Adepts of The Grey Mist

It was difficult to confirm the existence of this elite and secretive subset of the Ashen Order of The Stars, but most agree that if it did roam the forests and mountains of Negaria, its members did not number greatly. Making matters of pinning down the membership worse was the reported ability for mages of this group to teleport from the scene by turning into a grey mist - the capability from which their name derived. All this secretive traversing of the continent and darting in and out of far-off locations was supposedly for observing powerful entities, particularly those that are spellcasters, to ensure that they did not overstep their bounds to cause great unrest or imbalance.

Rumors surrounding this group described one of its purposes as a form of immigration control for extraplanar creatures. The Adepts of The Grey Mist especially tracked mages from off world, though it is also said to have done the same for demons, devils, and other beings that can innately use magic. For the most part, the tracking never progressed beyond simple observation from far away, which could include scrying and other divinations. In rare cases when powerful off world entities began showing signs of wildly destructive behaviors, such as attempts to harm Avlissian deities, disrupt the planar fabric, or eliminate entire races or regions from existence, the organization stepped in to intervene.

Being able to stay on top of such powerful visitors required cutting-edge knowledge of divination techniques. Most agree that the Adepts of The Grey Mist, if they were in fact carrying out their rumored mission, included some of the best diviners on the planet. It was probable that one wing of the group spent most of its time researching knowledge on the craft, or adventuring to the farthest corners of the world to find it. Meanwhile, a second wing was employed in application, i.e. using the knowledge to track visitors. A smaller third wing was thought to act as the strong arm when things got rough and an interloper required expulsion.

Entering this organization was likely something only rarely achieved. One version of the reputed method says that the Archmage of the Ashen Order submitted candidates to the Adepts of The Grey Mist which were then reviewed and approved or rejected. If this was the case, it was likely that all members of the group were former mages of the Ashen Order. However, another version of the method implied that the Adepts of The Grey Mist appeared to people whom they had observed for quite some time and invited them to take a special test at a certain time and location. Some have reported that the location was usually in a pocket plane that could only be accessed via a portal. Multiple candidates showed up to take this test accordingly, and few passed, but those who did were inducted into the organization as full members and began assuming new duties. Usually these people were never seen again by their close relatives and associates. If this was the case, it is quite possible that mages from many different orders and alignments may belonged to the group.

In the present day, the Adepts of the Grey Mist are rumored to be part of the House of Mist and Shadow.