Oathbound, Oathbreaker & Exile

[Sadok]

Oathbound are those who have taken the Oath of Blood and are considered as true members of the tribe. Although they do not fulfill any specific roles, they enjoy all the privileges that comes with being an orc of the tribe, and are allowed to take training into any of the tribe's paths.

Oathbound are very much like the common villagers of a town. They're the accepted members of the community, but they haven't shown any of their true worth yet, and are yet to develop themselves in the ranks of the tribe. Don't let that fool you, however. Each of these orcs have proven themselves worthy of full membership of the tribe, having been accepted as a brother or sister within the pack.

From here on out, orcs may choose to take their rank for granted or, like any true orc would, continue their quest for knowledge and strength by going down any of the available paths. Furthermore, at this point on, orcs will be encouraged to start wearing wolf heads, the symbol of the tribe, as well, and will be allowed to wear the tribe’s tabard.

The Oath of Blood:

The Oath of Blood is the oath every orc makes towards the tribe when he's deemed ready to become a part of its inner circles. It is usually offered to New Blood on the tribal meetings, after he has proven to his tutor that he's ready to be taken in as an Oathbound of the tribe. In earlier years, there was no specific consistency amongst tutors for when this might be, though more recently, amassing three Marks of the Red Blade from completing tasks and other important tribal feats is the standard for proving oneself ready.

The oath is considered to be a test as much as it is a guideline for all the orcs of the tribe. At Tribe Meetings or other important occasions, a higher ranking orc of the tribe, typically the Chieftain, presents the New Blood with a dagger in front of a fire. The importance of the Oath is explained, after which the New Blood will have to agree with said oath and draw his blood into the fire.

In the tribe's early years, the contents of the Oath were an adaptation of the Blood Oath of the Horde, only adjusted in the sense that it reflects upon the visions of Akesha Redblade. The oath tells the New Blood to remain loyal to his brothers and sisters of the Horde and the tribe, as well as never to fall prey to the clutches of the Burning Legion again, emphasizing on the free spirit of the orcish race. In more recent years, the Oath's precise contents have changed from orc to orc, though the spirit of the Oath and its significance remain the same.

Oathbreaker:

An Oathbreaker is a Red Blade who has risen above the rank of New Blood and sworn their Oath of Blood, but for whatever reason has betrayed the principles of the Red Blade Tribe and broken their Oath.

What qualifies as an Oathbreaking offense is ultimately subjective, but in most regards, the Chieftain's word is final. Oathbreaking may include disobeying direct commands from an Elder, recklessly endangering or assaulting other orcs of the tribe, killing or otherwise harming children, abandoning the tribe to pledge allegiance to another organisation, or generally behaving in a dishonorable fashion inconsistent with the spirit and code of the Red Blade tribe.

Oathbreakers may earn the right to take the Oath of Blood anew, but the process is more difficult than a fresh New Blood as trust is harder to re-earn. Much like any other New Blood, they must find a tutor to prove themselves worthy. However, they must gather five Marks of the Red Blade (instead of the usual three), and must complete a final task given by the Chieftain, which is related to the offense which resulted in their Oath being broken. An example of this is Trakmar Bloodmaw, who broke his Oath after a barbaric assault on Thur'ruk Sharptongue. Before being allowed to retake his Oath, Sharptongue inflicted a similar assault as recompense on a penitent Bloodmaw.

An Oathbreaker is of course no longer bound to their Oath of Blood, so they may leave the tribe to join another organisation with no further consequence. Breaking an Oath sworn in blood is a matter many orcs view dimly, so they might still expect a frosty reception from their former brothers and sisters in blood.

Exile:

Dependent on the offence, Oathbreaking may be accompanied with an order of exile being placed upon the orc's head. Exiles are not barred from any specific place or land, but will not be permitted to travel with the tribe, and will usually be ignored or at worst attacked by the Red Blades.

In extreme instances, orcs may be exiled upon the pain of death, at which point a refusal to stay away from the tribe's matters will be punished with execution, typically at the hands of its Chieftain. After orchestrating an aborted coup, former Varog'Gor Vashnarz Talonslayer was killed by then-Chieftain Rargnasha Bloodmark after she appeared in Garadar during the Kosh'harg season, in a matter still mired in controversy.