INTRODUCTION
Originally a sect of human eremites that lived in Elona, the Dervish has undergone a drastic transformation over the past 250 years since the reawakening of the undead overlord Palawa Joko. With the sunspears fragmented and no organized force to defend Elona, the Order of Whispers took on the task of saving as many lives as possible. Refugees and information were smuggled between Elona and Tyria via the Crystal Desert. In the meantime, the Order took to gathering as much military strength as possible in order to defend itself and its supply lines. Ascalonians, Kyrtans and even Canthans heeded the call—at least until Emperor Usoku closed the Dragon Empire’s borders—to assist the Order of Whispers in its task of evacuating the continent of Elona.
Naturally, Dervishes from the ragged sunspear remnants also joined the Order of Whisper’s ranks. Yet even so, faced with the destruction of their home, the silence of their gods and the deaths of their comrades, many Dervishes dropped their craft and fell into despair. It took the effort of a few powerful Dervishes to preserve the craft for future generations.
With volunteers from all continents, a few select Dervish acolytes began training soldiers in their unique combat style. They melded magic with muscle to produce new spells and attacks that didn’t require such fanatic devotion to the traditional Dervish’s spiritual ways. As the decades passed, so did the acolytes with them, thus ending the age of human god avatars. Yet, those acolytes left in their place an army of powerful warrior mystics with spells, tricks and techniques that turned the tide against Palawa Joko’s unprepared army for a time and helped to secure the supply lines between Elona and Tyria.
However, with the awakening of Kralkatorrik, the Crystal Desert routes that Whispers agents had used for centuries were erased in a matter of days. The Order of Whispers in Elona were aware of the Elder Dragon threat, but were never in a place to contribute or capitalize on the situation. Now, with the recent developments of Tyrian interracial relations, the Elonian-based Order of Whispers saw an influx of volunteers from the north: humans, norn, asura and even charr. Each race has been a powerful ally in the struggle against both Palawa Joko and Kralkatorrik; and each race contributed volunteers that were not beneath training in the preserved war arts of old human eremites.
After the death of Zhaitan, Tyrians everywhere look to the remaining Elder Dragons and the threat that still looms over the continent. In the meantime, the Elonian Order of Whispers’ Dervish corps continues to grow in number and skill, hardened by their constant combat against undead and dragon minions. It is only a matter of time before the Dervish’s techniques are embraced by a continent that seeks to push into the Crystal Desert in order to secure its livelihood from Kralkatorrik once and for all.
