Decalogue and Oath

THE DARK TRIBE CODE - IC

We are not bound by blood, origin or an old banner. We are bound by the choice to stand shoulder to shoulder with those the world has cast out. We do not promise each other innocence, victory or redemption. We promise that our oath will not be an empty word.

I. You shall not abandon a brother or a sister. When one of us falls, the others will not look away. Not everyone deserves to be saved, but none of ours will be left alone without a fight.

II. The oath weighs more than blood. Origin does not make you one of us, and foreign blood does not make you an enemy. Belonging is decided by deeds, loyalty and the readiness to bear the consequences of your own words.

III. You shall not raise your hand against your own. Disputes can be settled, guilt judged and betrayal punished. But you shall not let anger, pride or a personal grudge tear the community apart from within.

IV. You shall not betray the secrets of the Black Heart. What is entrusted to you in confidence stays under your guard. You shall not give away our hideouts, plans, weaknesses or names to those who could use them against us.

V. You shall not stain the oath for your own gain. Profit, fame, power and revenge do not justify betrayal. Whoever sacrifices their own for their own advancement cuts the very roots they grew from.

VI. You shall not mistake courage for recklessness. Combat is a tool, not an end in itself. You shall not sacrifice your companions for vain glory, throw them into the abyss for an empty gesture, or call foolishness honour.

VII. You shall not judge by appearance alone. A scar, a curse, a race, a past or a stigma is not a verdict. Everyone may prove their worth, but no one is released from responsibility for their own deeds.

VIII. You shall not kneel before fear, but you shall know its price. We do not demand that our own be fearless. We demand that in the hour of trial they do not abandon those they swore loyalty to. Fear is part of life; cowardice in the face of your own commitments is a choice.

IX. You shall not bring shame on the community without being ready to make amends. A mistake can be redeemed by deeds, guilt confessed and lost trust rebuilt. But whoever refuses responsibility cannot hide behind the oath they themselves have broken.

X. You shall not forget where you came from - but you yourself will choose where you are going. We are not slaves to old banners, ancestral guilt or the verdicts of others. The past has shaped us, but our deeds will decide what the Tribe becomes.

Totem and sign

We bear two signs - the sign of the Horde and the sign of the Tribe.

Beneath the Dark Tribe sign stand three runes:

• Tribe — the sworn beings with whom we share our destiny;

• Fire — which burns and gives life, binding us into a tribe

• Home — a new family and something worth defending

The oath

Enemies

Humans — the people of shattered kingdoms that have fought the Horde for land and power for generations. Many of them see orcs and the other peoples of the Horde as nothing but monsters, failing to see that honour is not the privilege of a single race. The most corrupt of the races.

Dwarves — proud warriors and conquerors who have stood against the Horde more than once. Their love of war, expeditions and underground riches leads them into lands we want to defend. We respect them - in our own way.

Gnomes — cowardly inventors whose technology serves the war against the Horde. Their ingenuity makes them dangerous opponents, especially when they treat our women and whelps as subjects for their experiments. Their own arrogance cost them their homeland, so now they come for our home.

Night elves — guardians of ancient forests who have stood in the way of the Horde's expansion more than once. Their attachment to their own lands and distrust of strangers make them, for Dark Tribe, opponents with whom it is hard to find common ground. Placing themselves above the races of the Horde, they treat us like savages. So we will bring them our tribal fire.

- Centaurs of the Barrens — raiders who spread fear on the roads, attack settlements and threaten travellers. To Dark Tribe they are the symbol of brute force that takes what it wants, recognising neither honour nor the right of others to live on their own land. They respect no borders and see weakness as an invitation to attack. As long as they threaten the peoples of the Horde, they will remain enemies of the Tribe.

- Cultists of the Burning Blade — orcs who betrayed their own ideals and gave themselves over to forces that take away freedom, bending minds and wills to their own. Dark Tribe knows what rejection is. It knows what it is like to be branded cursed, foreign or unworthy of one's own people. But our members do not let suffering make them slaves to someone else's power - they have our contempt.