to kill an old man to ascend to the title. The Ra's al Ghul will take back their old League name.
CUSTOMS:
Challenge: Within the League, a member may challenge the Horseman, Heir, or Ra's al Ghul if they feel that the decision of the League is wrong in that action. It is usually used to resolve a blood debt. However, any member of the League is free to challenge. The result of the armed combat will resolve the issue. Either the dissenting voice will die, or the challenger will win the battle and change the League decision on that matter. It is NOT used to determine ascension to the title of Ra's al Ghul. Only the Heir may challenge Ra's al Ghul to combat to ascend. That is formal and sacred combat. Not a challenge. If Ra's al Ghul loses, his Heir will place him in the Pit. [3]
Marriage: The League is a CLOSED and SECRET society. Many of the Shadow Warriors are victims of some kind of trauma, but many were raised in the League for any number of reasons. In any society, there must be a way for a formal union to be recognized. Hence a marriage ceremony. I will note that polyamory is accepted in the League. As is most same-sex relationships. Ra's was married three times to three different women. Likewise, they have no way to annul a marriage or divorce. This is a spiritual connection. A binding of souls. The League recognizes that the soul is the bond and it is possible to bond with multiple people. Death does not break the bond. One cannot choose the sex of the soul they are attracted towards.
Soul Bond: The League recognizes that some souls are bonded outside of their rites. These souls are considered to be 'Bound by the Source'. The League recognizes the Soul Bond as an existing marriage created by the Source. They will do everything in their power to recognize a Soul Bound pair and to ensure the pair are kept together. Soul Bonds are not common but are easily recognized by the Qas. A Soul Bound pair will be stronger together and be more effective while together. If they are apart, they will become distracted by missing their missing part of their soul.
Blood Debt: The League comes from an older time. It does not follow the more modern convention that a child is innocent of the crimes of their forefathers. Because of this, the blood debt is an incurred debt by any child or blood relative of the evil member for the crimes of that evil member. This does not mean that those members will be killed. This just means they WILL be reeducated. Too often a child swears vengeance for the crimes committed against their parent, real or imagined. The League is aware of this problem. That is why the blood debt is a serious matter to the League. Blood debt includes any relation to the blood of the criminal. Any spouse of the criminal. The group owing a blood debt is pulled before an audience with Ra's or his Horseman. Those of legal age (18) or older are given the option of a life of service to the League or death. Those below the legal age are taken by the priesthood to be raised and start service at 18. No other option is given to those with a blood debt. Failure to uphold the option of service means immediate death.
Death Prayer: The League frequently encounters death. Few members use the Lazarus Pit. Most League members do not desire to live longer. They frequently have very violent and sudden ends. Because of this, the League has a prayer they say to every warrior or ally that falls in battle. It is a part of their spirituality. They do not believe in a single 'God,' but they do believe in an encompassing Force that is always present. It is known as 'The Source.' This force is responsible for their charge of balance. It is to this force that they are accountable.
Forgive and have mercy on him (her).
Excuse him (her) and pardon him (her).
Make honorable his (her) reception.
Protect him (her) from the punishment of the {Source},
And the torment of the fire.
LEAGUE SAYINGS:
These are some common League sayings that have filtered out into the outside world. Many of these sayings are used in the indoctrination of recruits.
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
A man cannot live by two names.
Replace evil with death.
_ is alive only in the past. He (She) is forgotten.
NOTES:
[1] The current Ra's al Ghul was a Horseman before being chosen. He led the Makhlah al Ghul, the Demon's Claw. His rival was another Horseman, Damien Dahrk, who led the Daghn al Ghul, the Demon's Venom. He failed to kill Dahrk. Dahrk left the League with his loyal followers and now acts against the balance of good and evil to oppose the League.
[2] In my AU the League does not require that the Heir destroy their hometown. That speaks of evil and they are all about balance. That is why family and close friends can be brought into the League.
[3] This is why Damien Dahrk was forced to flee after he was not chosen. Even if he killed Ra's or the Heir, he could not ascend to the title of Ra's. He would only incur the wrath of the entire League.
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Endnotes:
'Afdal - Elite - Arabic. League Title for Shadow Warriors who have achieved Journeyman Rank in at least one special skill.
Al Alfar - Mouse - Arabic. Fasir for the Awsia al Ghul.
Al Hamsa - whisper - Arabic. Fasir for the Daghn al Ghul.
Al Khafifa - the light - Arabic. Fasir for the Qarn al Ghul.
Al Qirsh - shark - Arabic. Fasir for the Shawka al Ghul.
Awsia - Guardian – Arabic
Awsia al Ghul - Demon's Guardians - Branch of the League headquartered in Nanda Parbat. A new venture started by the current Ra's al Ghul.
Barkih - mage - Arabic. League Title for all Shadow Warriors who have trained mages with Apprentice skill or greater.
Daghn - Venomous – Arabic
Daghn al Ghul - Demon's Venom - Branch of the League headquartered in Lima, Peru.
Dam Dhib - wolf blood - Arabic. Fasir for the Makhlah al Ghul.
Eadi - Common - Arabic. League Rank for all Shadow Warriors that have not achieved any special skills or Elite rank.
Faris - Horseman – Arabic
Ghul - Beast/Demon – Arabic
Hasub - Technology - Arabic. League Elite designation for Technology skill.
Khiata - Sewing - Arabic. League Support designation for Sewing skill.
Ra's - Head – Unknown
Ra's al Ghul - Demon's Head - Title and Name of the Leader of the League.
Majahid - Fighter - Arabic. League Elite designation for Fighter skill.
Makhlah - Claw – Arabic
Makhlah al Ghul - Demon's Claw - Branch of the League headquartered in Chiu Monastery, Tibet with training facilities for new League members at Nanda Parbat.
Nab - Fang – Arabic
Nab al Ghul - Demon's Fang - Branch of the League headquartered in Nanda Parbat.
Qarn - Horn/Antler – Arabic
Qarn al Ghul - Demon's Horn - Branch of the League headquartered in Rome, Italy
Qas/Qasisa - Priest or Priestess - Arabic. League Rank for all Priests and Priestesses.
Qayid - Command - Arabic. League Elite designation for Command skill.
Qayima - Medical - Arabic. League Support designation for Medical skill.
Qut - Food - Arabic. League Support designation for Food skills.
Sagh - Forging - Arabic. League Support designation for Forge skill.
Shawka - Spine/Barb – Arabic
Shawka al Ghul - Demon's Spine - Branch of the League headquartered in Christ Church, New Zealand.
Tanzif - Cleaning - Arabic. League Support designation for Cleaning skills.
Wahy - Oracle - Arabic. League Elite designation for Oracle skill.
Warith - Heir - Arabic. League Rank designation for Heir.
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